PHOENIX, Ariz. – Sonja Bochart, IIDA, LEED AP BD&C, WELL AP, has recently joined Shepley Bulfinch as a principal. With 20 years of commercial design experience, primarily in healthcare design, Bochart creates meaningful and healthy spaces for connection, healing and overall well-being. She has spent the last year and a half working independently as a design consultant, lecturer and educator and has a deep commitment to sustainability and high-performance buildings. Her focus in the growing field of biophilic design brings a unique skill set to Shepley Bulfinch.
Bochart’s designs integrate leading-edge principles of biophilia, mindfulness, Evidence-Based Design, storytelling and sustainability to create holistic places of wellness, inspiration and transformation.
Biophilic design is especially well-suited for healthcare and higher education projects, which is where Bochart will focus her talents at the firm. Research suggests that specific strategies and design support greater levels of positive benefits for building occupants, such as increased cognitive functioning and productivity, improved satisfaction and happiness, physiological wellness and a reduction in fatigue, stress and blood pressure. Biophilic design seeks to re-connect the built environment with nature through specific strategies including, but not limited to, the use of windows, natural materials, daylight, fresh air, plants and green spaces.
