Meet the Naturally Built Team
Naturally Built draws from diverse backgrounds united by a passion for biophilic design, sustainable materials, and creating healthier indoor spaces. We’re everyday enthusiasts—not a corporate outfit—sharing practical insights from hands-on experience, research, and real-world projects. Each contributor brings unique perspectives to help you integrate nature into UK homes and workplaces without hype or greenwashing.
Tom: Landscape Architect
Tom is a landscape architect and sustainability consultant who specializes in integrating biophilic design with environmental responsibility. He’s spent 10 years designing projects that don’t just bring nature indoors but do so in ways that support broader ecological goals.
He’s frustrated by “greenwashing” biophilic design—adding plants sourced unsustainably, using materials with massive carbon footprints, creating maintenance systems that drain water resources. His work focuses on creating beautiful, functional biophilic spaces that actually reduce environmental impact rather than increase it.
Tom writes about sustainable material selection, native planting strategies, water management in biophilic systems, and how to build green features that support local ecology. He’s interested in the intersection of human wellbeing and environmental health—the idea that spaces designed to connect us to nature should also genuinely support nature.
Sarah: Interior Designer
Sarah is an interior designer who specializes in biophilic design (the connection of humans and nature) and small-space living for urban apartment dwellers. Since working as an interior designer for 12 years, she has redesigned hundreds of flats in London, Manchester and Bristol. As such, Sarah is experienced in creating biophilically connected spaces in areas of homes that appear to be nearly impossible to redesign.
Sarah offers practical interior design solutions for both renter and homeowner, both with very real constraints: limited budget, inability to make structural changes, and every square inch of the home counts. Sarah’s methodology takes the principles of biophilic design and applies them to the realities of living in an urban environment.
The basis of Sarah’s philosophy is that biophilic design should not cost a fortune nor require a renovation. Her guides focus on what actually works within typical UK flat designs.
Marcus: Facilities Expert
Marcus has worked in Corporate Facilities Management for fifteen years, prior to working as Workplace Wellbeing Consultant. He has successfully overseen biophilic interior designs in workplaces that include start-up companies and Fortune 500 Companies. As such, he is knowledgeable of the unique challenges associated with incorporating nature into commercial space.
He has developed the ability to execute at-scale: How to develop data-based ROI to demonstrate to CFOs the value of Biophilic Design; How to implement Green Design components within Open-Plan Workplaces in a manner that does not create unnecessary Maintenance Burdens; How to avoid the “Green-Washing” pitfall.
Marcus assists facilities managers, HR personnel and Business Leaders who are interested in improving their employees’ productivity and retention rates but require understanding of the true costs, timelines and implementation challenges.
Jeff: Hands-On Experimenter
Jeff has spent the last 20 years trying to figure out how interior environments can positively impact wellbeing and productivity. A personal mission to make his home (and eventually office) feel less dreary turned into a serious study and practice of biophilic design.
Over two decades, Jeff has tried literally dozens of ways to incorporate elements of nature into living and working areas—many were successful, but most were not. He has killed high-maintenance plants, created mold issues by planting too many plants, and installed water features that were much more stressful than relaxing.
Jeff is no designer or scientist, just a regular person with sincere, down-to-earth knowledge of biophilic principles that can create healthy indoor environments. His resources are intended for individuals seeking to enhance their indoor environments using biophilic principles without overcomplicating things.
Dr. Priya: Environmental Psychologist
Read all of Dr. Priya’s articles
Dr. Priya is an Environmental Psychologist who received her PhD from the University of Washington after conducting eight years of research that investigated how biophilic designs affect the human body at the biological (neurological) level. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals that discuss how biophilic designs reduce cortisol levels, improve sleep quality, and increase cognitive functioning.
She bridges the gap between academic researchers and practicing architects/designers. As a writer, she translates complex neurobiological data into clear language that explains why biophilic design is effective.
Dr. Priya writes the “research heavy” articles that provide a detailed look into actual research studies, what claims are unsubstantiated, and what interventions have the most evidence. Questions for the team? Email admin@naturallybuilt.co.uk.