A bibliometric analysis of biophilic architectural principles: global trends and research evolution

Biophilic architectural design has evolved from a niche philosophy into a mainstream strategy for public health and climate resilience. This study presents a bibliometric analysis of the global biophilic research landscape over a 20-year horizon (2006-2026). Using VOSviewer, a fractional counting network analysis was conducted on 66 high-frequency author keywords from the Scopus database. The intellectual structure centers on four distinct thematic clusters: macro-urban climate resilience (Theme A); indoor environmental quality and building performance physics (Theme B); environmental psychology and restorative workspaces (Theme C); and typological sector deployments linked to workplace productivity (Theme D). Timeline overlays reveal a shift from foundational, conceptual work (2006-2016) to technical engineering integration (2017-2021), and more recently to a focus on resilience, digital simulation, and post-pandemic wellness architecture (2022-2026). Geographic mapping shows that publication output remains heavily concentrated in Global North economies, with comparatively limited representation from the Global South, a pattern that may reflect, among other factors, differences in research funding, database indexing, and language coverage rather than differences in the relevance or need for biophilic strategies in those regions. These findings offer a data-informed starting point for practitioners and researchers seeking to broaden biophilic design's evidence base across climatic, economic, and geographic contexts, and to strengthen benchmarks for socio-economic equity and long-term post-occupancy performance.