BIOSIS

The story of BIOSIS begins in 2016 where we started putting together the principals of a vision that is now the BIOSIS brand.

We developed this method in projects that we developed together over the next couple of years, revolving around sustainability as an overall premise for the design of our buildings and landscapes.

Experiences from remote Nordic, Northatlantic and Arctic landscapes like the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Northern Norway helped shape a perception of sustainability that grew from the beauty - but also the harsh climatic conditions of these regions.

Some of the key drivers that we used were:
MINIMAL IMPACT (the preservation and respect of the natural terrain and habitat)
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION (using natural, local, short travelled materials)
LOCAL MICRO CLIMATES (creating comfortable architectural environments shaped by the movements and the impact of wind, water (precipitation) and sunlight)
BIOPHILIA (the human psychology of being attracted to nature)

(We later developed these ideas into what we now call CLIMATE DRIVEN DESIGN).

We founded BIOSIS in 2018 based on these principles and the idea of wanting to contribute with our passion for architecture in a sustainable future.

Morten Vedelsbøl and Mikkel Thams Olsen
Architects and BIOSIS founders

PROJECT MAP

BIOSIS operates across the Nordic, North Atlantic and Arctic region with projects to date in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. It is our goal to build a foundation of expertise that feeds into our services all over the region. We work to have this foundation make us a leading firm in Climate-Driven Design and planning.

CLIMATE DRIVEN DESIGN

We apply a diverse method of sustainable parameters as part of any design - architectural, landscape or urban. We use external factors, such as the client’s programmatic needs, planning regulations and budget - equal to a set of local, social and global climate parameters - as constraints or challenges to the conception of the design. We have named this approach Climate Driven Design.

NATURE & BIOPHILIA
We have the core believe that - whether we live in dense cities, suburbs or rural environments - we as humans seek and thrive from the presence of nature in all its forms. This drive towards biophilia exists as a soul of all our projects - the eagerness to connect us- and submit to our natural environments.

EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS AND CLIMATES
Experiences from remote Nordic, Northatlantic and Arctic landscapes has helped shape our perception of sustainability that grows from the beauty - but also the harsh climatic conditions of these regions. We build - along with our portfolio - an expertise that can be used across climate zones, landscapes and borders. Every situation, program and environment is unique - and so are our solutions.

DOCUMENTATION AND SIMULATION
During the design process we test our proposals with advanced tools of simulation and documentation of wind, water, topography, and daylight. We learn from the feedback the evidence gives us, that either supports our initial approach - or helps it take a different direction, form or solution.

EVIDENCE BASED DESIGN
Along with testing our own design, we use existing research as part of the design process to ensure the resilience of the solutions at an early stage. It is our ambition to create measurable projects, that can feed back further into our expertise.

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Our continuous work with Climate Driven Design is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.