COURSE INTRODUCTION
For centuries, Africans have lived in deep harmony with nature, long before the term "biophilia" was coined. This course is a powerful journey of remembrance and reconnection.
It explores how our ancestors designed spaces that respected the land, honored cultural knowledge systems, and embraced the natural world.
Through this lens, we invite you to rediscover these timeless principles and learn how to apply them in today’s modern context.
The goal?
To inspire a new wave of African cities and buildings that reflect our identity, resonate with our landscapes, and embody the wisdom of nature creating environments that are not only sustainable but soulfully African.
The Story Behind This Nature Centered Course
In a time of rapid urbanization, climate change, and cultural loss, many of us are searching for ways to reconnect with nature, with community, and with ourselves. Yet long before sustainability became a buzzword, our African ancestors were already living it. They built homes from natural materials, oriented buildings to follow the sun and wind, designed spaces around communal living, and held a deep spiritual connection to the land.
This course was born out of a desire to remember and reclaim that wisdom.
As a certified green building consultant, TEDx speaker, and African biophilia advocate, I realized the global conversation around biophilic design was missing something essential:
The African story.
This course is a response to that gap.
It bridges traditional African knowledge with modern sustainable design.
MEET YOUR COURSE CREATOR AND INSTRUCTOR
Wangui Mwangi is the creator, lead author and instructor of this course. She is a Kenyan interior designer, EDGE Expert, TEDx speaker and Founder of Green Biophilic Living.
Her work brings together biophilic design, African cultural knowledge, healthy buildings, climate-responsive design and storytelling. She is committed to ensuring that Africa’s relationship with nature is recognised not as a new design trend, but as a living body of knowledge that can help shape healthier buildings, communities and cities.
For several years, Wangui has researched, documented and shared insights on biophilic design and Africa’s deep relationship with nature. Her work reconnects contemporary African development with indigenous knowledge systems, cultural identity and nature-centred design principles.
This course forms part of her larger mission:
To document, revive and advance African biophilic knowledge for present and future generations.
WHY NOW? WHY THIS COURSE?
Africa is urbanizing at one of the fastest rates in the world. Yet, many of our cities are being shaped by foreign models: glass towers, concrete jungles, and disconnected living.
But what if we paused...
And looked inward?
What if we built cities that felt like us?
This course is a call to return to reawaken our connection to land, culture, and climate through design.
We explore how African ancestral wisdom aligns with modern biophilic principles to guide the future of our homes, towns, and cities.
With the image above as inspiration, imagine a world where:
- Trees grow through our buildings, not beside them.
- Courtyards reflect the sacredness of gathering
- Earth, stone, wood, and light are our collaborators in design
- Every building breathes and belongs
This is the vision: This is the invitation. Let's design a future rooted in who we are.This course is part of a larger effort to document, revive, and advance African knowledge systems that reconnect design, culture, and nature
Course curriculum
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1COURSE INTRODUCTION
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2WEEK 1: BUILDING FOR BELONGING: FOUNDATIONS OF BIOPHILIA & AFRICAN NATURAL HERITAGE
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3WEEK 2: BUILDING FOR IDENTITY & MEMORY: TRADITIONAL & MODERN AFRICAN ARCHITECTURE
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4WEEK 3: BUILDING FOR IMAGINATION: BUILDING MATERIALS & THEIR EVOLUTION
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5Week 4: BUILDINGS FOR EFFICIENCY & JUSTICE
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6WEEK 5: BUILDING FOR HEALING : THE PLANET THROUGH DESIGN
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7WEEK 6: YOUR BIOPHILIC PROJECT
who this course is for
This course is designed for:
• Architects and designers
• Urban planners
• Sustainability professionals
• Students of architecture
• Developers
• Anyone passionate about nature-centered African futures
What You Will Walk Away With
By the end of this course, you will :
- • Understand the foundations of biophilia and biophilic design
- • Recognize how African ancestral architecture embodied nature-centered design
- • Identify biophilic principles within traditional and modern African buildings
- • Understand the role of natural materials, climate, and landscape in design
- • Explore how biophilic design can support human wellbeing and ecological balance
- • Begin applying these ideas to your own projects, communities, or research
Partner With Wangui / Contribute to the Course.
If you are working on projects that reconnect people with nature through architecture, landscapes, materials, wellness spaces, or community design, we invite you to partner with us.
Your insights, case studies, and experiences can help enrich the course and contribute to a growing body of African knowledge on biophilic design.
COURSE CREATION AND OWNERSHIP
This course was conceived, authored and led by Wangui Mwangi.
Its development was supported by professional reviewers, advisors, interview guests and contributors, who are acknowledged separately within the course for their respective input and expertise.
All original course content and associated intellectual property created by Wangui Mwangi remain the property of Venessa Wangui Mwangi, professionally known as Wangui Mwangi.
Any separately credited third-party materials are used with permission and/or appropriate attribution.
This course is presented and promoted in association with Green Biophilic Living.
© 2026 Venessa Wangui Mwangi. All rights reserved.
Become a Biophilic Practitioner
Course Investment:
$100 – Full Course Access
✔ 6 Weeks of Learning
✔ Expert Interviews
✔ African Case Studies
✔ Lifetime Access
Join a growing movement to rediscover Africa’s nature-centered design wisdom and help shape the future of our built environments.