Tying in with Issue 6, our Blue Mind edition of The Journal of Biophilic Design we speak with Nick Hounsfield, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at The Wave in Bristol. The Wave is an inland Surfing destination.
After working in the healthcare sector and realizing that not only one of the key aspects for people was that they were lonely but that they also were missing a connection to nature, Nick wanted to create something at scale that would have a positive impact. He also wanted to reach out to people who didn’t have access to a private healthcare system.
“How can we democratise this? How can we make it more accessible for more people?” Nick explains how he went on to create The Wave. He had a very clear purpose and mandate, wanting to appeal to everyone, be accessible in all seasons and ensuring he addressed barriers to accessing to green and blue space. “We have to break down those barriers through design, through great landscaping, a good business model, and also make sure that we're not destroying the planet and local ecology either.”
Roll forward 10 years, and they’ve managed to build it and deliver exactly what they wanted to deliver blue and green spaces for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
So what is The Wave? If you could imagine a huge slice of the ocean or imagine a really amazing Cove down by the beach. It's like taking that cake slice of the ocean and lifting it up and dropping it right in the middle of the field. There are absolutely perfect surfing waves, and lighter ones just as you get at the beach, and then you've got really nice whitewater waves on the inside for people who just want to splash and play around or bodyboard. The water is Caribbean in colour so also looks perfect. People come just to walk the pier which stretches out across the waves to enjoy the sound of the waves.
Nick and his team have created a beautiful space where people can connect with water as observers or enjoy an immersive and active connection. Being close to the city of Bristol, partnerships were an important part of the vision. Working with groups who do not have access to green and blue space and who have mental and physical health issues, they bring them to the wave. By growing the adaptive surf community they have made sure that the whole space was designed so it is truly accessible. And with surfing now part of the Olympics we might see that surfing will also be part of the Paralympics. “We've now got the most amazing training facility for these athletes, and have genuine medal contenders in our midst so hopefully that whole sport will grow which is good.”
“That's the key thing, really, it's about that partnership because we will never profess to know everything about the challenges and issues that different sectors of society have. So, it's about partnering up with people who do really know what's going on, and we're just providing a facility. We break down the barriers together.”
Why is that nature connection important?
“It's everything.” Nick goes on to describe how we felt that nature was taken away from us during Lockdown, and even now “there are young families stuck in high-rise apartments with no access to green or space blue space at all, they walk along a concrete road to get to school and it's a concrete playground, there's no green space there. And that is their life. That just doesn't feel like it's a healthy existence.” It’s important to democratize that open space, green space, blue space, “just having some horizons around us to be able to lift your head, lift your mind, lift your spirits. If you're surrounded by things that have been designed to encapsulate you the whole time, that just creates such a closed-minded spirit as well as an attitude. And I think that's a real shame, particularly for the younger generation growing up in that space.”
We need to re-establish those connections that have been lost and look back historically when that connection was intrinsic. “We are not better than nature, we are nature. And actually, nature has got so many of the cures for our ills. And we have to be mindful of that and get back to promoting it, that being natural isn't some kind of woowoo but that it is something for the people.” This is where biophilic design comes in, “if we want something to be sustainable for the long term, to have real longevity, we need to go back to nature for that design brief.”
What is it about Blue Mind?
There is some really good research now that shows how Blue Mind, Blue Health really has a positive impact on physical and mental well-being. From being around water to being in water and experiencing that feeling when gravity is taken away from your body. There is also that penetration of blue, which reduces heart rate and cortisol levels it calms everything down.
What about Surfing?
“There is a sort of ebb and flow where you're doing something incredibly focused, particularly an activity where you have to be in the moment and you can't think about anything else apart from having to catch this wave, you've got this locked in focused moment. It’s quite Zen-like, all those other worries in your world, just melt away because you're so focused. Then I love where there is the peaceful calm when the wave has passed, and maybe you're paddling back out, or when maybe you're down by the beach, and you're sat waiting for the next wave, you're just looking at the big horizon. There is that moment of calm, the sort of peacefulness with it. I love the juxtaposition of the two. And that's why surfing I think brings so much and especially wave riding, you don't have to stand up on a wave. It could be bodyboarding it could be just splashing around in the water. I think that's the lovely sort of ebb and flow of the emotions.”
“…this is a place and a space for me to find the best version of myself.”
Nick calls for similar concepts to spring up in other cities and other countries because he thinks “everybody should have an access to these kinds of facilities. So in terms of designing, master planning and huge developments, I think it's something that we should be mindful of going forward. Building a future that is much more sustainable for our society, learn from mistake, and incorporate really good design when master planning cities, towns and settlements in the future. I think what's been great is The Wave has demonstrated that actually, you can do that triple bottom line where you're doing right by the planet, you’re looking after the people along the way, and also having an economically viable model.I just would love that thinking to be replicated in other places, whether there's a Wave there or not, but that triple bottom line, philosophy really can work if it's if it's properly committed to.”
The Wave could be coming to a city near you, watch out for developments, sign up to their newsletter, go visit, enjoy the food, music, camping, and go catch a Wave at The Wave visit:
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