Biophilic Architecture of the 21st Century as an Immersive Art: New Urban Atmospheres

Contemporary architecture is undergoing a transformation from the modernist techno-functional paradigm towards practices that integrate technology with humanistic, cultural, and environmental values. Biophilia—understood as the innate human need for contact with nature—is becoming an important design category that supports health, well-being, and ecological awareness, yet it can also convey additional narratives. In this context, immersion plays a significant role: it is a process of deep engagement of the user with space, involving the senses, emotions, and imagination, while simultaneously fostering relationships between humans and their surroundings. The concept of immersiveness, originating in art theory and digital media studies, is now applied in architecture as a tool for creating spatial narratives and cultural experiences. Biophilic architecture employs immersive strategies to transform buildings into environments that support sensory, behavioural, and social practices. This article analyses selected examples of such projects (including the Rooftop Garden—Warsaw University Library, Musée du quai Branly, and apartment buildings Bosco Verticale) and proposes a Multi-criteria Method for Assessing Architectural Immersiveness (MMAAI). The findings indicate that the integration of nature, technology, and spatial narrative enables architecture to act as a mediator between humans and the environment, generating new qualities of spatial experience in the Anthropocene epoch.