Where Green Building Certification Falls Short of Biophilic Design: A Pattern Analysis of LEED v5 and WELL v2

Biophilic design connects people to nature through direct, indirect, and spatial experiences, yet how systematically LEED v5 and WELL v2 represent these dimensions remains insufficiently understood. This study examines how and to what extent LEED v5 BD+C and WELL v2 optional scoring components represent biophilic design, using 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design as a common analytical framework. Optional LEED v5 credits and WELL v2 optimization features were screened for biophilic relevance, mapped to a primary pattern, and scored for alignment strength on a 0–3 scale. Representation was limited on every measure. Only 9 of 34 LEED v5 optional credits (26.5%) and 11 of 84 WELL v2 optimization features (13.1%) qualified as biophilically relevant, and only 3 credits (8.8%) and 4 features (4.8%) showed strong and direct alignment. LEED v5 addressed 7 of the 14 patterns and WELL v2 only 5; the remaining 7, including Mystery, Risk/Peril, Biomorphic Forms and Patterns, and Complexity and Order, received no primary representation in either system. Nature in the Space accounted for 17 of the 20 qualifying items (85%). LEED v5 showed a more site- and ecology-oriented profile, particularly through Connection with Natural Systems, while WELL v2 concentrated more on occupant-centered indoor environmental conditions, especially lighting, daylight, airflow, and thermal comfort. These findings suggest that, within the optional components analyzed, biophilic design is more readily represented where it overlaps with measurable and documentable criteria. Experiential, symbolic, and psychological–spatial dimensions are largely absent from the primary pattern assignments. The study contributes a transparent procedure for screening, mapping, and scoring biophilic content across rating systems. Given the small number of qualifying items and the interpretive nature of pattern scoring, the findings are presented as a documentation-based, pattern-level critique rather than a statistical ranking of the two systems.