Biophilic Attribute Mapping Across Green Rating Systems for Delhi Housing Adaptation

Abstract

Biophilic design is associated with restorative and well-being benefits; however, its integration into building rating systems remains uneven. This study aims to map biophilic attributes across 27 international and 2 national rating systems and assess their relevance to Delhi housing, using Kellert’s 72 attributes as a benchmark. It employs a PRISMA-guided systematic review and credit-attribute mapping of official rating-system documents to code explicit and implicit biophilic credits. LBC leads with mandatory "Biophilic Environments" (83 credits, 92% coverage); WELL v2 follows (43 credits, 71% with explicit thresholds), while LEED v4/v5 trails (32% coverage, despite v5's "Connecting Nature" credit). BREEAM-NL HEA 10 offers residential-specific indicators. IGBC India achieves 22% biophilic credits. Environmental Features and Place-based Relationships are most consistently represented, evolved Human Nature Relationships and Natural Patterns and Processes are rare. The findings reveal a gap between global benchmarks and Delhi’s density-stressed housing context, supporting the need for a climate-responsive biophilic adaptation framework.