Biomimicry in the Built World: Consulting Nature as Model, Measure, and Mentor

CED 50th Anniversary - Visualizing the Future of Environmental Design: Biomimicry in the Built World: Consulting Nature as Model, Measure, and Mentor Janine Benyus, President and Founder, Biomimicry Institute Biomimicry is the science and practice of asking, How would nature solve this design challenge? Architects, city planners, and building engineers are at the forefront of this emerging discipline, inviting biologists to the design table to create dwellings that learn from the genius of the place. Native organisms become models for buildings that gather water from fog, capture sunlight with their skins, clean themselves with rainwater, and weather hurricanes with grace. Commercialized products include fans inspired by whale flippers, glues inspired by marine mussels, and solar cells based on the inner workings of leaves.