July 31, 2015
by Lisa Bonanate
Buildings designed like termite dens. Insulation made from mushrooms. Panes of glass structured like spider webs.
Mother Nature is the ultimate architect – one with a few billion years of experience. Her designs are efficient, innovative and conducive to sustaining life. Increasingly, mankind is looking to these time-tested engineering strategies to answer the sustainability issues we’re facing.
Biomimicry, meaning “to imitate life”, is a design discipline that looks to solve man-made sustainability challenges by emulating the most effective patterns and systems found in nature. Bio-inspired design is nothing new. As far back as the 15th century, Leonardo DaVinci based his flying machine on the anatomy of birds. But modern applications are reflecting exciting new innovations.
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