Biomimicry

The thesis mainly uses three methods to do the research and analysis, Biomimicry (refer to chapter three), Urban Design (refer to chapter four), and Sustainable Development Goals (refer to the projects in chapter three and four and the thematic research in chapter five). Chapter two intends to introduce the basic knowledge of the methods that will help understanding the projects and research in chapter three to five.

Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. (Biomimicry Institute 3.8 website) The species have survived 3.8 billion years of trial and error, testing and selection. This tells us that there must be some strong strategies for survival embedded. Moreover, the R&D cycles are slow, but climate change won’t wait – it is necessary to investigate the biological blueprints that have been successful over millennia to launch ground-breaking ideas, faster. There is a need to reinvent the strategies that are already here. Human only need to learn how to adapt the design strategies. It is a method of looking to nature for inspiration to solve design problems in a regenerative way. The projects in chapter three mainly did the analyses and designs based on biomimicry processes.

Biomimicry Thinking Process

Biomimicry thinking process (Figure2.1) is a collection of diagrams that visually represent the foundations of the design approach. It is a

Figure 2.1 (a)Biomimicry thinking process. (b) Biology to design process. (c) Challenge to biology process

Biomimicry Thinking provides context to where, how, what, and why biomimicry fits into the process of any discipline or any scale of design. While akin to a methodology, Biomimicry Thinking is a framework that is intended to help people practice biomimicry while designing anything. There are four areas in which a biomimicry lens provides the greatest value to the design process (independent of the discipline in which it is integrated): scoping, discovering, creating, and evaluating. Following the specific steps within each phase helps ensure the successful integration of life’s strategies into human designs.

step-by-step process to follow. People start from scoping issues typically, discover nature and create the design to solve the problems. Evaluating will be the last part. There are several vital parts for each step to consider. The essential details are defining context and identifying function requirement from issue, discovering natural models and abstracting biological strategies from the species, and emulating design principles and integrating bio-strategies into designs. The order of the steps is allowed to shift and repeat.

Life’s Principles

Biomimicry Institute expanded version of the natural principles to the “Life’s Principles.” These principles are the overarching patterns found amongst the species surviving and thriving on Earth. Life’s principles are sustainable benchmarks, so people can check the designs if they are accomplishing these principles and fit the Earth’s condition. However, Life’s Principles are a sustainable benchmark to measure and an aspirational guideline for the human to be part of the whole ecology on the Earth and contribute to the Earth’s health.

Based on the recognition that Life on Earth is interconnected and interdependent, and subject to the same set of operating conditions, Life has evolved a set of strategies that have sustained over 3.8 billion years.

Figure 2.2 Life’s principles: details for each principle

By learning from these deep design lessons, people can model innovative strategies, measure our designs against these sustainable benchmarks, and allow ourselves to be mentored by nature’s genius using Life’s Principles as our aspirational ideals.

Source: Biomimicry 3.8

Life integrates and optimises these strategies to create conditions conducive to Life. By learning from these profound design lessons, people can model innovative strategies.

When translating nature’s strategies into the design, the science of the practice involves three essential elements: Emulate, Ethos, and (Re) Connect. These three components are infused in every aspect of Biomimicry and represent these core values at its essence. (Biomimicry Institute 3.8 website)

Flow Chart

The flow chart is a significant translate process. Designers identify and define problems with key required functions. The flow chat starts from the recorded issues and functions. The next step is finding the species which have the same or similar functions or acts. After the step, designers need to research the selected species to know how they work and achieve the goals. With the data, research results from senior research, or designs’ observations and experiences, designers are allowed to abstract the significant strategy of the species. All of the strategies collect to be a species pool that the designs can choose the more efficient functional species to integrate the strategy into their designs. More details show in chapter three.

Figure 2.3 Biomimicry flow chart (cross-reference: Figure 5.28)