I co-organized the “Crafting a Nature-Inspired Future” workshop in London in September 2024, an event aimed at exploring biomimetic innovation in the built environment. In addition to securing the funding for this initiative, I collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders, including academics and industry professionals, to design a productive program of talks, discussions, and a co-creation workshop. This event highlighted the incredible potential of nature-inspired design to address challenges in sustainability and resilience within architecture and urbanism.
I have written a short event recap below.
Nature, with its remarkable ability to adapt and thrive in diverse environments, has long been a source of inspiration for innovation.
This one-day workshop, Crafting a Nature-Inspired Future, brought together academics and industry professionals to explore the potential of biomimetics in the built environment and academia-industry collaboration.
The Workshop Highlights
The event addressed the gap between fundamental research and practical application, focusing on how biomimetic principles can inform adaptive and regenerative design in architecture.
Key Talks
Climate Change: Have We Got This Right?
Speaker: Wolf Mangelsdorf, Buro Happold
Wolf highlighted the importance of addressing climate change through research at the material level, emphasizing how fundamental innovation can drive sustainable solutions.
Beauty through Ingenuity: Learning from Nature to Shape Our Built Environment
Speaker: Camila Rock De Luigi, Grimshaw Architects
Camila shared examples of biomimetic inspiration, including the Eden Project in Cornwall and Morecambe. She discussed how soap bubbles inspired the biome structures and how geodesic forms, like honeycombs, shaped the design.
Forging a Biomimetic Future
Speaker: Ehab Sayed, BIOHM
Ehab urged a fundamental shift in our relationship with nature, emphasizing that humans must adapt to natural systems rather than cultural constructs. He showcased BIOHM’s solutions, including waste-processing systems that turn byproducts into valuable additives.
“We choose what we adapt to.”
Structural Modelling and Biomimicry
Speaker: Daniel Piker, Foster and Partners
Daniel delved into structural modelling, drawing inspiration from bones as models of efficiency. He showed Karl Cullmann’s pioneering work on stress trajectories and showcased examples like Maggie’s Centre in Manchester and a lunar dome design for the European Space Agency, inspired by bird bones.
workshop
A hands-on session where attendees collaboratively explored how nature-inspired strategies could address specific challenges in the built environment.
Takeaways and Reflections
The workshop highlighted the immense potential of biomimetics to reshape the built environment. Participants left with a deeper understanding of how to apply biomimetic principles in their work, opening up new possibilities for adaptive and regenerative design. We also had follow-up discussions with participants about collaborations on future projects.
Looking Ahead
This workshop was a starting point for creating a community committed to exploring and implementing nature-inspired innovation in architecture. As we move forward, the insights and connections from this event will fuel continued exploration into creating sustainable, resilient, and adaptive built environments.