Biomimicry In Architecture

Fully updated new edition of the seminal work Biomimicry in Architecture

Regenerative design requires transformative approaches. Biomimicry provides a perspective that radically rethinks architecture, from the materials we use to the cities and systems we create. Biomimicry harnesses not just natural beauty but the remarkable array of adaptations that species have perfected over millennia. With the climate crisis escalating, biomimicry is no longer just an inspiration, it is an imperative. It recognises that ‘we are nature’ and rather than viewing the living world as separate to us – to be plundered for resources and pollution – we are intrinsic to it.

While industries such as manufacturing, transportation and product design have embraced biomimicry as a driver of sustainability, architecture has yet to unlock its full potential. This must change. Nature holds the key to designing buildings and systems that can be net positive and show that humans can become responsible stewards of planet Earth. The adaptations that have evolved in the living world can inspire radical, game-changing solutions: self-repairing structures, air-conditioned termite mounds and the extraordinary water-harvesting abilities of a desert beetle. These innovations have been tested through 3.8 billion years of evolution, offering architects the chance to revolutionise the way we build and live.

Biomimicry in Architecture explores how nature’s ingenuity can transform everything from structural efficiency and material innovation to water conservation, energy systems, and even the design of entire cities.

Featuring awe-inspiring biological strategies, this book presents urgent, real-world solutions for a sustainable future. Completely rewritten and updated with new content and illustrations, this edition puts forward a transformative case for biomimicry as a discipline that shows how to design as nature and integrate everything we do as humans into the web of life that supports us. The future depends on it.

About the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1: Aligning with Ecosystems

Chapter 2: Rethinking materials

Chapter 3: Building more efficient structures

Chapter 4: Manging water to restore our connection with nature

Chapter 5: Controlling our thermal environment

Chapter 6: What can biology teach us about light and colour?

Chapter 7: How will we power our buildings?

Chapter 8: Synthesis

Applying Biomimicry: Practice Guide for Architects

Glossary

Acknowledgements

Index

Image Credits

Michael Pawlyn is an architect and director of Exploration Architecture Ltd. Before setting up his own practice he worked at Grimshaw for ten years and was central to the team that radically re-invented horticultural architecture for the Eden Project. He lectures widely on the subject of sustainable design in the UK and abroad.