Learning objectives:

• Understand the principles of Zoomorphism

and Biomimetics.

• Be prepared to take risks when generating

ideas through a range of creative and

critical thinking techniques.

• Produce creative solutions which address

the design criteria in expected and/or

unexpected ways.

• “By carrying out research on the opening and closing of pine cones and the insulation layers of penguins, we have worked on the principles of design of a fabric which can be used to make responsive clothing, with transpirational properties based on the state of activity of the wearer. This is of particular interest in the defence industry, meaning that the minimum of layers of clothing need be worn at all times, particularly in areas of the world with widely fluctuating temperatures: a soldier in the deserts around the Gulf will otherwise need few layers by day in the baking heat, but lots of layers by night in the chill of the sand.”

Centre for Biomimetics School of Construction Management and Engineering Engineering Building The University of Reading

“The flight system of dragonflies is nothing less than a wonder of design. The world's leading helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, finished the design of one of their helicopters by taking the dragonfly as a model.6 IBM, which assisted Sikorsky in this project, started by putting a model of a dragonfly in a computer (IBM 3081). Two thousand special renderings were done on computer in the light of the manoeuvres of the dragonfly in air. Therefore, Sikorsky's model for transporting personnel and artillery was built upon examples derived from nature”

Santiago Calatrava Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art MuseumSantiago Calatrava

• Understanding biological design by borrowing from nature is key to producing sustainable products and developing a sustainable world. Innovative designs present in nature can be leveraged to produce unique, new products that are economically successful, as well as compatible with the environment.

• “The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. This is the real news of bio mimicry: After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.”

Janine Benyus, author Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature