Circular Economy: Material Flows and Sustainable Materials – Practical Applications

2.7

Biomimicry: Design Guided by Nature

The concept of Biomimicry was coined by biologist and consultant Janine Benyus in 1997 with the publication of her book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Biomimicry is design guided by examples in nature – shapes, function, processes, communication strategies, organization, all the way up to the level of how whole ecosystems works.

The core origin of the concept is the belief that life, having evolved for 3.8 billion years, has already solved most design challenges faced by humanity. The idea is to bring a biologist to the design table to deliberately mimic nature’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to solve human problems.

A great example of Biomimicry included in the video below, which preceded the formal coining of the term, is the redesign of Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train in the 1990s. Engineer Eiji Nakatsu, a birdwatcher, solved the train’s sonic boom problem by redesigning its nose based on the shape of a kingfisher’s beak and its pantograph based on owl feathers and Adelie penguins.

On the Biomimicry Institute web page here, you can go more in-depth into the concept, look at different case studies, and read the annual report. You can also watch a longer video video where Janine Benyus talks about the potential of Biomimicry.

Further reading, learning and references

Vox -The world is poorly designed. But copying nature helps https://youtu.be/iMtXqTmfta0

Benyus, J. M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature https://archive.org/details/biomimicryinnova0000beny

© Daniel Mossberg, CEMUS, Uppsala University and Sonali Phadke, studio Alternatives and Stephanie Foote