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Architects inspired by nature: Benefits of biomimicry

When in comes to bringing biomimicry to the built environment, what are three approaches architects should consider? What are the best practices when it comes to adding biomimicry to the design process?

Biomimicry 3.8’s Jamie Dwyer will detail and discuss three benefits of bringing biomimicry to the built environment during Verdical Group’s free Biomimicry 2016: The Road to Resiliency conference on Friday, March 11. The panel, “Scale and Best Practices for Architects” will include Chris Garvin, Managing Partner for Terrapin Bright Green.

The conference takes place in Irwindale, California, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Space is still available; register here.

Jamie is a Biomimicry 3.8 principal who has fused architecture and biology degrees into a career as a biologist at the design table. She’s worked on dozens of projects that have incorporated biomimicry—some of which she’ll discuss during the panel—throughout the years.

What would she tell other designers anxious to incorporate biomimicry into their design work?

For one, biomimicry is practice that unites—it is often a rallying point that brings together diverse sustainability goals identified by project design teams. Team alignment around concepts like Life’s Principles provides life-friendly focus that helps projects move forward smoothly.

Biomimicry offers a bridge between biology and design, showing that if we conscientiously emulate nature’s genius, we’ll see a sustainable world already exists.

Finally, biomimicry provides a path to measuring the beneficial services provided by the local ecosystem, and then asks our built environment to do at least as well. Ecological Performance Standards, or EPS, are metrics that challenge cities and buildings to meet or exceed the level of ecosystem services that the native ecosystem in that biome would provide.

Metrics are measured by local biology—degrees Celsius of summer cooling, tons of CO2 stored each year, tons of water stored each year, tons of air cleansed, centimeters of soil built and retained, etc.

That’s just a teaser of Jamie’s full talk. Don’t forget to signup to hear the full presentation if you’re in the area. Can’t make the conference?

Read more about biomimicry and the built environment: Mimicking Nature Can be the Most Sincere Indeed.

Learn more about biomimicry and Biomimicry 3.8, connect with us onFacebookTwitter (follow @Biomimicry38) and LinkedIn.
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