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Instructor(s)
In biology material is expensive but shape is cheap. As of today, the opposite was true in
the case of technology.
-- Julian Vincent 2009
The Biomimetic Design Lab will focus on bio-inspired design strategies that are shaping new technologies and challenging designers to look at the world in new ways. We will look at what lobsters can teach us about structures, how learning from the pine scale is changing homes in New Zealand and how understanding the sand dollar may change the way buildings are made. From the micro-structure of cells, the meso-structures of tissues and bones or the anatomical features of plants, living things have a lot to teach us about high performance and beautiful design.
This studio offers students the opportunity to investigate the principles that enable biological organisms to create some of the most technically capable structures using locally available materials. Through an experiment-based approach, students will investigate how nature addresses the relationship between material, shape and structure. In particular, the Lab will focus on organisms, structures and materials that transform and adapt in response to environmental conditions.
