Integrating Biomimetic Design Approaches in Architectural Education

Abstract

Creativity and complex problem solving have been identified as meta-competencies facing architectural design education (Nagel et al., 2016). Several idea generation methods and techniques have been adopted by architectural design educators in the curricula to meet those competencies. Many scholars have incorporated Biomimetic design in architectural education for the purpose of enhancing creativity. The most famous of those studies are the BID class at Georgia Institute of Technology held in 2011 and the ITECH approach at Stuttgart University carried out in 2018. Although several studies have explored the adoption of Biomimetic design method in architectural design education, almost none have developed a clear framework of criteria for this purpose. This research aims at establishing a framework for adopting biomimetic design in architectural design education for the purpose of enhancing creativity and ability to solve complex design problems. This is achieved by means of reviewing and analyzing the literature for the Biomimetic design method and its role in enhancing creativity, and a comparative analysis for current architectural design programs incorporating biomimetic design into their curricula. The study ended up with establishing a framework of criteria for integrating the Biomimetic design in architectural design education. The framework was finally verified and refined through an empirical case study at the department of Architecture, Ainshams University. The research concluded that Biomimetic design is interdisciplinary by nature and could be integrated in design curricula at both junior and senior levels for the purpose of enhancing creativity. It functioned as a catalyst for creating a vibrant studio environment for architectural design education and helped students in understanding the process of creative thinking and complex problem solving. It is expected that the findings of this research would stimulate additional interest in the area of biomimetic design and contribute to developing new and effective teaching methods, to enhance the pedagogy of biomimetic design in architectural education.