An ecosystem based biomimetic theory for a regenerative built environment

Biomimicry, where flora, fauna or entire ecosystems are emulated as a basis for design, has attracted considerable interest in the fields of architectural design and engineering, as an innovative new design approach and importantly as a potential way to shift the built environment to a more sustainable paradigm. The practical and comprehensive application of biomimicry as a design methodology and benchmarking tool, particularly in the built environment, remains elusive. One reason identified for this is the lack of a comprehensive and rigorous general theory of biomimicry that could be applied to the architectural design process and its outcomes over entire building lifecycles. This paper attempts to clarify various approaches to biomimicry and provides a set of principles that could form the basis of an ecosystem based biomimicry. It is posited that such an approach could become a vehicle for creating a built environment that goes beyond simply sustaining current conditions to a restorative practice where the built environment becomes a vital component in the integration with and regeneration of natural ecosystems as the wider human habitat.