ABSTRACT
Biomimicry works at all scales of architecture and can even be extended to scales beyond the reach of conventional architecture. It is ultimately a systemic approach. As Hagan states, The longer architects and architecture schools ignore the politics, economics and science of meaningful change in the built environment, the closer they will come to being what they profess to despise: stylists to the rich and famous. If the worthy can’t design, and designers are unequipped, architecture is finished as a profession with any influence on the improved future of cities. The gradual transition from, for instance, opaque structure to translucent window is the polar opposite of the ‘frame and skin’ tectonics that have dominated architecture since its beginning. It is no coincidence that these new developments were initiated in other industries; it is often the case that new approaches to architecture have their origins in industrial sectors with relatively lavish research and development budgets.
