IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

Over the past two decades, biomimetic design methods have been developed and integrated into educational frameworks to improve design education. Approaching biological systems as sources of insight has created new opportunities for innovative problem-solving, and when biomimetic methods are incorporated into design curricula, they enable students to engage more creatively with pressing environmental, technological, and societal challenges. However, using biomimetic approaches in educational settings still encounters resistance, especially where different disciplines, terminologies, and epistemologies meet. Teaching future designers to work across biology, engineering, and architecture requires not only technical skills but also a move towards transdisciplinary thinking. This shift is particularly important in an age overloaded with information, where students must analyze vast biological datasets and extract meaningful, design-relevant insights. Despite unprecedented access to biological knowledge, many cognitive and creative steps involved in biomimetic exercises remain difficult. Graduate students often report difficulties in selecting appropriate biological models, accurately interpreting biological functions, and translating those functions into practical design strategies. These issues reveal gaps not just in methodological guidance but also in the tools that help students transfer concepts across different fields. This project investigates the barriers faced by graduate design students when engaging with biomimetic methods, explores the underlying causes of these challenges, and proposes a series of pedagogical strategies to enhance the accessibility, understanding, and adoption of biomimetic design in architectural education.