IN-PERSON Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
This paper presents a series of graduate design studios at The Design School, Arizona State University that embrace a Life-Inspired Design pedagogical approach. This method challenges the conventional human-centered approach in Architecture and Design, advocating for a holistic understanding of nature’s adaptability. Instead of static solutions, Life-Inspired Design promotes dynamic, team-based solutions facilitated by design instructors and a clinical psychologist. This integration encourages the development of design skills alongside creativity and emotional intelligence, preparing students to address complex global issues such as dying coral reefs or urban heat islands. Our approach mirrors nature’s ecosystem development, bringing together students and faculty from various disciplines to generate transformative ideas rooted in rigorous scientific methods and empathetic, life-centered design principles. Through reflective group sessions with a clinical psychologist, students enhance their emotional intelligence, encouraging their vulnerability and learning how to engage sensitively with one another and the human and non-human communities they interact with and Design for. This collaborative environment nurtures innovative solutions that seek to contribute to complex global issues. Our studio prototypes teaching and learning methodologies that test and transform the human-centric design process towards an inclusive Life-Centered Design approach. This methodology addresses global wicked problems through comprehensive Design, science, natural systems, and contextual research. By teaching emotional intelligence and collaboration, our teams are equipped to tackle multifaceted issues across various scales, resulting in integrated and interconnected design solutions. Guided by humility, curiosity, and nature’s wisdom, we strive to enhance the emotional intelligence of our designers, enabling them to engage sensitively with complex systems.
Darren Petrucci is an architect and professor in The Design School at Arizona State University, where he served as School Director from 2005-2012. He is the Suncor Professor, a Senior Sustainability Scientist, and an Affiliate Faculty in multiple institutes, including the Biomimicry Center. He founded A-I-R [Architecture-Infrastructure-Research] Inc. and holds Masters Degrees in Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. His design thinking focuses on leading, teaching, and consulting with collaborative teams to create transformative design solutions.
Michelle Fehler is a Clinical Associate Professor at The Design School, Arizona State University, where she teaches multidisciplinary design studios, lectures, and seminars. As a Biomimicry professional and Visual Communication Designer, she connects Nature’s strategies to design, enabling designers to find innovative solutions. Her research defines a life-centered design methodology, integrating biomimicry into traditional human-centered design. She employs various tools and methods to make this approach accessible to designers, encouraging creativity and innovation through a deep understanding of nature’s principles.
Dr. William Heywood is a Clinical Professor in the Design School at Arizona State University. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the Fielding Institute, training in Reichian Bodywork, Craniosacral Therapy, Educational Kinesiology, Advanced Mind-Body Integration, Gestalt, and Jungian Depth Psychology. After 20 years as an associate faculty, he joined the faculty full-time. He is also a Clinical Psychologist in private practice and co-founder/president of the consulting firm Wisdom of the Heart, focusing on human dynamics. His research explores team building, creative collaboration, and mindfulness in design education and critical visual thinking.
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Thursday 12th June, 2025