From Form to Ecosystem: A Domain Review of the Changing Nature of Barriers to the Practical Implementation of Biomimetics in Architecture

Mohammad Hamed Sadeghi¹

1) Student at Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch

IOI Code : AAHF-ABKBAC
Publication : National Conference on Architecture and Art Technologies, Smart City, Soft and Creative Industries and Technological Culture(icact.ir)
Abstract :
    The biomimetic approach has an unparalleled transformative potential for the transition from reductionist sustainability to adaptive and reconstructive architecture; however, its practical and commercial application in the construction industry faces profound structural barriers that cause most design ideas to stall at the theoretical modeling or laboratory prototyping stages. With the aim of finding the root cause and explaining this implementation gap, the present study evaluates the metamorphosis and changing nature of implementation barriers based on different levels of bio-inspired intervention in architecture. This study was conducted by adopting a scoping review approach and following standard guidelines for systematic screening of scientific literature. Through a multi-stage and meticulous filtering process, 50 key studies were extracted from reliable databases. The data obtained were organized and analyzed in the form of a (3×3) intersection matrix using a qualitative coding method to evaluate the distribution of types of barriers across the three levels of biomimetics. Data analysis shows that the nature of the implementation challenges in this area is not static and is a direct function of the scale and depth of architectural intervention. At the lowest scale, i.e. the formal and material level, micro-technical challenges such as the limitations of multiphysics simulation and the complexities of construction and manufacturing are completely dominant. As design is elevated to the process and functional level, technical challenges are balanced by methodological obstacles, especially the lack of a specific methodology for the interdisciplinary translation of biological concepts into engineering. At the most extreme scale, i.e. the ecosystem and systems level, the contribution of engineering and technical obstacles is reduced to the minimum possible, and in contrast, macro-institutional challenges, weaknesses in urban policy-making and the lack of evaluation criteria in ecological economics become the main inhibiting factors. The apparent gap in the practical implementation of biomimetic projects cannot be reduced simply to engineering limitations or weaknesses in computational tools. Fundamentally realizing this approach on a large scale requires a fundamental paradigm shift; a strategic shift from focusing solely on the development of digital design tools, towards deep institutional reforms, the creation of interdisciplinary education frameworks, and the development of supporting and underlying policies in the governance system of the built environment.

Keywords : biomimetic architecture regenerative architecture bioinspired design computational design