Design Heuristics across Domains
In 2013, a group of educators and practitioners involved with bioinspired, biophilic, and biomimetic design published an article entitled 'Developing a Common Ground for Learning from Nature' (link). The authors note the rapid growth and diversity of what they term the 'B3D community' and a general fragmentation in approach across initiatives bearing these or related monikers. While invocations of such terms appear in many papers, patents, and products, associated claims and imagery are sometimes dubious at best and often obscure the significance of 'B3D' design formalisms. While this talk will not attempt to settle such matters, it will focus on illuminating patterns occurring in cross-domain design efforts, and the tensions that can arise between interacting networks. Aimed at understanding causes and consequences of such tensions, we hope to engage a broader discussion across working groups regarding the effective practice of design across diverse knowledge domains.
Anway Bio
Randall Anway is a registered architect in New York, and Connecticut, USA. Having received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of Connecticut, he has been further recognized with professional credentials in Biomimicry, Sustainable Building, and New Urbanism. His varied and broad education and experience working in and on small and large organizations and communities, residential, institutional and commercial building types over more than 20 years has provided him unique perspectives on integrating design across scales – from finish materials to urban environments. With personal, professional and volunteer experience encompassing interdisciplinary problem solving, entrepreneurship, and systems research in architecture and facilities, he brings a reasoned and practical voice for responsible methodology in deep design thinking. His membership and participation in emerging systems oriented innovation networks and communities of practice at local,
regional, national and international levels demonstrate his sensitivity and commitment to bringing whole systems design to a broader audience. He is self-employed as Principal at New Tapestry, LLC a Connecticut firm offering place-based consulting and research integrating arts and sciences.
Norbert Hoeller
Principal, Sustainable Innovation Network. After an extensive career in Information Technology, most recently as a Consulting Architect and technical program manager in charge of major infrastructure implementations at IBM, Norbert Hoeller founded the design research and consulting practice Sustainable Innovation Network. His primary areas of interest are tools and methods supporting systems-oriented, bio-inspired sustainable design. Norbert has taught biomimicry and sustainability workshops at OCAD University, Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, the Design Exchange, Ryerson University, the Nexus Student Sustainability Group (Auckland, New Zealand), ADMI and the University of Toronto. He is a director of BioDreamMachine, the founder and practice leader of the Bio-Inspired Design Community and an editor of the Zygote Quarterly Journal.