You are invited to enjoy a lively session with Mazin Bahho, Design Inspired by Nature.
Design Inspired by Nature (Biomimicry) is a design approach that emulates the strategies and solutions found in nature to solve human problems. The idea behind this strategy is that nature has already solved many of the problems we face, and we can learn from it to create better solutions for us. It is not just about copying nature, but about understanding the underlying principles behind the methods and solutions found in nature.
This presentation looks at design inspirations by nature and provides examples that explain the underlying concepts. It discusses these topics:.
- Analysing natural forms that have inspired design concepts.
- Design looking for biology.
- Biology influencing design
- A framework for understanding levels of natural inspirations:
Organism level
Behaviour level
Ecosystem level
A biomimetic approach to design and architecture could become a vehicle for creating an environment that goes beyond simply sustaining current conditions to become a restorative practice where the human environment becomes a vital component in the integration with and regeneration of natural ecosystems.
Practical: From what has been discussed in the session, practice through drawing the process of transforming natural forms into innovative designs. This process includes identifying particular features, behaviours, or qualities in a natural structure or ecosystem and translating these into potential human designs.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover how nature inspires innovative design and architecture, exploring how organisms, behaviours and ecosystems can offer solutions to human challenges.
- Put biomimicry into practice by drawing and transforming natural forms and patterns into creative design ideas that could support more sustainable and regenerative environments.
Date: Thursday 25th February, 2027
Time & format: The course will start at 10am, with a coffee and tea break followed by a lively facilitated discussion to answer all your curious questions. The course will finish at 12pm each week.
About the experts
Mazin Bahho
Mazin Bahho is a retired academic formerly affiliated with IDEAschool at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), New Zealand, as a senior lecturer of Design. He completed his PhD Degree in Architecture in 2018 from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
His research is grounded in design education, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary pedagogy, practice-led inquiry, and community-engaged learning. Identity and sense of place are also paramount to his process, focusing on the significance of history and culture as a way of exploring patterns that can be expressed in the contemporary.
Following his retirement, he remains actively engaged in research and publication, continuing to contribute to scholarly discourse in design education and sustainability.
Christina Tay - Learning Facilitator
Christina is a lifelong learner with a profound passion for exploring diverse cultures and disciplines. Her curiosity has inspired extensive global travel, from teaching English to Buddhist monks in Laos and volunteering at a Thai orphanage to visiting museums across Europe, the UK, and Asia. A highlight of her travels is the Bishop Museum in Hawai'i, which she visits frequently, including during the 2014 World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education.
Her academic journey began with law and politics at Waikato University, where she discovered dispute resolution. She subsequently earned a Master’s in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from Strathclyde University, UK. This period included an exchange at the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and research in Hong Kong on the ombudsman's role.
Currently a Learning Facilitator for Love Heart Social Learning, Christina also teaches the Restorative Practices microcredential at Victoria University. A fully accredited restorative justice facilitator and assessor, she recently delivered mediation training in Micronesia. Previously, she served as Director of Employee Assistance Resolution Services at Victoria University.
Outside of work, Christina enjoys connecting with loved ones and attending international events, such as the 2025 Restorative Practices conference in Singapore, to continually expand her expertise.
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