For Jakki Mohr, the solution to pressing world problems can begin with a simple question: how does nature do that? Mohr explained how she helps businesses rethink their engineering tool kits to develop innovative, sustainable, eco-friendly products that deliver improved performance. Her presentation included real-world examples. These included wind turbines inspired by the scalloped edge of a humpback whale fin that increased energy production by 20%; buildings in Zimbabwe modeled on the airflow in termite mounds that require 90% less energy for cooling; and a soy-based water-resistant plywood adhesive based on the unique structure of a mussel shell. Mohr encouraged businesses to “bake biomimicry into their organizational DNA” and rethink their business models from a service-oriented rather than sales-oriented perspective.
Biomimicry in Architecture
