Generative design : how the emulation of natural systems enhances the design process

Abstract

In the search of new elegant and efficient alternatives of design, engineers, architects and designers have opted to mimic processes found in nature, like hydrophobic materials inspired by the lotus flowers or self-cooling buildings inspired by termite mounds. The generative design takes the biomimetic approach to a next level by abstracting the logic of nature's evolutionary processes to generate different solutions through innumerable permutations aided by automated systems. Thus, the generative design takes advantage of biomimetics to define its purpose: The pursue of efficiency by imitating nature through iterations.