The 3 Levels of Biomimicry: Our Foundation for Better Design

Mother Nature inspires us with her brilliance on multiple levels.  At the surface level, her beautiful forms leave us awestruck. To a deeper degree, the behavior of her organisms adds another dimension of amazement.  From an expanded view, the interaction of all species in an ecosystem begins to look like a living, breathing, evolving tapestry woven together with the systems developed over millennia. 

In this fourth post of the Regenerative Design Series, Jenny expands on the concepts introduced in the last post, Biomimcry: Blueprints from our Biological Elders.  She defines the three levels of biomimicry with examples of each. 

The Levels as Described by Mother Nature’s Apprentice

In a private meeting with one of Mother Nature’s most admiring apprentices, Maria O’Farrell of Biomimicry 3.8, we discussed at length the three primary levels of biomimicry and how each one provides a template for inspired design…the design of the future!

Biomimetic design assures a vibrant, robust, and stunningly

gorgeous future for all inhabitants of Earth to enjoy!

Maria explained that biomimetic design emulates nature on at least one of these levels however, designers are encouraged to design the way nature has learned to design, by utilizing all three levels.

She points out that “nature creates conditions conducive to life,” a statement that Janine Benyus, the woman who coined the term biomimicry, uses to remind us of the ultimate goal of biomimetic design.

The three levels of biomimicry that help us achieve this goal are defined as follows,

Level I: Organism/Form

Level II: Behavior/Process

Level III: Ecosystem/System

Level I – Organism/Form

Level one is what we see on the surface and is the more traditional and most easily recognized form of biomimicry.  Level one mimics specific organisms and is used to design structures, products, and materials to look like a part of, or the whole of, an organism.  

Level one asks the question, “How does nature create the shapes that help organisms thrive?”

The answers provide solutions that require an alternative to the standard geometry typically used in design.  The geomorphic shapes and forms of organisms provide blueprints that can be mimicked to overcome a design challenge.

Example of Level I Biomimicry: Dragonfly Wing Inspired Antibacterial Surfaces.

A microscopic examination of the dragonfly wing determined that it was void of bacteria due to tiny needle-like structures just 240 nanometers tall.  These nano-spikes puncture bacteria cell walls, mechanically killing bacteria on contact.

The implications of mimicking this biological form could lead to bacteria-free surfaces in your home, thereby enhancing your health and the health of loved ones while eliminating the need for toxic antimicrobial chemicals that are also toxic to you and only lead to antibacterial resistance.

Dr. Yugen Zhang and his team have already designed an antibacterial and non-toxic nanocoating that mimics the dragonfly wing.  This nanocoating was tested on glass, ceramic, and titanium and killed up to 99.9% of bacteria found on the surfaces.  This level I biomimicked material is also environmentally friendly since it kills bacteria mechanically as opposed to chemically.

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