SoA Director to Present at Biomimetics Conference

Director of the David R. Ravin School of Architecture Blaine Brownell, FAIA, will present at the inaugural Biomimetics International Industry Strategy Symposium: Nature-Inspired Design and Development. Hosted October 8 at the University of Minnesota, this industry strategy symposium will convene the global biomimicry community, composed of academia, researchers, policymakers, native nations, and businesses, to promote nature-inspired innovations. 

Brownell’s presentation is entitled Hypernatural: Architecture’s Evolving Relationship with Nature. He and co-author Marc Swackhamer published a book in 2015 with the same title, which explores the transforming connections between building materials and natural systems in 42 case studies.

Through his wide-ranging scholarship, including the four-volume Transmaterial series and his regular “Mind & Matter” column for Architect, Brownell has influenced architects’ capacity to evaluate emerging materials and employ new material applications. He is a founding member of the Advanced Materials Council and has been an advisor to the National Institute of Building Sciences, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Mayo Clinic, Steelcase, 3M, Panasonic, and the Danish Architecture Center. Brownell served as Materials + Products Chair for the Vision 2020 Sustainability Council and has been an editorial board member of the Journal of Advanced and High-Performance Materials, Journal of Architectural Education, and Journal of Contemporary Architectural Education. Brownell was elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows in 2020.