The world is warming and the more we try to cool it down, the more greenhouse gases we produce. How can we regulate our indoor climate without causing more harm to the environment?

bioSEA, an ecology and biomimicry design firm based in Singapore, is looking at nature for solutions. Their current focus is on the termite, elephant, and the Namib Desert Beetle, organisms especially adept at regulating the internal temperature of their bodies and their homes.

Anuj Jain, ecologist, biomimic, and founder of bioSEA, says, “After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has figured out how to adapt, thrive and be sustainable.” These sustainable processes, such as natural systems that use waste heat as energy, inform many of bioSEA’s building facade designs. ”Circular economy, at its very root, is biomimicry. It’s a concept we learned from nature — nature produces no waste.”

Anuj advocates for nature-inspired innovation across design fields and develops biomimicry workshops for children and professionals. bioSEA has recently produced a Biomimicry Design Toolkit for emerging designers. For more information on the toolkit, please click the link below.

Besides reducing the need for air conditioning, this building facade brings another layer of sustainability. Fabricated in mycelium, the tiles can be grown with little energy input. “They are essentially fungi that grow on substrates made out of waste products such as saw dust”, says Anuj.

The cracked texture of elephant skin provides a measure of self-shading, and inspires the design of heat-dissipating mycelium and ceramic building facades.