Biomimesis, the imitation of animate and inanimate forms in nature to inspire new designs, is term introduced in the 20th century. The concept that there exist models and solutions in nature that may improve and optimize the way mankind lives has been the subject of much discussion. Although biomimesis as a well-defined discipline is a relatively recent concept, modeling nature is as old as mankind itself and can be seen in many different forms in all aspects of life. In the field of architecture there have been several designs created by imitating/modeling or aspiring to forms in nature. Most of the &ldquo / end products&rdquo / of these processes can be considered as milestones in the history of architecture, with their innovative form, structure, and construction techniques, and have resulted in developments in many fields through the pioneering of new and successful designs. The implementations of the concept of Biomimesis in the field of architecture are mostly observed in the design of forms. In the proposed study, besides those forms, structural behavior and the optimized response to internal and external loads of these forms, together with their geometrical configurations, have been studied to provide a methodology to understand relationships in nature for optimized structures and in the further steps a system design has been aimed. Within the frame work of methodology, in the first part of the study, form/structure groups in animate and inanimate nature are classified and their representative characteristics are discussed. The next part focuses on the &ldquo / shell&rdquo / , as a case to exemplify the proposed methodology. For this reason, the &ldquo / seashell&rdquo / form is chosen to explore the forms/structures in architecture. For this purpose, initially the definitions of a shell and its implementations in architecture have been examined and the &ldquo / real problem&rdquo / has been described: what are the codes in architecture to understand the language of shells in nature and how this knowledge can be translated to man made design. The modeling approaches of the researchers working on the seashells have been examined and parameters developed to generate a mathematical model closer to a real shell. A program has been written to generate the computational model of selected seashell Turitella Terebra as a case. Through a series of abstractions/assumptions first mathematical then computational model of the actual seashell have been obtained to explore the behavioral properties of shells. In the experimental part of the study, 86 shells have been exposed to compression tests, similar boundary conditions and loads have been applied to the computational model in two different FEA software, to compare simulation results with the experimental ones in order to check the precision and efficacy of the computational model. The results have been analyzed and a number of non-dimensional parameters are obtained. It is believed that potential relations in the realm of architecture regarding such non dimensional parameters would be a new era to talk new design methods and to construct optimized structures. Through this perception/thinking/designing/manufacturing method a platform would be formed to discuss the concept of Biomimesis in architecture subjectively.

This work places itself in the field of knitted textile design and the context of body and interior. The primary motive is to investigate the tactile and visual properties of oysters and pearls, inspired by Botticelli’s painting Venus. The aim is to explore free-flowing and texture through knitted three-dimensional textile surfaces. Material and colour choices have been made based on the source of inspiration, the oyster, and investigated on industrial circle knit and flat knit machines. The circle knit’s expression has been explored from a hand knitting perspective, using the manual elements to push the machine’s technique to design new expressions. The result of the project is a collection that has four suggestions for a knitted, three-dimensional surface, each inspired and developed from one specific part of the oyster; the shell, the nacre, the flesh, and the pearl. This work investigates the potential of using circle knit machines, commonly used in fast fashion for bulk production, as a tool for handicraft and higher art forms. The final collection pushes the conversation regarding the future uses of the knitting machines and investigates how rigid objects can be expressed through the flexible structure.

Due to its sensitive nature, the graveyard is often an avoided problem space within the field of design. This becomes evident from the lack of exploration and analysis in this domain. Anyhow, it represents an opportunity to test how design can mediate between sacred places, technology and people. Moreover, as a very specific context, the graveyard encompasses peculiar ways of interacting and experiencing space that deserve to be taken into account. This work discusses the notions of space and place and how the field of interaction design can benefit from them. In doing so, it investigates the hidden dimensions of the graveyard that make it a complex structure where spatial, personal and socio-cultural dimensions are intertwined. While the fieldwork aims at analysing the graveyard in its different tones of meaning (identity, memorial, cultural differences, on-site interaction) the focus of the work are the practices of memory and the role that the past has in our relation with the deceased. The result of the design process is an interactive audio system composed of a playback circuit based on Arduino and boxed into a seashell. The device is designed to be placed on the grave and store audio content. Once activated, the audio seashell allows listening and eventually recording vocal traces related to the deceased’s past. Taking into account the observed practices, rules and conventions that shape the graveyard, the role of personal and collective rituals and the meanings of all the identified artifacts, the designed system supports the experience of recalling memories in respect to the atmosphere, tempo and rhythm that characterise the graveyard.