Skip to main content

George Elvin Wants to Evolve Biomimicry

Death Valley Design Build Project by George Elvin
Death Valley Design Build Project by George Elvin
Professor Elvin brings his students to extreme environs to test durable designs. Above, a student in Death Valley.

George Elvin recently spoke with Spring Partners Design about resilient architecture. Below is a snippet of the article. Read the full article on Spring Partners Design’s website.

The general theme of architect George Elvin’s career is, simply, innovation — innovation in work systems, in design, and in construction. Currently a professor at North Carolina State University College of Design, Elvin’s written books and white papers on integrative practice, nanotechnology, post-petroleum design, and, more recently, resilient architecture — that is, buildings designed to withstand modern ecological disasters

“I try to keep my eyes open for things that are not just interesting but are going to have a big impact too. I have tried to look for issues that are going to be urgent, I guess, would be a good way to sum it up,” says Elvin of his kaleidoscopic yet coherent scope of work.

In this conversation, the ever-enlightening Elvin shares his thoughts on:

  • Why biomimicry needs to go beyond form and focus on processes.

  • How modal analysis can advance architecture.

  • And what wild horses and coastal oaks can teach us about making stronger homes to withstand climate change.

Read the full article on Spring Partners Design’s website.

This post was originally published in College of Design Blog.