Designing from Nature with Ona Orozco and Joan is an activity of Eina Gateway to Collserola.
Designing from Nature is a proposal aimed at better understanding how our environment works and how we can draw inspiration from it when creating. In nature, all forms of life collaborate, help one another and adapt in order to continue existing. If we look closely, we will see that everything forms part of a system in which each element has a role.
From design, art or architecture, we can learn a great deal from this way of functioning. It helps us imagine sustainable forms of collaboration that exist in harmony with the ecosystem.
For this reason, two participatory workshops are proposed. Both share a common objective: to look at nature with curiosity and discover that we are part of it. The first activity focuses on observing the natural environment as though it were a laboratory full of ideas; the second focuses on experimenting with new materials created from organic waste.
Workshop 1. Nature as a Creation Laboratory
Nature has spent millions of years testing ways to solve problems. Animals, plants and other organisms have gradually changed to adapt to all kinds of situations. We can make use of this accumulated experience through biomimetics, a discipline based on observing nature and applying its solutions to contemporary challenges.
One source of inspiration found in Collserola is pine cones. When there is humidity, they close, and when it is warm, they open. This simple movement has inspired façade systems that open and close without consuming energy.
In this workshop, we will learn to observe the environment in greater detail: shapes, patterns, movements, textures… We will look at examples of designs inspired by animals, plants or natural structures. Finally, through creative exercises, participants will imagine and sketch ideas and prototypes that address a current challenge using this nature-inspired perspective.
Practical Information
→ Duration: 2 hours
→ Availability: Fridays from 10 am to 12 pm
→ Format: In-person workshop
→ Venue: Eina Sentmenat
→ Registration open
Workshop 2. New Materialities
The materials we use tell stories about the society, economy and technology of each era. In a context of climate crisis, the way we use some conventional materials, such as plastics, highlights the limits of a model based on extraction and waste accumulation. Faced with this scenario, resilience becomes an important value: learning to identify the resources we already have in order to turn them into opportunities.
In this workshop, we will work with organic waste such as coffee grounds, leaves, shells or textile fibres and transform them into new materials such as bioplastics or biocomposites. Through hands-on practice, we will discover that what we often consider “waste” can become something useful and creative. We will also discuss how these materials are changing the world of design and architecture, and how they can generate new ways of thinking, producing and reusing.
Practical Information
→ Duration: 2 hours
→ Availability: Fridays from 10 am to 12 pm
→ Format: In-person workshop
→ Materials: Participants may bring organic waste such as eggshells, fruit peels or textiles
→ Venue: Eina Sentmenat
→ Registration open
