Biomimicry consists in reproducing not the forms but the functions of nature. On a neighborhood’s scale, it involves drawing inspiration from an ecosystem’s dynamics, which Eduardo Blanco, environmental engineer, calls “regenerative urban projects.” But how can we evaluate the effectiveness of this design method and how can we measure its success over time?
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The use of the living organism metaphor in the field of urban system studies dates far back and is continuously reconfigured as events play out. Here, Léone-Alix Mazaud, a CIFRE PhD student (PCA-STREAM/École des Mines de Paris), repositions the meaning of the “urban metabolism” as defined by our firm within the history of approaches on the subject matter in order to highlight its unique features.
Jean-Baptiste Fressoz is a historian of science, technology, and the environment. He contributed to popularizing the concept of the Anthropocene in France with his book The Shock of the Anthropocene, which he co-wrote with Christophe Bonneuil. With Les Révoltes du ciel [The Revolts of the Sky], co-written with Fabien Locher, he traces the history of our relations to climate change to put into perspective our contemporary vision of environmental issues.
The co-founder of Les Sismo design agency, Antoine Fenoglio examines the integration of care ethics in design. In his collaborations with CNAM / GHU Paris and his hospital-based projects, he scrutinizes the procedures of restraint, which he seeks to shift towards care rather than seclusion.