“What would a saguaro cacti-inspired city look like? A city filled with buildings with water-saving devices and cool houses. What ideas do you have for a cacti city that is prepared for heatwaves?” Asa Jomard & The Beezy Teacher
Saguaro cacti provide homes to many desert species, such as the Gila Woodpecker. One of the Biomimicry activities in our book is to design a Cacti City.
From our book Opportunities for Everyone: Lessons from Keystone Species with STEAM & Biomimicry Activities
Architects have been inspired by nature for both aesthetic and practical reasons. From India’s dreamlike Lotus Temple to Singapore’s spiralling Helix Bridge, nature pushes architects and designers towards a sustainable future in harmony with the surrounding environment. Cactus-inspired designs have been integrated into buildings – especially in hot and arid regions—to minimise surface heat absorption and maximise the heat they can radiate, promoting energy efficiency and comfort.
If you study saguaro cacti for an hour, you will see how they protect themselves and thrive in the intense desert heat. The bumpy ribs disrupt the airflow and help to redistribute the heat, preventing the cactus skin from overheating.
In our Nature and Biomimicry Journal, we are making sketches for our cacti city. We are starting with drawings of the cacti. We will post an update in a couple of days.
A real example: the Pinal County Attorney’s Office in Florence, Arizona, used a 3D model of a saguaro to design a building skin with self-shading vertical fins — directly copying how the cactus breaks up sunlight so no single area ever overheats.
Sources
- Urban Land Institute, Using Biomimicry to Design Smart Buildings
- Construction Specifier, Arizona’s Native Cactus Inspires Sustainable Office Design
Frequently Asked Questions
What is biomimicry?
Biomimicry is the practice of looking to nature for solutions, then applying what we learn to design and problem-solving. Instead of inventing from scratch, it means studying how plants, animals, and ecosystems have already solved a challenge — like staying cool, collecting water, or absorbing carbon — and adapting that strategy for human use.
How does biomimicry help address climate change?
Nature has been adapting to extreme conditions for billions of years, so many organisms already hold working solutions to problems we now face at a larger scale — cooling buildings without electricity (termite mounds), collecting water in drought (the Namib beetle), protecting coastlines from storms (mangrove roots), and capturing carbon (corals, forests, kelp). Biomimicry means studying those solutions and applying the same principles to human design.
How can children get involved in biomimicry?
Children don’t need special training to think like a biomimicrist — just curiosity and a habit of asking “how does nature solve this?” Simple ways to start include a backyard scavenger hunt for nature’s patterns, a “design-an-animal” challenge for a changing climate, or building a small model (like a passive-cooling structure or a water collector) inspired by something they’ve observed outdoors.
Is biomimicry only for scientists and engineers?
No — biomimicry is as much a mindset as a profession. Anyone can practice it by observing nature closely and asking design questions. Professional biomimicry practitioners apply it in architecture, materials science, and engineering, but the same core skill — careful observation followed by “what if we built it that way?” — is exactly what this post’s classroom and family activities are designed to build in children.
Åsa Jomård
In 2015, Åsa completed a course in Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. With over 10 years of experience exploring nature for inspiration and as a former member of Ben, Biomimicry Education Network, she brings both academic background and creative teaching experience to her work. Her materials seamlessly integrate stories, nature observations, and design challenges, making them perfect for inquiry-led learning in early primary contexts.
AI was used as a Thinking Partner.
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