Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable?
This study investigates whether or not laypersons perceive biomimetic buildings as more sustainable and acceptable, a notion termed the “biomimetic promise”. Employing an experimental design (<i>N</i> = 238), we examined assessments of three real-world biomimetic buildings at the Univers...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Biomimetics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/2/86 |
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| author | Michael Gorki Olga Speck Martin Möller Julius Fenn Louisa Estadieu Achim Menges Mareike Schiller Thomas Speck Andrea Kiesel |
| author_facet | Michael Gorki Olga Speck Martin Möller Julius Fenn Louisa Estadieu Achim Menges Mareike Schiller Thomas Speck Andrea Kiesel |
| author_sort | Michael Gorki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study investigates whether or not laypersons perceive biomimetic buildings as more sustainable and acceptable, a notion termed the “biomimetic promise”. Employing an experimental design (<i>N</i> = 238), we examined assessments of three real-world biomimetic buildings at the University of Freiburg, namely the Fiber Pavilion in the Botanic Garden, the ceiling of the former zoology auditorium, and the Biomimetic Shell at the technical faculty. Participants were divided into two groups: one group was informed about the biomimetic nature of the buildings and the other group was not. Results showed no significant difference in perceived sustainability or acceptability between the two groups, favoring the hypothesis that there exists <i>no</i> “biomimetic bias”. Notably, with the exception of perceived sustainability comparing the pavilion and the auditorium, significant differences in assessments regarding sustainability and acceptability were observed between the buildings, emphasizing the importance of domain-specific factors in public judgments. These findings suggest that merely framing a technology as biomimetic does not inherently enhance its perceived sustainability or acceptability by laypersons. Instead, the study highlights the need for transparency and clear communication regarding sustainability benefits to gain societal acceptance of biomimetic technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-45ecebff9e5e4ba798c9b3e5da42505d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2313-7673 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-45ecebff9e5e4ba798c9b3e5da42505d2025-08-20T02:44:41ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732025-02-011028610.3390/biomimetics10020086Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable?Michael Gorki0Olga Speck1Martin Möller2Julius Fenn3Louisa Estadieu4Achim Menges5Mareike Schiller6Thomas Speck7Andrea Kiesel8Cluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyInstitute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart, Keplerstr. 11, 70174 Stuttgart, GermanyInstitute for Psychology, University of Freiburg, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyCluster of Excellence <i>liv</i>MatS @ FIT—Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, GermanyThis study investigates whether or not laypersons perceive biomimetic buildings as more sustainable and acceptable, a notion termed the “biomimetic promise”. Employing an experimental design (<i>N</i> = 238), we examined assessments of three real-world biomimetic buildings at the University of Freiburg, namely the Fiber Pavilion in the Botanic Garden, the ceiling of the former zoology auditorium, and the Biomimetic Shell at the technical faculty. Participants were divided into two groups: one group was informed about the biomimetic nature of the buildings and the other group was not. Results showed no significant difference in perceived sustainability or acceptability between the two groups, favoring the hypothesis that there exists <i>no</i> “biomimetic bias”. Notably, with the exception of perceived sustainability comparing the pavilion and the auditorium, significant differences in assessments regarding sustainability and acceptability were observed between the buildings, emphasizing the importance of domain-specific factors in public judgments. These findings suggest that merely framing a technology as biomimetic does not inherently enhance its perceived sustainability or acceptability by laypersons. Instead, the study highlights the need for transparency and clear communication regarding sustainability benefits to gain societal acceptance of biomimetic technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/2/86biomimetic biasbiomimetic promiselayperson perceptionnatural-is-better bias |
| spellingShingle | Michael Gorki Olga Speck Martin Möller Julius Fenn Louisa Estadieu Achim Menges Mareike Schiller Thomas Speck Andrea Kiesel Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? Biomimetics biomimetic bias biomimetic promise layperson perception natural-is-better bias |
| title | Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? |
| title_full | Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? |
| title_fullStr | Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? |
| title_short | Challenging the Biomimetic Promise—Do Laypersons Perceive Biomimetic Buildings as More Sustainable and More Acceptable? |
| title_sort | challenging the biomimetic promise do laypersons perceive biomimetic buildings as more sustainable and more acceptable |
| topic | biomimetic bias biomimetic promise layperson perception natural-is-better bias |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/2/86 |
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