Supported by the DAAD, visiting scholar Deena El-Mahdy from the British University in Egypt taught the seminar “Decoding Nature” in the winter semester 2025/2026. The module introduced architecture students to the fundamentals of biomimetics. By analysing natural structures, mechanisms, and geometries, the students developed sustainable and functional design approaches. As part of the project, the students designed a biomimetic piece of furniture for 3D clay printing. Various iterations and scales were tested in terms of stability, material behaviour, and design parameters before the final large-scale fabrication.

Supervisors: Prof. Ilija Vukorep, Assoc. Prof. Deena El-Mahdy, and Rolf Starke

Students: Zhenwei Ding, Adrian Gabriel Andreas Ebert, Julien Gorek, Constantin Maasz, Arvid Ruddigkeit, Dmitrii Sluchik, Kaspar Stanschus, Elizabeth Vinueza, Nicolas von Hugo, Leon Samson Weisse, Wenxin Yu

Building on the students’ tests, Deena El-Mahdy subsequently published a scientific paper entitled “A Comparative Study of Overhangs Stability Limits and Material Efficiency in 3D Clay Printing” at the ICAMC 26 conference in Lisbon.