The Biomimicry Guild is offering a scholarship for this course
COURSE PARTICIPANTS
This specialized course is designed for students and professionals in various design fields including architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, interior design, and industrial design interested in applying biomimicry to sustainable architecture and design.
COURSE TOPICS
- Practical application of biomimicry as a design tool
- History and theory of biomimicry
- Ethics and philosophy of biomimicry
- The interface of engineering and biology
- Biological and ecological principles relevant to design
- Animal architecture
- Sustainability challenges in industry and potential bio-inspired solutions
CLASS SESSIONS
Thursday - Thursday, April 10 - 17 2008. Course participants should plan on arriving Wednesday, April 9th into San Jose, Costa Rica and departing on April 18th from San Jose.
Morning sessions: 8:30-11:30 AM. Field trips for ecosystem exploration to local ecological sites, including marine and tropical ecosystems to discover and learn about natural models for application to design.
Afternoon sessions: 1:30-4:00 PM. Course instructors will engage participants in lectures, practice exercises and discussions of biomimicry and the built environment. There will be a great deal of emphasis on hands-on discovery and inspiration for design using the local environment and marine ecosystems.
Occasional evenings: 7-9 PM. Guest lectures, student research projects, presentations and small group discussions.
REQUIRED READING
Benyus, J. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. William Morrow, NY, NY.
Additional texts/selected readings will be provided.
LOCATION
La Cusinga is named after the Fiery-billed Aracari, which can be seen in the area and it is called locally Cusinga (female) and Cusingo (male). The rainforest-surrounded beach near La Cusinga, called "Playa de Arco" is part of Ballena (Whale) Marine National Park, created to protect its various coastal marine habitats.
Ultra-tropical, virgin rainforest with monkeys and toucans, pristine coast, secluded beaches, lively reefs, among the best in Costa Rica are all close and accessible. Caño Island, mangroves, dolphins & whale watching, horseback riding, sea kayaking, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, Corcovado National Park, are all close by.
The Lodge is actively involved in marine and terrestrial conservation and environmental education. We encourage and support local culture and people as much as possible. The electricity comes from the stream we swim in and the sun. Lots of fresh, local organic food is grown, collected and served at meals daily.
This will be our fourth year at La Cusinga. We eagerly return to a truly fabulous piece of paradise.
LOGISTICS
We will provide you with a detailed and individually tailored Logistics Packet around the time of the close of registration on March 21. In the meantime, you can review general logistical information and the course overviewherethat you may find helpful for planning your travel to Costa Rica.
COURSE FEES
To become enrolled in the course, all participants must pay full registration. Registration includes tuition (7 day course), fees, materials, field trips, in-country transportation (including the flight to Palmar Sur and the return bus), food and lodging at La Cusinga Lodge (7 nights).
Note: Expenses do not include your flight to San Jose or lodging in San Jose before or after the course.
Student: $2300
Non-Student: $2600
Additional expenses (optional):
- Lodging in San Jose on April 9 We will reserve a block of rooms at a local hotel. You may also elect to stay elsewhere.
- Lodging in San Jose on April 17 We will arrive back in San Jose in the late afternoon and will reserve a block of rooms at another local hotel. Again, you may also elect to stay elsewhere.
- Rooms at La Cusinga are double-occupancy for regular registration and bunk-style for student registration. If you wish single occupancy at the non-student rate, there is an additional single occupancy surcharge of $350. Single rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis.
- Special meal requests other than vegetarian (e.g. vegan, no dairy, etc.) will be assessed a daily surcharge of $15. Please contact us for more details and to confirm that your needs can be met.
- Consider purchasing travel health insurance from your insurance company. While we have never had an instance where it was needed, it cannot hurt to have it.
A $500 deposit is due by February 29 2008. The registration deadline for the course is March 21, at which time tuition must be paid in full. Enrollment minimum is 12, maximum 20 students. To register, you must download the registration form complete, and send with deposit or full payment to: The Biomimicry Guild, ATTN: Biomimicry & Design, P.O. Box 575, Helena, MT 59624.
For questions and/or additional information on the course, please contact Rose Tocke by e-mail rose(a)biomimicryguild.com or phone +1 406.495.1858.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
You may send a check made payable to the Biomimicry Guild to:
Biomimicry Guild
ATTN: Biomimicry and Design
PO Box 575
Helena, MT 59624
You may also pay by credit card via PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal user, go to www.paypal.com to register yourself. Then, select the “Send Money” tab and enter the email address paypal(a)biomimicryguild.com and the amount. Please include an additional $50 with your course fee when paying by credit card.
Contact Rose if you experience difficulty with either payment method.
Book your flight into Costa Rica to the San Jose International Airport, code SJO (also known as Costa Rica International Airport Juan Santamaria). If you are a foreign national (even if you have been living in the US for many years), click here to determine whether or not you will need a visa to travel to Costa Rica. If you do, count on it taking a MINIMUM of 8-12 weeks to complete the process, probably more. We cannot stress enough how important it is to start the process early and to keep on top of it.
COURSE CANCELLATION
There is always a chance that courses may be canceled due to low registration and/or unforeseen circumstances. In this case, the program directors will notify you as soon as possible after the decision has been made and you will receive a full refund or the opportunity to register for another course.
Please note: Air travel expenses will not be reimbursed by the Biomimicry Guild if the course is canceled. Please check for cancellation policies with your travel agent.