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This article explores the growing prominence of nature-inspired design philosophies in the context of sustainability and human well-being within the built environment and focuses on their application within laboratory buildings. Biomimicry and biophilic design are highlighted as key nature-inspired design approaches, with biomimicry drawing inspiration from nature for innovations and biophilic design promoting human health through enhancing the connection with the surrounding natural elements. This paper further discusses living building strategy as an emerging method for creating dynamic and adaptable spaces by prioritizing user experience through co-creation and focusing on sustainable and regenerative structures. The potential of integrating these approaches is emphasized using laboratory buildings as an example, with nature-inspired and living laboratories serving as models for future built environments that promote both environmental responsibility and a positive human experience. Accordingly, this work aims to investigate the design and construction of laboratory buildings based on nature-inspired design strategies and the living building concept. Moreover, the paper discusses the application of biomimicry and living building concepts within laboratory buildings as a novel contribution to the body of knowledge, and concludes by proposing the Nature-inspired & Living Laboratory (NILL 1.0)TM Building Assessment index to serve as a guideline for the design and construction of laboratory buildings using nature as an inspiration and the analogy of human body systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the construction sector is regarded as one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, freshwater usage, resource utilization, and solid waste generation. With a constantly growing population and increased urbanization, this is only predicted to rise. Thus, achieving sustainable development in the construction sector has become an urgent necessity. The adoption of biomimicry in the construction sector is one of the most innovative concepts towards the shift into sustainable practices in construction. However, it has been noticed that the concept of biomimicry is very broad, relatively new, and abstract. Thus, after reviewing previously conducted research on the subject, a noticeable lack of knowledge on the effective implementation of the biomimicry concept was found to be present. Therefore, this research seeks to fill this knowledge gap whereby it aims to explore the development of the biomimicry concept in the field of architecture, building construction, and civil engineering with a systematic review approach of research related to biomimicry in these three fields. This aim is guided by an objective of developing a clear understanding of the application of the biomimicry concept in architecture, building construction, and civil engineering fields. The timeframe considered for this review is between 2000 and 2022. The qualitative exploratory nature of this research focuses on reviewing databases such as Science Direct, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and MDPI, as well as book chapters, editorials, and official websites to extract relevant information using an eligibility criterion of title and abstract review, inclusion of key terms, and detailed review of chosen articles. This study will improve the understanding of the biomimicry concept and how it can be applied in the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]