BioQuest Discovery Park
The Discovery Park, a world first, is planned as a ‘NATURE INSPIRED EDUCATIONAL ATTRACTION’ driven by the biomimicry ethos and is to be located in the heart of the Garden Route, South Africa.
At one level the Park aims to be an edutainment centre and tourism attraction – showcasing a new way of viewing and valuing nature through experiential activities, models, exhibitions and demonstrations on biomimicry. At the same time the Park will provide highly relevant research and educational opportunities.
Imagine a place of adventure, mystery and wonder, a place that takes you on an extraordinary journey of discovery where around every corner you are drawn further and further into the fascinating lives of plants, animals, fungae and microbes that reveal secrets to engineering, architecture, design, physics, chemistry and system’s functioning that are so beguilingly simple yet breathtakingly elegant as to leave one awe-struck. This is our biomimicry discovery park. A place where you are immersed in, re-connect with and discover nature from a whole fresh perspective, the perspective of learning from nature rather than learning about it. An experience after which, guaranteed, you will never view nature and the natural world in the same way again. A place that will leave you humbled, awakened, inspired and filled with hope embedded in the knowledge that we have the time-tested recipes and means to do things differently, in a way that enhances the world we live in for all who live in it.
The Discovery Park itself aims to be a demonstration of the opportunities and solutions that can be realised through biomimicry. Biomimicry will serve as the fundamental approach that enhances multiple opportunities – educational, eco-tourism, conservation, research, design and innovation. Biomimicry will be showcased in this space and will also be served through the research that takes place there.
The initial research and concept development phase was funded by The National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund enabling us to undertake a pre-feasibility study, various design charities leading to high level conceptual architectural and experience designs and to develop a business proposal supported by a prospectus and a presentation video.
2015 – We are currently seeking funding and partnerships to undertake the full design and build of the Discovery Park.