AIA Southeast Asia Symposium - Singapore: From Bias to Breakthrough: Biomimicry in Regenerative Design
Join us in person or online for this hybrid event as part of the SEA25 Symposium ‘Nature + Technology and the Future’!
When: Friday 12 September 2025 @ 07:00 (Eastern US Time)/ 19:00 (Singapore time)
Where: Hybrid: The Quadrant at Cecil, 19 Cecil Street #05-01, Singapore 049704/ ONLINE
CES: 1.0 LU/HSW for AIA Members
Speakers
Tan Sze kiat, founder of Bewilder Studio
Jamie Miller, Global Director of Biomimicry at B+H Architects
Moderator
Stephan Savitri
Description
This 60-minute panel brings together two pioneering voices exploring how nature reshapes the way we design.
Ng Sze Kiat will share how fungi can become living models for circularity—turning organic by-products into higher-value food, medicine, and sustainable materials. His work with mycelium demonstrates its potential as both a design medium and a regenerative strategy for building symbiotic futures.
Jaimie Miller will introduce regenerative design as the step beyond sustainability, drawing on biomimicry and nature’s strategies to rethink how we shape the built environment. Through case studies, interactive reflection, and practical tools, participants will uncover how shifting away from inherited paradigms opens new pathways for projects that restore and give back to people and planet.
Together, the session will offer architects, designers, planners, and allied professionals an inspiring and practical exploration of fungi, biomimicry, and regenerative design—inviting participants to reimagine their practice through the wisdom of nature. No prior biomimicry knowledge is required, and resources for continued exploration and deeper practice will also be shared
Speakers Bio
Ng Sze Kiat- From humble beginnings in a converted industrial toilet, Ng Sze Kiat pioneered Singapore’s mycological movement by showing that anyone can grow gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. As Founder of Bewilder, a mycological design studio, he has unlocked over 40 mushroom species, developed novel cultivation methods, and launched innovative products across food, medicine, and sustainable materials.
With circularity at its core, Bewilder transforms organic by-products into higher-value outcomes, from mycelium-based foods (Myeats) to mushroom farming (Bewilder Farms) and education (Bewilder[ED]). Focused on Ganoderma and native species, Ng cultivates all mushrooms in-house, driven by his mission to share the wonders of fungi and foster symbiotic connections with nature.
Jaimie Miller is the Global Director of Biomimicry at B+H Architects, where he leads the firm’s Regenerative Design and Sustainability Platform. Holding a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Guelph, his work applies systems-level biomimicry to advance urban resilience and regenerative design. Mentored by Janine Benyus and Indigenous Elders, he bridges biomimicry, biophilia, and ecological engineering to reframe how we design with—and not just for—nature.
Jaimie is also the Founder of The Biomimicry Commons (recognized by Fast Company as a “World Changing Idea”) and President of Biomimicry Frontiers, an award-winning consultancy. His collaborations with Indigenous Communities explore intersections between Traditional Knowledge and biomimicry. Honored by the David Suzuki Foundation as a “New Centurion,” he has spoken globally on biomimicry and regenerative design since 2004.
This symposium is brought to you with the generous support of our event partners: PDP Architecture, d’Doubles, HKS, and International Association of Business Communicators Indonesia.
