One analogy is the skin of a building, the facade system, which is the surface interacting with the world at large much like plans, people, or other living things. The skin has a responsibility to protect the contents, much like our skin protects us. In architecture, the facade plays an important role from a design standpoint. In engineering, the facade has impacts on energy efficiency. There is even a saying that retrofitting the exterior of aging buildings with energy-saving facelifts is reskinning the building. Moreover, biofacades, integrating biological systems into building enclosures are catching attention.
Microalgae facade designed by Kyoung Hee Kim’s team from University of North Carolina reduces energy consumption and actively sequesters carbon.
Urban biofacades that provide food and habitat for bumble bees of New York.
Another analogy is biomimetic architecture which refers to innovations inspired by nature. There are three levels for biomimicry in architecture: organism, behavior, and ecosystem. Each one has numerous examples nowadays.
Norman Foster’s Gherkin Tower has a hexagonal skin inspired by the Venus Flower basket Sponge. This sponge sits in an underwater environment with strong water currents and its shape helps disperse this stresses on the organism.