Last year, a few of our team members entered the LA+ Journal’s CREATURE international design competition to discover how we can use design to open our cities, landscapes and minds to a more symbiotic existence with other creatures. The results are in … and no, we didn’t win, but we’re still so proud of our submission and had so much fun in the process.  

With 258 contest entries from designers all over the world, we’re hopeful that so many of us are out there thinking about these issues in such innovative ways. The winning entries are so inspiring!

The LA+ CREATURE design ideas competition asked entrants to do three things:

• Choose a nonhuman creature (any species, any size, anywhere) and identify its needs (energy, shelter, procreation, movement, interaction, environment, etc.)

• Design (or redesign) a place, structure, thing, system and/or process that improves that creature’s life

• Increase human awareness of and empathy towards the creature’s existence

Here’s what our team submitted:

Project Narrative

Saturniids, North American silk moths in the family Saturniidae, are declining due to several manmade inflictions. Our clients have come to us for help in mitigating the threats against them and forging better Saturniid-Human relations. Representing Saturniids of the east coast, our clients come from three prominent species: Polyphemus, Regal, and Luna. Their biggest fears: habitat loss; artificial light pollution which impacts mating; and an introduced species of parasitic fly (Compsilura concinnata) which attacks during the larval stage and prevents pupation.   

In response to our clients’ needs we have developed a program called the Saturniid Protection Initiative, or SPIN. SPIN aims to raise awareness of Saturniids through education, research, and the deployment of protective SPINbots. SPIN will initially focus efforts in the Southeast U.S. due to our clients’ habitat range, high human populations, prolific urbanization and deforestation, heavy light pollution, and presence of C. concinnata. Cities in transition zones where urbanization is encroaching on forested areas will feature SPIN Labs – educational and research facilities that house SPINbots and host educational workshops.

SPINbots detect sex pheromones from calling females, assess light pollution in her area, and spin silk lanterns to soften and redirect artificial lights. The lanterns serve as a form of art, bringing awareness to SPIN. In fact, people can purchase used lanterns from the SPIN Lab gift store or order custom lanterns to be spun at their homes.

While they roam, the bots collect data and map population and habitat. Where needed, the bots will disperse seeds of native host plants to mitigate habitat loss. SPINbots also monitor larva populations and spin temporary protective netting around feeding larva when C. concinnata is present.  Data is analyzed by researchers at the SPIN Lab and shared with the public.