Neri Oxman—scientist, architect, new wife to investor Bill Ackman, and the woman who coined the term “material ecology”—once told Boston magazine, “In nature, there is no separation between design, engineering, and fabrication; the bone does it all.” It’s a kind of synergy she’s describing, the evolved elegance of nature that underlies the best structures. In seven projects, designed as if grown organically, Oxman shows us creative processes inspired by phenomena such as tree bark, sea shells, and silkworms. —E.C.