Recent progress in the development of bioinspired materials and structures have created a unique interdisciplinary combination of engineering and life sciences through an engineering-mechanics-based focus.Civil engineers always have the great potential of contributing to the understanding of the mechanics of biological materials and structures.First,engineers learn from nature how to solve complex structural problems and to transfer the basic ideas of these solutions to man-made structures (e.g.new engineering bearing materials and self-healing concrete).Second,the theories developed in civil engineering discipline to describe can characterize the natural materials (e.g.soil and rock) and manmade materials (e.g.steel and concrete) can be used to describe the fundamental mechanical and biological behavior of biological tissues (e.g.articular cartilage and bone).This paper presents our recent research works on modelling biological tissues using a civil engineering approach (i.e.theory of porous media).The outcomes for this research could potentially contribute to the development of bioinspired materials and structures.