Biomimicry

"Technically speaking, the smart facade-or building envelope that adapts to environmental conditions-dates back to the first window. But the contemporary idea of the smart facade has only been around for a few short decades, helped along by recent advances in chemical and material science. And over the past three years, we've seen the category boom. Below, check out some of the most interesting building facades to come across the screen in recent years: From a thermal metal screen that curls up when it's hot, to a titanium dioxide-covered wall that scrubs the air of pollutants."

Rather than simply aping nature's physical appearance, architects and designers are finding inspiration and potential revenue streams by studying nature's systems and materials.

"We used the biological influences of this specific place in Hawaii as the guiding principles for the architecture, building systems and overall experience. Hydronic passive cooling and ventilation supported by a seawater well, natural daylighting and the absence of mechanical fans all support a high-performance design based on the ecology of the Pacific."

"Architets have long taken inspiration from nature. In ancient Egypt columns were modelled on palm trees and lotus plants, and building designers have borrowed the shapes and proportions of natural forms ever since as they strived to achieve aesthetic perfection. Some architects now believe that such biomimicry has more to offer than simply making buildings look good. They are copying functional systems found in nature to provide cooling, generate energy and even to desalinate water. And they insist that doing these things using biomimetic designs is not just a gimmick, but makes financial sense."

Imitating nature has become a meaningful approach for contemporary architects and design futurists to the built environment, especially for those who foster a future that doesn’t compete with nature but coexist with it. At the light of recent natural disasters around the world, especially those geologically associated such as tsunamis and earthquakes, which have proven its destruction power over the current built environment; architects and structural engineers have found in biomimicry an ecological approach in order to improve future building’s disaster resilience

Recent earthquakes around the world have pushed engineering and architect to rethink and redevelop new strategies to reinforce concrete structures. Architect Wilfredo Mendez, is analyzing how bio-adapted structure made of concrete will behave when influenced by seismic forces. Mendez initial thoughts and conclusions have determined that concrete structures could be simulated and compared with the human femur bone. His design has been based on 'force-driven morphology, mechanical resilience and environmental adaptation'.

Check also: http://construction.about.com/b/2012/04/22/biotechnology-improving-buildings-earthquake-resistance.htm

"In  1991, the multinational Old Mutual investment group approached the Zimbabwean architect Mick Pearce with an audacious assignment. The group wished to construct a retail and office complex called the Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare that, at 55,000 square meters, would be the country’s largest commercial building. What Old Mutual didn’t wish to do was pay the high cost of air-conditioning such a massive space. Could Pearce, working with the Arup construction firm, devise a design that relied solely on passive, natural climate  control? Pondering the problem, Pearce found inspiration in the termite mounds that dotted the savannas across his country. "

"It’s nearly 100 feet tall, fed by the sun and rain that fall on it, and is composed largely of wood. But it’s not a tree. It’s the world’s greenest office building.

The Bullitt Center, finished in the summer of 2013 and located on the edge of Seattle’s downtown, is designed to mimic the Douglas fir forests that once stood on the site."

"When the pope said Mass there this fall, the Sagrada Família was already 128 years in the making—and still not finished. Yet the church’s nature-inspired design remains ahead of its time."

"The philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature.” This outlook parallels historic attitudes toward the relationship of the made versus the born. The contrasting view—that nature is the source of creativity—is now gaining strength. Biomimicry, which advocates nature as a design mentor rather than a source for raw materials, has influenced many fields and taken form in strategies ranging from metaphorical to manipulative."

"Researchers are investigating how termite mounds can be used to shape future buildings which feature walls that breathe as part of a major new international study involving Nottingham Trent University (UK). The $1.35millon project will examine how the unique structure of the termite mound enables stale and fresh air to be exchanged while maintaining a comfortable level of temperature. Described as a lung by the researchers, the termite mound is the only habitat known in the animal kingdom to have been proven to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide without losing heat, which enables termites to live in harsh climates they could not otherwise inhabit. One of the ultimate aims of the project is to create buildings which feature walls that breathe in the same way and reduce the need for central heating or air conditioning."

As seas rise, some architects suggest, the next generation of waterfront designs should draw inspiration from the intricate ways that plants and animals have adapted to their situations.

Project Haiti Orphanage and Children's Center is about the people of Haiti who are facing ongoing devastation following the earthquake of January 2010. It's about a replicable, RESILIENT model for rebuilding and it's not surprising that the USGBC, HOK and Lend Lease are utilizing the principles of Biomimicry to inspire the design.