Biomimetic Design

Heat transfer through the building envelope is a growing issue in the building industry, while at the same time, the desire to integrate biomimetics to take advantage of evolutionary traits of natural systems has given rise to the field of biomimicry over the past two decades. This study investigates the role of 3-axis computer numerical control (CNC) tools and the associated tool paths in creating different textures on architectural surfaces by mimicking natural skin patterns. A systematic process for introducing the tooling was followed to examine the impact of four different textures developed by mimicking the pattern and texture of cactus, elephant, fogstand beetle, and the thorny devil lizard.

Pattern and Solar Radiation Simulation

The study used Rhinoceros 3d software with Grasshopper plug-ins to simulate the performance of the different textures in terms of solar radiation reaching the surface, the exterior sunlight area, and the interior and exterior surface temperatures to calculate the amount of heat transfer through the tiles. The results showed that each texture has a different impact on the panel performance, and depending on climate-based needs, can enhance or deteriorate the performance of a given architectural surface. All of the bioinspired tiles succeeded in reducing the outer surface temperature and exterior sunlight compared to the base case of a flat tile.

The role of CNC tools and tool paths on creating surface textures by mimicking natural skins. In the middle, the different tools and tool paths used for this study. On the left and the right, the panels’ surface textures compared to the natural skins’ textures.