Biomimicry in Architecture (Dissertation Report) 2018

SDPS COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidhyalaya

“TO STUDY BIOMIMICRY IN ARCHITECTURE” (A DISSERTATION REPORT )

GUIDED BY:

SUBMITTED BY:

AR. AYUSH JINDAL

KRATI MITTAL 0842AR151030 B. ARCH, VII SEM

MONTH:

YEAR:

NOVEMBER

2018-19

DECLARATION I hereby declare that the work which is presented in this Dissertation report entitled “To study Biomimicry in Architecture” in partial fulfilment of requirements for the award of the BACHELOR’S DEGREE in Architecture, submitted in the ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT, SDPS College, Indore.

The matter embodied in this report has not been submitted in part or full to any other university or institute for the award of any degree.

DATE

(KRATI MITTAL)

This is to certify that above declaration made by the concerned student is correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Ar. Ayush Jindal Asso. Professor Department of architecture, SDPS college Indore

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to acknowledgement my indebtedness and render my warmest thanks to my supervisor, Asso. Professor Ayush Jindal, who made this work possible. His friendly guidance and expert advice have been invaluable throughout all the stages of the work.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my family, for their unconditional support and prayers at all time and constant encouragement during the entire course of my dissertation work.

I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to all faculty, teaching and non-teaching staff of dept. of architecture for their assistance. Thank you.

Krati Mittal B.Arch. 7th sem (0842AR151030)

SMT. DHAIRYA PRABHADEVI SOJATIA COLLEGE Indore (M.P.)

Certificate This is to certify that Krati Mittal (0842AR151030) fourth year student of this institute has completed the Dissertation work entitled “To study Biomimicry in Architecture� based on syllabus. The project report has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirement in respect of project work prescribed for the dissertation report of Bachelor of Architecture Degree by Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidhyalaya, Bhopal during the year 2018-19.

Internal Examiner

External Examiner

Date:

Date:

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 1.2

1.3 2.

3.

4.

5.

General introduction to Biomimicry Innovations Inspired by Nature 1.2.1.1 Early Innovations 1.2.1.2 Recent Innovations Future of architecture through Biomimicry

AIM OF THE STUDY OBJECTIVE LITERATURE REVIEW CASE STUDIES 5.1.

5.2.

5.3.

4 5 6-12 13-25

Technology: Contribution in development of mimicked forms Materials Other Case Studies

6. PROBLEM AND METHODOLGY 6.1 6.2

1-3

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Problem Definition Methodology

7. CONCLUSION 8. REFERENCES

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO BIOMIMICRY The word biomimicry is derived from two Greek words, i.e.; ‘bios’ meaning life and ‘mimesis’ meaning imitation.

Biomimcry is the science of taking inspiration from nature, its models, systems, processes and elements; to solve design problems sustainably. It is the study of how nature solves problems, and how it can teach us a thing or two about creating sustainable, beautiful and unique approach to solving design problems.

It’s an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is innovation inspired by nature. The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers, and they have found what works, what is appropriate, and what lasts here on Earth. After 3.8 billion years of research development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.

1.2. INNOVATIONS INSPIRED BY NATURE 1.2.1. EARLY INNOVATIONS Using nature for inspiration is not new. Early humans have always looked to nature to find solutions to problems. For example, the Nomads lived very close to nature and would roam because they needed to find food, shelter, and clothing, and when the resources in the area were consumed, they would move on to find new resources. During the Renaissance period, Leonardo da Vinci applied biomimicry to the study of birds and bats to invent a flying machine. He made notes and many sketches of proposed "flying machines" based on the observations of the anatomy and flight of birds. The Wright brothers, too were inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines and observations of pigeons in flight which helped to create the first successful flying airplane in 1903.

Fig 1.1: Flying Machine drawing of Leonardo Da Vinci 1

Fig 1.2: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, December 17, 1903.

Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight (Wright Brothers History, 2011)

In the 20th century, George de Mestral, a Swiss electrical engineer was walking in the Alps and was intrigued by the mechanism by which burrs attached to his clothes and his dog's fur (Lurie-Luke, 2014).

He discovered that the burrs contained tiny hooks that clung to the dog's fur and the fabric of his clothes. Using this discovery and working with a fabric weaver, de Mestral was able to design a hookand-loop fastener system, made from cotton, and later, nylon. VELCRO is considered to be one of the earliest of the biomimicry based innovations, and today, the hook-and-loop fasteners permeate all kinds of products and industries by serving as a reliable and convenient fastening system.

Fig 1.3: Burrs (left), Velcro (right)

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1.2.2. RECENT INNOVATIONS Scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians, inventors, artists, and teachers need inspiration to help them create products, design solutions, and solve problems. The underlying methodology of biomimicry is to gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of a biological process or adaptation and to subsequently adapt these concepts for bio-inspired product applications or to solve specific technical challenges. Successful biomimicry innovations have been developed in many areas like architecture, agriculture, renewable energy, communication, and transportation.

1.3. FUTURE OF ARCHITECTURE THROUGH BIOMIMICRY Biomimicry is still in its infancy in the built environment. It is expected that it will be applied most widely in architecture in the future, particularly as a tool of sustainable design in terms of day lighting, energy consumption and ecological footprint of new facilities. The architectural and technological advancement are cohesive enough to allow innovative approaches and new technology to spread rapidly. As an example, the ability to effectively provide day light into an interior space that has limited access to it reduces the need for artificial lighting. As a result, less heat is generated and less cooling is necessary which could reduce cooling equipment’s size (a capital cost). Overall energy use is reduced (a cost of operation), and the dependence on fossil energy is lessened (an environmental cost). This is in addition the most important aesthetic and human benefits that daylight offers.

For architects and other design professionals, it opens up a whole new world of innovative ideas for transforming the interior environment, while optimizing human well-being. And beyond the project themselves, the principles of biomimicry will help in providing smarter design, and connect work with the natural environment.

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CHAPTER 2: AIM OF THE STUDY

Through an explanatory and analytical research, this is an attempt to establish a link between biomimicry and architecture that is biology and architecture and to find out the appropriate approach to design using principles of Biomimicry.

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CHAPTER 3: OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

The objective is: 1. To understand biomimicry and its methods of integration in architectural design.

2. To bring into light the various technologies and materials those have either been evolved through biomimicry or have been developed to manifest the forms and techniques of biomimetics in architecture.

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CHAPTER 4: LITERATURE REVIEW

4.1 DISSERATION ON BIOMIMICRY – Ar. Ratna Gandhe (2010) This study aimed at understanding biomimicry and how the principles of nature can be implemented in the field of architecture.

•

Biomimicry is introduced as the science of taking inspiration from the nature, its models, systems, processes and elements to solve design problems sustainably.

•

To consciously emulate nature’s genius, we need to look at nature differently.

THE WAY THINKING ABOUT NATURE Jennie benyus in her book suggested to look at nature as model, measure and mentor and emphasizes sustainability as an objective of biomimicry.

Nature as model: Biomimicry studies nature’s models and then emulates these forms, processes, systems and strategies to solve human problems sustainably.

Nature as measure: Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the sustainability of our innovations (i.e.; what works and what lasts) Nature as mentor: new way of viewing and valuing nature.

The study says that biomimicry can help us create products and processes that are sustainable, performs well, saves energy, cut material costs, redefine and eliminate waste.

The study discusses about natural shapes and forms.

Egg, oval and tubular forms

Fig 4.1: Botanical motifs

Fig 4.2: Titanium and National Glass Centre 6

Fig 4.3: Bird-like structure of Sydney Opera House

1. Lotus plant: self-cleaning paint, Lotusan.

Principle: As bumps on the leaves of lotus plant collect the water and clean the foliage, tiny bumps in the paint analogously collect dirt off the building when exposed to rain water, allowing building faรงade to essentially clean itself.

Fig 4.4: Lotus leaf with water on it

Effect of raindrop on normal surface

How a raindrop cleanses a lotus leaf

The effect of raindrop on a Building covered with Lotusan

Fig 4.5: Cleaning process 7

2 Eastern caterpillar: caterpillar works with its siblings to build a tent.

Tent features: 

Smart: expanding as resident require more space.



Waterproof: protecting from rain and lower power pesticide.



Gathers radiant energy from the sun, while reducing convective heat loss by blocking the wind.



Its layout is such that its residents can regulate their body temperature.



Broad side is perpendicular to the dominant light source, facing usually towards south-east, the tent works like a green house.

Fig 4.6: Tent build by caterpillar

3 Dragonfly wing: Roof of Munich Olympic Stadium Principle: Dragon fly wings are one- three thousandth of a millimeter consisting up to 1000 sections. They do not tear and are able to withstand the pressure that forms during flight.

Fig 4.7: Munich Olympic Stadium

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The study concluded that with the growing trend of biomimicry, there is a hope that in future buildings will be better adopted to their environment. Also the biomimicry can be applied at various levels: forms, function, or the entire ecosystem.

4.2. BIOMIMICRY, Architecture learnt from nature – Ateeb Hussein (2015) Biomimicry is stated as the “Art of imitating biological ideas to solve human problems.”

DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BIOMIMICRY Pederson Zari, offers an alternative approach. Realizing the benefit of splitting biomimicry into three levels he developed a typological approach. The three levels identified are; organism, behavior and ecosystem.

ORGANISM LEVEL: Specific flora or fauna, mimicking either the whole organism or a particular feature.

Namibian Desert Beetle: Fog-catcher design for Hydrological Centre for the University of Namibia, by Mathew Parks of KSS Architects.

Principle: This beetle lives in desert with negligible rainfall and is able to capture moisture however from the swift moving fog that moves over the desert by tilting its body into the wind. Droplets form on the rough surface of the beetle’s back and wings and roll down into its mouth.

Fig 4.8: Namibian Desert, Hydrological Centre mechanism, Desert beetle

BEHAVIOUR LEVEL: Translation of an aspect of how an organism relates to its environment, or larger context.

1. Mick Pearce’s East-gate Building in Zimbabwe 2. CH2 Building in Melbourne, Australia Principle: Techniques of passive ventilation and temperature regulation observed in Termite mounds, in order to create a thermally stable interior environment.

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EAST GATE BUILDING, ZIMBABWE East gate Centre can be given as an early example of how biomimesis can shape the design process.

Searching for environmental aspects, some biologists and environmentalists realized that, termites build their homes in the desert in extreme temperatures, and yet manage to keep the interior of the building cool and clean. A species of termites living in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds and inside they farm a fungus which is their primary food source [16]. The fungus becomes fresh in exactly 30oC, while the temperatures outside range from 1.6oC at night to 40oC during the day. The termites maintain 30 degrees by constantly opening and closing a series of heating and cooling vents throughout the mound during the day time. With a system of carefully adjusted convection currents, air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound.

The East gate building in Harare, Zimbabwe uses design methods inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean masonry and the self-cooling mounds of African termites as a source for innovation in the building’s HVAC design to keep the building cool, even on the hottest days, yet stays regulated year round with dramatically less energy consumption. Using nature-inspired designs for the ventilation and heating/cooling of buildings instead of high energy-consuming HVAC systems, as in this example, indicate potential for further innovative design solutions for more environmentally friendly, and yet efficient, building systems.

Fig 4.9: East gate Centre Building  





Start of day: the building is cool.

During day: machines and people generate heat, and the sun shines. Heat is absorbed by the fabric of the building, which has a high heat capacity, so that the temperature inside increases but not greatly.

Evening: temperatures outside drop. The warm internal air is vented through chimneys, assisted by fans but also rising naturally because it is less dense, and drawing in denser cool air at the bottom of the building.

Night: this process continues, cold air flowing through cavities in the floor slabs until the building's fabric has reached the ideal temperature to start the next day.

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Passively cooled, East gate uses only 10% of the energy needed by a similar conventionally cooled building.

Fig 4.10: Natural ventilation

System is quite simple and applicable; Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents. As it rises and warms, it is drawn out through ceiling vents. Finally, it exits through 48 round brick chimneys. During summer’s cool nights, big fans flush air through the building seven times an hour to chill the hollow floors. Ultimately it enters the exhaust section of the vertical ducts before it is flushed out of the building through chimneys. The East gate Centre uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building its size.

Fig 4.11: Termite Mound

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ECOSYSTEM LEVEL: Emulating or recreating the common principles that allow an ecosystem to successfully function.

Each level is further broken down into five possible means of mimicry: 1 Form: shape 2 Material: properties 3 Construction: arrangement or composition 4 Process: mechanism 5 Function: application

Fig 4.12: Different Levels of Biomimicry

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CHAPTER 5: CASE STUDIES

5.1 TECHNOLOGY: CONTRIBUTION IN DEVELOPMENT OF MIMICKED FORMS Evolution is a rule of nature. The more adaptive an organism is, the easier becomes its existence. So is the case with building construction technologies.

5.1.1 DISASTER PROOF CONSTRUCTION ALL-SEASONS TENT TOWER All- Seasons Tent Tower in Armenia is designed by OFIS Architects. It is two terraced cylindrical shaped towers connected in ground floor and embraced with a green tent shape layer.

Fig 5.1: All Seasons Tent Tower

As the city of Yerevan is situated in a region prone to earthquakes, the main driver while deciding a suitable structural system for the building was safety during earthquakes. The vertical structure, which resists gravity load and forces resulting from earthquake action, was rationalized to reinforce the tower’s concrete cores and composite columns.

The two cores on the inner perimeter of the taller tower are required to ensure structural stability, one core in case of lower tower.

The core wall thickness and column dimensions are reduced with the height of the building.

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Tent-Towers Inter-changing skin: In winters, the skin covers the terraces of the towers, creating openings and full structural elements made up of metal mesh. It is white, partially covered with snow in winters.

In summers, mesh is covered by greenery that is planted at the fence of the tower’s terraces.

The external facades will feature a high performance skin with an adaptable external shading device to reduce solar gains in summer.

A concrete slab embedded pipe system provides cooling without draft problems and in winter comfortable heating.

Cooling of internal spaces is achieved through the use of slab system.

Fig 5.2: Interchanging skin, Interior view

5.1.2 MULTI-LAYERED BUILDING SKIN: SPACE FRAMING ESPLANADE THEATRE It is a 60,000 square meters (6. Ha) performing arts center located in Marina Bay near the mouth of Singapore River named after the nearby Esplanade Park, it consists of a concert hall which seats about 1,800 and a theatre with a capacity of about 2,000 for the performing arts.

The project consists of two performance spaces on Marina Bay in Singapore, designed to have transparent glass structures housing the theatre and the concert hall. The initial design idea called for a fully glazed design. In the hot climate of Singapore, a fully glazed building would have let to overheating and/or very high energy consumption for cooling. Analysis was performed with the intent of generating an alternative skin strategy that would help to mediate excessive solar heat gain while still preserving the desired architectural expression and views. The design process contained a deep 14

understanding of the architectural precedents in the area and other technology constraints. Sketches and models generated an idea for a space frame that could serve as the structure and support external shading fins. Controlling sound, temperature and humidity was the main issue.

Fig 5.3: Esplanade Theatre

Due to the complex geometry of the architectural shape, the external fins vary in geometry around the building to allow views outside while still providing the maximum amount of shading. The key goal of the analysis was to establish what the shading fin geometry would be. The first step was to examine the solar path over the building in Singapore, an important factor, considering its location close to the equator. The next step was to generate a building strategy that would provide maximum shading angle angle calculation for the various surface orientation of the building, once the annual sun angles for the area had been determined. It consists of more than 7000 triangular aluminum sunshades.

Fig 5.4: Durian fruit, Triangular aluminium sunshades

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5.2 MATERIALS Building material is a crucial element in defining the properties, characteristics and behavior of a building and has notable effects on its surroundings.

5.2.1 BIRD’S NEST: STEEL Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s nest was the stadium used for 2008 Summer Olympics, located in the Olympic Green. It is the world’s largest steel structure.

The stadium with a capacity of 100,000 people resembles to a bird’s nest.

It has a moving roof so that environment can be controlled.

To make the structure earthquake resistant, the bowl and roof were split into two separate elements and the bowl was further split into 8 zones.

The steel structure of the stadium appears random but every element is carefully integrated.

Measuring 330 meters long, 220 meters wide and 69.2 meters tall, the design of the Bird's Nest stadium design is based on 24 trussed columns, weighing 1000 tons each. Due to their weight, no crane was strong enough to lift the columns into place when construction of the stadium's steel outer shell began in 2005. As a result, the columns were shipped in parts to Beijing and assembled in position.

After all 24 columns were in place, smaller beams were welded between to give the structure greater strength and enhance the unique, elliptical crosshatch appearance.

Fig 5.5: A model showing the primary, secondary and the tertiary load carrying members

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5.2.2 HABITAT 2020 Habitat 2020 is a future forward example of biomimetic architecture that fuses high-tech ideas with basic cellular functions to create living structures that operate like natural organisms.

The exterior has been designed as a living skin. The skin behaves like a membrane which serves as a connection between the exterior and interior of the habitat alternatively, the skin must be considered as the leaf surface having several stomata, cellular openings involved in gaseous exchange and transpiration in plants.

Fig 5.6: Habitat 2020

The surface would allow the entry of light, air and water into the housing. It would automatically position itself according to the sunlight and let it in. the active skin would be capable of rain water harvesting where water would be purified, filtered, used and recycled. The waste produced would be converted into biogas energy that could be put to diverse uses in the h

Fig 5.7: Detail of building skin, Interior 17

5.3 OTHER CASE STUDIES

5.3.1 RAIN WATER COLLECTOR SKYSCRAPER ‘Capture the rain’ skyscraper by Ryszard Rychlicki and Agnieszka Nowak.

Polish architectural students Ryszard Rychlicki and Agnieszka Nowak of H3AR received a special mention for their proposal in the 2010 skyscraper competition.

‘Capture the rain’ skyscraper is a building whose roof and external shell, which consists systems of gutters, are aimed at capturing as much rainfall as possible to meet the daily needs of its inhabitants.

Average daily consumption of water per person is 150 liters, out of which 85 liters may be replaced by rain water, within the last thirty years water consumption has significantly increased.

There are lots of factors that contribute to such an increase such as increasing number washing machines and dish washers, increasing popularity of garden showering devices and flushing toilets. A third of water being used in households in western countries is flushed in toilets. Since 1900, the total water consumption in the US has increased by 1000%. At present, an average American uses five times more water that a citizen of developing countries. Such an increase is related to among others improved living standards. On the other hand, a national hobby of the Danes is collecting rain water for washing and watering plants. within the last ten years average use of pure water in Denmark dropped by 40% and inhabitants of the so called eco-villages use a third part of the national average.

Fig 5.8: Top section of ‘Capture the rain’

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In view of this data, they decided to design a tower, whose structure will allow for capturing and processing as much rainfall as possible to provide with water for its inhabitants. Millennia plants have been developing systems of capturing and processing rainfall. Such systems helped them to deal with water deficits or surpluses. Similarly, they wanted to copy their simple mechanisms of rainfall capturing and processing. Initially, in designing the tower, we focused at shaping and modeling the surface of the roof to capture as much rainfall as possible. Under a roof’s surface, there are water reservoirs in the form of a large funnel and reed fields, which serve as a hydro botanic water treatment unit. The unit processes water into usable water that is further transmitted to apartments. A network of gutters on the external surfaces of the building is designed to capture rainfall flowing down the building. Such flowing rainfall is transmitted to floors and its surplus is stored in a reservoir under the building. Water captured and processed by the building may be used for flushing toilets, feeding washing machines, watering plants, cleaning floors and other domestic applications. Having analyzed rainfall in several large cities in developed countries, we obtained a formula that shows what percentage of daily pure water consumption may be replaced with rainfall thanks to the technology applied in their building.

Fig 5.9: Building structure designed as such to capture as much as rain possible

Fig 5.10: Detail of Balcony showing Green space

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5.3.2 MINISTER OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AND AGRICULTURE OFFICE IN QATAR This towering cactus will be the brand new office building for The Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture (MMAA) in Qatar designed by Bangkok-based Aesthetics Architects.

Also known as the cactus project, its design draws inspiration from the ability of cactus to successfully survive in hot, dry environments.

The energy efficient structure features sunshade panels that open and close according to the sun's intensity, similar to how a cactus chooses to perform transpiration to retain water - an example of biomimicry.

The base tower has a connecting botanical dome housing a botanical garden that could be used as a source of food or a way to clean wastewater.

Fig 5.11: Plan of MMAA office

Fig 5.12: Model of MMAA office

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Fig 5.13: Sunshade panels

5.3.3 WUHAN ENERGY FLOWER BUILDING, CHINA The Wuhan Energy Centre is a research institute in the field of new energy sources and sustainability made just 3 years of work initiated in November 2010, following a competition won by Grontmij in collaboration with Soeters Van architects Eldonk.

It will be the most energy efficient building in the world with zero emissions and zero energy, helping to reach the city of Wuhan the goal of becoming the most sustainable city in China, even though its 9 million inhabitants.

Fig 5.14: Wuhan energy flower building

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The building has a design that is inspired by the “flower of calla” with its tower of 140 meters, which will host the offices, laboratories surrounded by leaf-shaped, benefiting the shadow generated by the tower itself to protect the Chinese hot summers.

The roof of the flower consists mainly of solar panels for generating energy. Rainwater is collected in the bowl and used as water supply in the building. The characteristic pistil consists of vertical wind turbines to generate wind energy. The edge of the bowl forms a sunroof designed for heating and cooling of the building. The building is the principle of natural ventilation. The central solar chimney of more than 120m in height is designed for natural air ventilation into the offices. The center tower expands upwards into a bowl and is coated in a large solar array facing the sun, soaking up rays just like a real plant. A vertical axis wind turbine shoots up out of the center of the tower like a pistil. Rainwater is collected in the bowl and a solar chimney in the tower helps expel hot air from the building while pulling in cooler air below. Jos van Eldonk, architect for the project said: We took our inspiration from nature itself for this innovative building design.

All windows are equipped with magnetic sensors that detect if the windows are open or closed. When the windows are open, the sensor provides a signal to the building management system; mechanical air supply is blocked.

Now that it is nearing completion this innovative design will acquire the highest prize in Three-Star Award, the evaluation system of China’s “Green Building Evaluation System” for “green buildings.”

Fig 5.15: Calla flower, Centre tower

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Fig 5.16 Flower

Fig 5.17 Structural view

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5.3.4 AL BAHAR TOWERS A quick glimpse at the upcoming weather for Abu Dhabi will show a week of intense sunshine, temperatures steadily above 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 0% chance of rain. In such extreme weather conditions, even architects listing environmental design as their top priority are up against a tough battle. Never mind that the sand can compromise the structural integrity of the building, the intense heat and glare can render a comfortable indoor environment relatively impossible if not properly addressed. For Abu Dhabi’s newest pair of towers, Aedas Architects have designed a responsive facade which takes cultural cues from the “mashrabiya”, a traditional Islamic lattice shading device.

Fig 5.18: Al Bahar Tower

Completed in June 2012, the 145 meter towers’ Masharabiya shading system was developed by the computational design team at Aedas. Using a parametric description for the geometry of the actuated facade panels, the team was able to simulate their operation in response to sun exposure and changing incidence angles during the different days of the year.

The screen operates as a curtain wall, sitting two meters outside the buildings’ exterior on an independent frame. Each triangle is coated with fiberglass and programmed to respond to the movement of the sun as a way to reduce solar gain and glare. In the evening, all the screens will close.

At night they will all fold, so they will all close, so you’ll see more of the facade. As the sun rises in the morning in the east, the mashrabiya along the east of the building will all begin to close and as the sun moves round the building, then that whole vertical strip of mashrabiya will move with the sun.

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Fig 5.19: Detail of façade

5.3.5 HELIOTROPE HOUSE Heliotrope House is designed by Architect Rolf Disch. This building is the first energy positive house in Germany. In the design of the house inspired by heliotropism, a phenomenon common to plants that live in the Arctic, where the growing season is short. During a never-ending summer day, Arctic poppies will follow the sun around and around, using its rays to warm their petals so as to attract insects.

Similarly, Mounted on a pole, the house rotates (180 degrees) during the day depending on the direction of sunrise. The solar panels on top produce more than enough energy to make the home net energy positive. A unique hand railing system on the roof doubles as solar thermal tubing that heats the home’s water and radiators.

Fig 5.20: Heliotrope house

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CHAPTER 6: PROBLEM AND METHODOLOGY

6.1 PROBLEM DEFINITION Though Biomimicry is an interesting style to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges but approaching design through Biomimicry is challenging.

6.2 METHODOLOGY There are two easy approaches to solve this problem: A. DIRECT APPROACH – PROBLEM BASED APPROACH: In this approach, designers look to the living world for solutions and are required to identify the problem and then biologists need to match these to the organisms that have solved the similar problems.

Problem identification is followed by determining biological principle.

B. INDIRECT APPROACH – SOLUTION BASED APPROACH: Identifying particular characteristics and behaviors in an organism or ecosystem and then translating them into human designs.

Discovered biological principle is further implemented into design.

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CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION

This dissertation concludes that:  

Biomimicry can be well-defined as the mimicry of an organism, organism’s behavior or an entire ecosystem in terms of its form, material, construction method, process, strategies or function.

How biomimicry is applied to obtain a set of actions that simplifies bio-inspired architectural work at various stages (approach to design, design solutions, planning) at various levels (organism, behavioral and ecosystem) and through different mediums (technology and materials).

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CHAPTER 8: REFERENCES [1] https://issuu.com/ateebhussein/docs/biomimicry-_ ateeb_hussein_-_090106 [2] https://issuu.com/pragyabharati/docs/biomimicry_as__a_tool_for_sustainab [3] Biomimicry in Architecture- by Michael Pawlyn [4] https://inhabitat.com/habitat-2020-off-the-grid-future-abode/ [5] https://www.designboom.com/architecture/ofis-architects-all-seasons-tent-tower/ [6] https://www.esplanade.com/ [7] https://issuu.com/stokoe/docs/ecomimesis [8] https://inhabitat.com/heliotrope-the-worlds-first-energy-positive-solar-home/ [9] https://www.archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas [10] https://www.designboom.com/architecture/rain-collector-skyscraper/ [11]http://aasarchitecture.com/2013/09/wuhan-energy-centre-by-grontmij-and-soeters-van-eldonkarchitects.html [12] https://www.archdaily.com/395131/ch2-melbourne-city-council-house-2-designinc [13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastgate_Centre,_Harare [14] https://shafiqdayeh.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/case-study-esplanade/ [15] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2015-02-23/14-smart-inventions-inspired-bynature-biomimicry [16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian [17] https://inhabitat.com/habitat-2020-off-the-grid-future-abode/ [18] https://inhabitat.com/habitat-2020-off-the-grid-future-abode/habitat-2020-off-grid-membraneliving-architecture-biomimetic-architecture-china-green-architecture-green-building/

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International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management Volume-1, Issue-10, October-2018 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5782

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Biomimicry in Architecture Krati Mittal1, Ayush Jindal2, Utkarsh Jain3 1

Student, Department of Architecture, SDPS College, Indore, India Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, SDPS College, Indore, India

2,3

Abstract—Biomimicry, where entire ecosystems are emulated as a basis for design, is a growing area of research in the fields of architecture and engineering. This is due to the fact that it is an inspirational source of possible new innovation and has a potential to create more sustainable design.

The objective of this study is to study biomimicry, its principles and also the various technologies and materials those have either been evolved through biomimicry or have been developed to demonstrate the forms and techniques of biomimetics in architecture.

Index Terms—Biomimetics, Biomimicry, bio-inspired design, ecosystem, ecology, ecomimicry, industrial ecology

As the city of Yerevan is situated in a region prone to earthquakes, the main driver while deciding a suitable structural system for the building was safety during earthquakes. The vertical structure, which resists gravity load and forces resulting from earthquake action, was rationalized to reinforce the tower’s concrete cores and composite columns.

The two cores on the inner perimeter of the taller tower are required to ensure structural stability, one core in case of lower tower. The core wall thickness and column dimensions are reduced with the height of the building.

I. INTRODUCTION Biomimicry is referred as the science of taking inspiration from nature, its models, systems, processes and elements, to solve design problems sustainably. It finds the unique approach to solve design problems creating sustainable and beautiful design. Biomimicry is still in its early stage in the built environment. It is expected that it will be applied most widely in architecture in the future, particularly as a tool of sustainable design.

II. TECHNOLOGY Evolution is a rule of nature. The more adaptive an organism is, the easier becomes its existence. So is the case with building construction technologies.

A. Disaster- Proof Construction The continuous urge of developing methods of construction that may lead to no or minimal damage to the building drove the designers’ attention to bio inspiration.

All season’s tent tower All- Seasons Tent Tower in Armenia is designed by OFIS Architects. It is two terraced cylindrical shaped towers connected in ground floor and embraced with a green tent shape layer.

Fig. 1. All- seasons tent tower

Fig. 2. Inter-changing skin, interior view

Tent-Towers Inter-changing skin: In winters, the skin covers the terraces of the towers, creating openings and full structural elements made up of metal mesh. It is white, partially covered with snow in winters. In summers, mesh is covered by greenery that is planted at the fence of the tower’s terraces.

B. Multi-Layered Building Skin- Space Framing Esplanade Theatre

Fig. 3. Esplanade Theatre

The design consists of two rounded space frames fitted with triangulated glass elements and sunshades, which balance outward views and solar shading. Controlling sound, temperature and humidity was the main issue. The unique architectural design has been said to have an appearance similar to a durian, a tropical fruit. Hence, the building is known to locals as ‘the big durians’. It consists of more than 7000 triangular aluminum sunshades.

International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management Volume-1, Issue-10, October-2018 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5782 III. MATERIALS Building material is a crucial element in defining the properties, characteristics and behavior of a building and has notable effects on its surroundings.

A. Bird’s Nest: Steel Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s nest was the stadium used for 2008 Summer Olympics, located in the Olympic Green. It is the world’s largest steel structure.

Fig. 4. Beijing National Stadium

B. Habitat 2020 Habitat 2020 is a future forward example of biomimetic architecture that fuses high-tech ideas with basic cellular functions to create living structures that operate like natural organisms.

The exterior has been designed as a living skin. The skin behaves like a membrane which serves as a connection between the exterior and interior of the habitat alternatively, the skin must be considered as the leaf surface having several stomata, cellular openings involved in gaseous exchange and transpiration in plants.

The surface would allow the entry of light, air and water into the housing. It would automatically position itself according to the sunlight and let it in. the active sk9n would be capable of rain water harvesting where water would be purified, filtered, used and recycled. The waste produced would be converted into biogas energy that could be put to diverse uses in the habitat.

Fig. 5. Habitat 2020

Nature as mentor: new way of viewing and valuing nature.

B. Design Approaches of Biomimicry 1) Direct approach-problem based approach In this approach, designers look to the living world for solutions and are required to identify the problem and then biologists need to match these to the organisms that have solved the similar problems.

2) Indirect Approach-Solution Based Approach Identifying particular characteristics and behaviors in an organism or ecosystem and then translating them into human designs.

C. Levels of Design in Biomimicry 1) Organism Level Many organisms on earth have created different survival mechanisms for themselves and adapted to constant changes over time by solving their problems in energy effective ways.

Namibian Desert Beetle: Fog-catcher design for Hydrological Centre for the University of Namibia, by Mathew Parks of KSS Architects.

Fig. 6. Hydrological Centre

Principle: This beetle lives in desert with negligible rainfall and is able to capture moisture however from the swift moving fog that moves over the desert by tilting its body into the wind.

Droplets form on the rough surface of the beetle’s back and wings and roll down into its mouth.

2) Behavior Level It is not the organism that is mimicked, but its behavior.

1. Mick Pearce’s East-gate Building in Zimbabwe 2. CH2 Building in Melbourne, Australia Principle: Techniques of passive ventilation and temperature regulation observed in Termite mounds, in order to create a thermally stable interior environment.

3) Ecosystem Level Ecomimicry: used to describe the mimicking of ecosystems in design.

IV. APPROACHING DESIGN THROUGH BIOMIMICRY A. The Way of Thinking about Nature Nature as model: Biomimicry studies nature’s models and then emulates these forms, processes, systems and strategies to solve human problems sustainably.

Nature as measure: Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the sustainability of our innovations (i.e.; what works and what lasts)

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Fig. 7. Levels of Biomimicry

International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management Volume-1, Issue-10, October-2018 www.ijresm.com | ISSN (Online): 2581-5782 5 sub-levels were further added to the three levels of biomimicry for understanding the application of biomimicry.

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REFERENCES [1]

V. CONCLUSION

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Biomimicry can be applied to obtain practical ways of implementation that simplifies bio-inspired architectural work at various stages (approach to design, design solutions, planning) at various levels (organism, behavioral and ecosystem) and through different mediums (technology and materials).

[3] [4] [5] [6]

https://issuu.com/ateebhussein/docs/biomimicry-_ateeb_hussein_ _090106 https://issuu.com/pragyabharati/docs/biomimicry_as__a_tool_for_sustai nab Biomimicry in Architecture-by Michael Pawlyn https://inhabitat.com/habitat-2020-off-the-grid-future-abode/ https://www.designboom.com/architecture/ofis-architects-all-seasonstent-tower/ https://www.esplanade.com/

Q.1.ertificat.e It is here by certified that the manuscript entitled Biomimicry in Architecture

Editor-in-Chief (IJRESM)

by Krati Mittal has been published in Volume-1, lssue-10, October-2018 in International Journal of Research in Engineering, Science and Management All the best for your future endeavors