Biomimicry

"Biomimicry is the process of learning from and then emulating Nature’s genius to create more sustainable designs. It’s studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell or an electric eel to make a better battery."

Organisms and ecosystems face the same challenges that humans do,but instead of destroying the environment in the pursuit of solutions, they meet those challenges sustainably. Blueprints, recipes and strategies for how to live gracefully exist in the more than 30 million species with which we cohabit our earth.

“Biomimicry introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.” - Janine Benyus, the world renowned author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature and the Chair of the Biomimicry Institute


A few examples of Biomimicry:

• Fabric that gets its colour from structure—like the feathers of a peacock—rather than harsh chemical dyes.
• An efficient waste water treatment plant inspired by the way human kidneys process waste.
• Fans and propellers modelled after a natural logarithmic spiral that use 30-70% less energy.

In terms of Architecture, an example of Biomimicry would be learning from termites how to create sustainable buildings. When it come to termites & buildings, the first thing that comes to mind is that they destroy buildings, not help design them. However, the Eastgate Building, an office complex in Harare, Zimbabwe, designed by Architect Mick Pearce along with Arup Associates (Engineers), has an air conditioning system modelled on the self-cooling mounds of termites. The termites maintain the temperature inside their nest to within one degree, day and night (while the temperatures outside range from 3°C to 42°C). The Eastgate Building uses 90% percent less energy for ventilation than conventional buildings its size, and has already saved the building owners over $3.5 million dollars in air conditioning costs.












Further examples:
Fennell Residence - a floating home with a sweeping roof evocative of a nautilus shell
Architect:
Location: Portland
Designed: 2001
Completed: 2005









Quadracci Pavilion - opens and closes throughout the day like the wings of a butterfly, or the unfurling of a flower.
Architect: Santiago Calatrava
Location: Milwaukee
Completed: 2001










And probably the most famous recent example:
Beijing National "Bird's Nest" Stadium - inspired by a bird’s nest;
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Location: Beijing
Designed: 2003
Completed: 2008