With the constant impending doom of climate change, global warming, pollution, and unsustainable acts, it’s hard to find a beacon of hope against all the negative news we see in the media. But let’s take a look at the hopeful rays, with current solutions that are already being implemented and future sustainable projects - let’s introduce biomimicry in architecture.
Let’s look a bit deeper at the environmental effects of buildings. They account for 30% of global energy consumption, 26% of global emissions, consume countless resources, and destroy ecosystems and natural wildlife… ok, so not looking that good so far. But, recently, more and more architects have taken inspiration from nature and are trying to be more sustainable.
Biomimicry is taking elements of nature, such as models, designs, or systems, for the purpose of solving complex human problems. We often think of problems as the first time we’re dealing with the problem and that we’re all alone with figuring out a solution...but we’re not. Nature and evolution has got us beat to the punch. Through natural selection and evolution nature has perfected complex systems to give organisms a better shot at survival. Oftentimes the problems we see in our world today such as making sustainable buildings, or designing a product to be more energy efficient, or building an aesthetically pleasing pavilion, we already have the solutions (hint: take a look outside!) By taking inspiration from already tried and true solutions we can incorporate and mimic some of nature’s designs. We can combine architecture with biomimicry to create beautiful, sustainable, and energy efficient buildings. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
The Gherkiin
The Gherkin, in London is 41 stories tall, which is 180 meters. This building consumes only half the energy a building of a similar structure would consume, because of its energy efficiency. The gaps in each floor create shafts, much like a sea sponge.
This unique building has taken inspiration from the Venus Flower Basket Sea Sponge. The sea sponge has the unique combination of delicacy and fortitude through its geometric structure. The lattice is able to bend at specific intersections while also providing stiffness. The circular shape allows the force of the currents to disperse while collecting and filtering nutrients as the currents move through the lattice. This “trap” allows the sea sponge to feed itself while also maintaining its structural integrity. The Gherkin works in the same way, except the current in this case would be air and wind. The rounded shape allows air to flow around the building. Mimicking the natural ventilation, this creates pressure differences.
Yet, one of the windows broke, and so the Gherkin had to resort back to conventional air cooling techniques. While this was a failure, the building still creates inspiration for other buildings to promote energy efficiency. Two steps forward, one step back is still progress. We cannot forget the intention behind this building, and the ideas it helped to seed.
By not only mimicking the sponge’s shape, but also the function of nature, this allows for greater energy efficiency as HVAC is not needed as much. Air conditioning and cooling is one of the greatest energy consumptions in the entire world. By finding a way to reduce that and making it more energy efficient, it would greatly reduce emissions and energy consumption.
Aguahoja Project by Neri Oxman
The Aguahoja project is Programmable Water-Based Biocomposites for Digital Design and Fabrication across Scales.
This 5-meter tall biocompatible structure is composed of the biopolymers, cellulose, chitosan, and pectin. These biopolymers happen to be the most abundant polymers that we have on Earth. The pavilion is made of organic matter than was 3D printed by a robot and water helps shape this standing structure.
One of the main highlights from this project, in my opinion, was the biodegradable aspect. Neri Oxman describes how 300 million tons of plastic are produced each year and that 90% becomes waste. Waste for nature to consume and leech onto the harmful chemicals of these materials. By continuously varying the material properties, we can vary functionality between a single component instead of adding a surplus of another part or material.
For this project, Oxman’s team grinded up shrimp cells and created chitosan paste. They were able to achieve a variety of different properties all by varying the chemical concentrations. Her team built a robotically controlled extrusion system that printed out this material, while varying the material properties, into 12 feet long structures.
This pavilion is able to respond to its environment such as the heat or humidity and does so by changing its stiffness and color. By combining computational design, additive manufacturing, materials engineering, and synthetic biology, Oxman and her team are able to create beautiful structures that encompass nature.
These two are beautiful examples, and there are multiple more examples of biomimicry in action in the architectural world and beyond. I like to think about a world where buildings are more energy efficient, beautifully constructed, and combine with other technologies to produce more sustainable cities (all while being financially viable of course).
Sources
Comentários