The German physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) offered simple but powerful advice when he said: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Undoubtedly, nature is home to positive strategies that have worked well for millions of years.
Efficiency, adaptation and harmony with nature are the basic pillars of the development of our ecosystems. As such, biomimicry studies its processes and structures to offer us innovative technological and sustainable solutions that are beginning to be applied in cities across the world. Projects such as Milan’s Vertical Forest, residential towers covered with trees and plants that act as a green “lung”; BIQ House in Hamburg, whose façade is made from microalgae, and; the Bullit Center in Seattle, designed as a “living organism” with respect to energy. These are just some examples of how biomimicry can help us develop more sustainable urban environments.
What will I learn from this article?
The term biomimicry was introduced in 1950 by US biophysicist Otto Herbert Schmitt (1913-1998) to refer, in the broadest sense, to the application of processes tried and tested by nature to the human environment. The first examples of biomimetic research, however, can be attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), who, after carefully analyzing the anatomy and the way birds fly, designed his famous flying machines.
In the 19th Century, as the era of industrial development got underway, numerous engineers were inspired by nature in carrying out their work. The tower erected in Paris by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) took its famous form from the structure of the human hip and femur. Another pioneer of applying biomimicry to design was Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), from the columns of his basilica, the Sagrada Familia de Barcelona, which imitates trees whose branches support arches, to the geometric forms found in nature that he used to increase the size of the windows of the Casa Batlló and so reduce energy consumption. Gaudí, with his trencadis mosaic technique that fixed broken tiles with mortar, was also a pioneer of recycling and re-use.
The study of certain biological processes permits the development of products that are truly environmentally responsible.
Biomimicry is an important ally in the major challenge that is sustainability. For its application to be optimal, it has to begin with a profound observation and analysis of diverse biological systems. Then, such systems can be applied in human design through the creation of environmentally responsible products.
Energy efficiency is one of its basic principles, given that it imitates the way nature uses energy. This is where the importance of renewable energies comes in. Nature adapts efficiently to the environment, and biomimicry applies this principle to design in order to respond to conditions like the climate or electricity.
Many natural structures are, in fact, multi-functional: for example, a leaf captures light for photosynthesis, regulates the temperature and manages water. Finally, processes such as recycling and self-assembly inspire the creation of biodegradable materials and systems that reduce resource consumption.
Of course, biomimicry has many applications today in diverse fields such as technology, medicine, design, engineering and the production of consumer goods.
We also have biomimetic innovations like robots imitating insect movements, non-toxic glues based on mussel proteins, oceanic warning systems based on ultrasonic signals emitted by dolphins, and highly-resistant materials developed from substances like those that spiders use to weave their webs, and airplanes, following da Vinci’s teachings, have aerodynamic wings that, for all purposes, have been copied from birds.
The application of biomimicry to architecture allows us to erect sustainable and energy-efficient buildings.
Cities are, undoubtedly, the human environment most growing worldwide. Urban conglomerations are increasing at a vertiginous rate and, in many cases, this growth implies a series of risks for those living in them. Rising air pollution, excessive resource consumption, loss of biodiversity and green areas, and increasing ambient temperature are all just some of the challenges currently facing urbanization.
In his book, Biomimicry in Architecture: design of sustainable and energy-efficient buildings, the British architect Michael Pawlyn established what are considered to be the basic principles of biomimetic architecture. These consist of the integration of buildings with nature, taking into account geographical, climatic and cultural factors; adaptability to changes in the environment; use of materials in construction that have a minimum ecological impact during the life cycle; energy efficient design; structures that evolve to adapt to the needs of their occupants or the environment, and; building procedures that minimize environmental impact and promote social equity.
The integration of buildings with nature, taking into account geographical, climatic and cultural factors, is one of the basic principles of biomimetic architecture
In 2014, Milan (Italy) inaugurated the first example of a “vertical forest”. Part of a project to renew the area in which they were situated, two towers were erected, of 80m and 112m height and home to 480 large and medium-sized trees, 300 small ones, 11,000 perennial plants and 5,000 shrubs. The result was a surface area of 20,000 square meters on an urban surface area of 1,500 sqm.
The Milan “vertical forest” has also increased surrounding biodiversity and is inhabited by many birds and insects. Plant diversity assures a micro-climate producing humidity, and filters dust particles from the city, as well as absorbing CO2, producing oxygen and functioning as a screen against pollution and noise.
The year before, the first “living façade” building was officially opened in Hamburg (Germany), composed of bio-adaptive algae fed with nutrients and CO2 from a water circuit. The greenhouse effect ensures that the algae, immersed in water, grows and reproduces, generating heat and biomass.
The biomass is collected and fermented to generate biogas used for producing electricity. The heat, meanwhile, is transported to an energy management center in which it is used to generate hot water distributed throughout the building’s heating system.
Also in 2013, the Bullit Center was inaugurated in Seattle (USA). This building has 50,000 square meters distributed over 6 floors. Its construction cost a third of a similar-sized conventional building and used over 350 materials innocuous to health and the environment. The center is also 99% energy self-sufficient.
The electricity needed by the building is supplied from solar panels which generate 230,000 kWh a year. Its generous windows open and close automatically according to the climate and are designed so that the employees inside enjoy natural light 92% of the working day. Its heating system is founded upon 26 geothermal wells. It has bathrooms linked to composting, and stores and circulates rainwater collected in a 56,000-liter cistern.
The application of biomimicry to architecture can, for sure, make the dream of environmentally-respectful sustainable cities come true.