Architectural Design from Nature

This week the sustainability team at Jigsaw have come across a new website, www.asknature.org, which focuses on biomimicry and its impact on design and, more specifically, architectural design.

Before we get into things, we thought we'd include a definition of biomimicry for those unfamiliar with the concept:

Biomimicry: (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate)  a relatively new science that studies nature, its models, systems, processes and elements and then imitates or takes creative inspiration from them to solve human problems sustainably.

from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry )

The relevance of biomimicry in design practices has never been greater. As demand for sustainability grows, we need to begin to analyse nature's models for replication or inspiration so that we might integrate its processes into today's building to solve human problems.

AskNature.org has taken the first steps in this direction, creating a site that is part manifesto, part search engine, and part social network. It's a site where design professionals, innovators and biologists can communicate, collaborate and exchange information on all aspects of design.

At the core of the site is the world's first biomimicry database, allowing architects and designers alike to be able to access and harness nature's design strategies. Everything is organised by function and explained with illustrations, making it very user-friendly. The library is completely public domain and therefore free, which I'm sure will be the big seller for most of us!

Global architectural firm HOK is already using biomimetic principles for their real-world design workflow. The firm has long-used Autodesk's Revit platform for building information modelling in developing its sustainable design efforts and has used the software to support its work in the growing area of biomimicry.

"Biomimicry is about understanding how nature works and applying it to design," says Mary Ann Lazarus, HOK Sustainable Design Director. "Revit helps us understand the implications of our designs for factors like energy usage, water usage, material usage and shade coefficient. That knowledge will be directly applicable in developing meaningful biomimetic solutions."

HOK is integrating biomimicry into one of its current projects, a hillside community development near Pune, India. Soil stability represents one of the biggest challenges of building in this location because of steep hillsides and extreme weather conditions, which alternate between drought and monsoon. Rather than drilling piers to secure buildings into the soil, the team is exploring a biomimetic approach that uses foundations that mimic a tree's tap roots.

Autodesk of late seem to be at the forefront of sustainability design tools, with recent acquisitions of Ecotect and GBS. Lynelle Cameron, Autodesk director of sustainability, has announced that they are also to be the main sponsors of AskNature.org.

Hats off to Autodesk; when they started talking about sustainability in their products there were many sceptics, myself included, but they have defiantly kept to their word and keep pushing the boundaries by helping to empower users with the design tools and intelligence to help them make smarter design decisions.

As BIM continues to grow, it's tools like Autodesk's Revit used in collaboration with resources such as AskNature that will be producing truly innovative and sustainable building designs and we're pleased to see Autodesk supporting such joint ventures.

If you'd like to find out more about Ecotect, Jigsaw can arrange a demonstration. Just call the CAD team on 03332 409 204 or email CAD@jigsaw24.com!