Biomimicry: Learning from Nature

There is an interdisciplinary skill available to all types of manufacturing and design industries using the fertile proving grounds of natural design. The theory centers on the collective genius of evolutionary design. Over 4.1 billion years of evolutionary problem solving influence the current abilities of life. Nature is the expert in sustainability. Living organisms contain abilities in three major categories which design of structures can directly benefit from including;

• Reduction in resource consumption
• A Closed Loop System
• Solar Economy

Every living organism and organic system follows these three principles. Every creature gains biological energy through various degrees of separation via the sun. With the free solar energy present in every form of life on the planet, each organism developed energy efficient adaptations. It is a matter of survival for animals to conserve energy, the constant search for food must never consistently burn more calories than consumed. Plants reliant on the sun have a glut of energy and have the luxury of sustained growth. The true brilliance of natural systems is the reuse of waste products. There is an entirely closed loop system in nature where organisms use the waste of other organisms to survive. A simplification of the typical system revolves around a tree or shrub gathering solar energy, shedding leaves, then decomposers break down the leaf litter into bioavailable nutrients, which the tree uptakes to grow more leaves.

Resource Reduction Via Biomimicry

Against the harsh test of competing for food, plants and animals develop remarkable solutions to ensure resource use is efficient. Trees build long firm and flexible limbs to stretch out and catch the rays of the sun. Bones are hollow and resemble a sponge on the interior. Both tree limbs and bones use carbon as the primary building block as a way of providing strength and flexibility. Carbon molecules are the basis of interconnected hexagonal chains forming virtually all the structures, hormones, and nutrients present in any organic life. Instead of glass, which becomes exponentially heavy and brittle in larger sizes, nature uses pressurized membranes in a hexagonal pattern as a barrier, only allowing desired particles through.

The Eden project in Cornwall, England is the largest greenhouse in the world. Two very successful implementations of biomimicry allowed the building of biomes taller than the Tower of London. The team observed soap bubbles to combat the turbulence of the quarry ground. The project also was able to use inflatable membranes housed in a hexagonal super structure, instead of traditional and much heavier glass. The weight savings of the membrane allowed the team to use less steel in the support beams, which in turn lead to reduction in the weight of the foundation.

A very different building in Zimbabwe gained energy efficient cooling from other building organisms. Termites have been building impressive structures and farming food (Fungus) for millennia before humans began to build and farm entire colonies. The termite mound uses the ingenious design of ventilation shafts. Termites constantly open new shafts and dam others to maintain a very narrow band of temperature. Using this method, the Eastgate Center was able to produce a building, which requires no air conditioning system. The lack of A/C saves the center over $25 million a year in utility costs.

Closed Loop System

Nature embodies the concept of zero waste. Every single waste product of one organism finds use in another organism. An enterprising man, Graham Wiles, developed a program called the Cardboard to Caviar Project. The project set out to close the loop of cardboard waste from restaurants. Graham Wiles collected the cardboard from restaurants for a fee. Then cardboard was provided to horse farms. Once the cardboard became soiled again the cardboard was collected for a fee, shredded and used in worm farms. The worms consumed the cardboard, supporting high population growth. The worms were fed to Siberian sturgeon producing caviar to sell back to restaurants.

The previous case is an example of turning a waste stream into the closed loop system. In relation to building design, a closed loop system looks to incorporate the use of byproducts into the feed of another system. A Harley-Davidson factory uses waste heat from air compressors to feed into their paint dryers.

Closed loop systems are able to use a waste product from another source as a valuable source. By using waste, the system uses fewer resources. Not only is the use of fewer resources better for the environment, it also reduces costs of consuming so many resources.

Solar Economy

Nature and life on earth arose around an energy economy based on the sun. The sun benevolently bathes the earth every single day in 10,000 times the amount of energy humanity produces by all methods. Plants use solar energy to split another free resource, water, into primary components of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. Using these three molecules, plants are able to produce every building block and structure necessary for their survival and propagation.

Advancements in solar collection cells and hot water heating increase the attractiveness of the technology. Solar energy will continue to shine down on the earth for millennia. If humans are able to develop along the lines of plants, as in capturing a great resource exposed every day for free, it would allow sustainable energy creation for the conceivable future.

To learn more about Biomimicry, check out our course “EcoBalance and Biomimicry: Inspired by Nature” (worth 2 LEED CE Hours & 2 AIA HSW LUs) by visiting http://www.gbrionline.org/courses/ecobalance-biomimicry-inspired-nature/.