Biomimicry in Architecture
Council House 2 (CH2)
Council House 2, an administrative building for the City of Melbourne, is the first in the country to achieve the highest possible rating of six stars in Australia’s Green Star environmental accreditation.
It meets the Council’s long-term need for staff housing while revitalizing an underutilized area of the city. CH2 was designed in a highly collaborative and innovative manner, challenging conventional approaches to sustainability and building design.
As we delve deeper into the concept of this building’s design, the phrase “to innovate is to imitate” comes to mind.
The design process began with a two-week workshop and was followed by eight months of regular design sessions. Architects, engineers, artists, environmental experts, future occupants, the CSIRO, and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria were all part of the project team.
The green concept behind Council House 2 was inspired by termites, specifically the “buildings” that termites construct.
Abstract
Known as biomimicry, this process gives a structure life. Richard Buckminster Fuller was one of the pioneers of biomimicry. He looked at the building blocks of nature to find solutions to human issues, and in the 1950s he developed synergetics. Synergetics investigates holistically engineered natural formations. Biomimicry is the study of how nature solves issues that have potential human counterparts. Biomimicry is the imitation of these biological structures, functions, and laws with the goal of learning from nature and being motivated to develop a flexible, adaptable, and sustainable way of living.
The following systems from the CH2 design were influenced by nature:
- The termite mound utilizes thermal mass and kinetic energy
- The skin’s epidermis (which influenced the facades design)
- Bark façade with an eastern flair
- The idea of an identical amount of leaves
The skin, bones, and very inner workings of this building have all undergone a thorough reevaluation to make them more in touch with organic processes. This recognizes the necessity for society to create more sustainable living and working environments if our species is to survive.
The Termite Mound :
Mick Pearce is a Zimbabwean architect who got the idea from African savannas dotted with termite mounds. The Eastgate Centre, a shopping center and office building in central Harare, Zimbabwe, is CH2’s older “brother.” It was most likely the first building in the world to use sophisticated ventilation and natural cooling.
Let’s take a look inside a termite mound to see how these creatures keep their nest at an optimal temperature.
As air enters the mound from beneath, it cools, while hot air escapes through the “chimneys” and the “roof,” allowing the mound’s temperature to be controlled.
In the case of CH2, the automatic shutters open at night to allow cool air to enter, which travels to the vertical shaft and then to the roof. Concrete curves improve ventilation even more by absorbing heat and cooling the temperature inside. As a result, “the building uses about 10% of the energy used for ventilation by comparable-sized buildings.”
The cool air rises to the roof via the vertical shaft.
The Skin and the leaf :
By incorporating the fundamental characteristics of mammalian skin, which consists of the epidermis (outer skin) and dermis, the horizontal form of CH2 was created (inner skin). In other words, the outer skins permit breathing and contact with the outside world.
While the internal skin shields the interior conditioned area from its surrounding environment.
The outer zone, known as the dermis, contains the ducts, balconies, shade screens, and vegetation, while the inner line delineates the size of the “fire chamber.” The dermis’s internal structures will all continue to be made of steel and be lightweight.
Building fabric, people, engineering systems, natural and man-made energy flows made landscapes merged to form an interconnected whole. The use of nature analogies in the design process was advantageous for a variety of reasons.
- promoting us to always look for integrated solutions.
- complex process functional model
- a way of appreciating the natural world.
- a source of visual expression, such as the repetition of similar shapes at various scales.
With all of its systems and areas constituting a linked and interrelated whole, CH2 has been designed to be a very energy-efficient and sustainable building. The building needs all of its limbs and organs to function properly, much like a live being does. An overview of this biological synergy is given below.
- Leaf structure: air cleaning and processing, combined with collecting energy and dissipating heat.
- Growth plane: roof terrace supporting living plants and grasses for the enjoyment of building inhabitants.
- Bronchia: enclosed duct spaces for delivery of vital gases.
- Root: network of connections to ground, provision of public services, buttressing to the city plane, sewer mining for non potable water.
- Stem: primary core structure and arterial volume providing network of reticulated fluids, gases and nervous system of building for control of cooling, heating and ventilation.
- Epidermis: external layer of skin for protection from the elements.
- Dermis: sub-layer of skin composed of enclosed spaces to filter wind, light and sound.
- Antennae: vertical mast carrying vegetation and weather monitoring equipment for control of cooling, heating and ventilation.
- Bark: external ventilation module for waste and toilets, with inhabitable external balconies.
- Soft body: the internal activity zone of the building where climate is modified for people.
Bark façade :
To present their concepts and work with the design team during the charrette process, artists were hired. In order to create a stunning art landscape, the artists drew inspiration from nature. They were influenced by coral surfaces, bark, crinkled paper, cockle shells (waste products of the mussel industry), charcoal (colored tiles with the impressions of fossilized birch branches for the parking deck), and black and white cockle shells.
The symbiotic relationship between art and architecture became significantly facilitated by the study of nature. The art established a connection between the visible and invisible, the physical and psychological, the mind and body.
The eastern façade of the building includes the service core and restrooms, which are inspired by the aesthetics and purpose of bark, which protects and houses the tree. The bark façade was designed to act as a protective covering or second skin, helping to promote natural ventilation in the wet area spaces. The final design consists of two perforated metal layers that overlap one other, as well as polycarbonate walling and fixed metal louvers.
Conclusion
While numerous positive and surprising design outcomes were produced by the integrated design approach developed on CH2, the bulk of these results reflected a combination of conventional industry solutions and specialized adaption. Those who worked on the CH2 project had the good fortune to be a part of a new paradigm shift in how buildings are planned, acquired, and used; this method is already setting new precedents all over the world.
The prominent structures of today will not necessarily resemble the buildings of the future, but neither will they resemble CH2. A new “living architecture” that represents climate and culture and attempts to create spaces that link people and structures with the natural world is slowly emerging through initiatives like CH2.
REFERENCES
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