Biomimicry
Corbin Gleason
ENVS 385
Dr. Wegner
05/05/13
Biomimicry: The Key to Biophilic Design Biophilia and biomimicry are very analogous and often confused, but they are not identical principles. Biophilia posits that “human health and well-being has a biologically based need to affiliate with nature”, applied to design and architecture it refers to incorporating natural elements into the design of buildings and other structures. Biomimicry is a big part of biophilic design in that it seeks to incorporate natural processes into the design features of buildings. The common misconception about biomimicry is that it seeks to design a building to mimic nature, e.g. designing a building to look like a pinecone. Instead, it would be designing the building’s skin to mimic the ability of the pinecone to open and close according to moisture levels, thereby managing the building’s moisture levels in a more efficient way. Designs that incorporate biomimicry are function-centric, however they usually change the form of the building, which can sometimes be an unintended benefit.1 Although it is not the only part of biophilic design, biomimicry is an integral and important element of this design revolution. During the 20th century the prevailing architectural attitude imposed “artificial meaning on the built environment”, thereby ignoring the “natural and physical processes of human physiology”.2 Buildings were seen as nothing more than hollow shells, independent of their interior inhabitants and their exterior environment. However, we know that this is not true. The built environment is an integral part of the natural landscapes, mostly due to the fact that its construction drastically alters it in some way. Biomimetic designs can help mitigate this, by improving the static function of a building.
Biomimicry is first and foremost, a design process, not a style. It focuses on what the design will do for the building in question, rather than how that design will affect the
ENVS 385
Dr. Wegner
05/05/13
Biomimicry: The Key to Biophilic Design Biophilia and biomimicry are very analogous and often confused, but they are not identical principles. Biophilia posits that “human health and well-being has a biologically based need to affiliate with nature”, applied to design and architecture it refers to incorporating natural elements into the design of buildings and other structures. Biomimicry is a big part of biophilic design in that it seeks to incorporate natural processes into the design features of buildings. The common misconception about biomimicry is that it seeks to design a building to mimic nature, e.g. designing a building to look like a pinecone. Instead, it would be designing the building’s skin to mimic the ability of the pinecone to open and close according to moisture levels, thereby managing the building’s moisture levels in a more efficient way. Designs that incorporate biomimicry are function-centric, however they usually change the form of the building, which can sometimes be an unintended benefit.1 Although it is not the only part of biophilic design, biomimicry is an integral and important element of this design revolution. During the 20th century the prevailing architectural attitude imposed “artificial meaning on the built environment”, thereby ignoring the “natural and physical processes of human physiology”.2 Buildings were seen as nothing more than hollow shells, independent of their interior inhabitants and their exterior environment. However, we know that this is not true. The built environment is an integral part of the natural landscapes, mostly due to the fact that its construction drastically alters it in some way. Biomimetic designs can help mitigate this, by improving the static function of a building.
Biomimicry is first and foremost, a design process, not a style. It focuses on what the design will do for the building in question, rather than how that design will affect the