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material system- biomimicryresearch field

Biomimicry is literally from the Greek ‘bios’ that meaning life, and ‘mimesis’ means imitation.1 It is a new principle that offers designs, science, and industry a new way of accessing nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies in order to solve human challenges by taking imitation from the nature.1

Biomimicry provide a wide range of source of inspiration as well as unleashing a new breeding ground for sustainable research and development, this process has demonstrated successful solutions to many of the problems that we are facing today. Thus, biomimicry provides opportunities that could transfer natural theories to design innovations which at the same time lead to more advanced technology for solutions.

Moreover, biomimetic architecture design is seeking solutions for sustainability in nature. It does not only replicate the natural forms, but also understand the rules governing the forms by looking at the nature as model.1 The design solutions will optimize by the inspiration from nature forms, process, systems and strategies.

With the fast-paced development of technology nowadays, the practicalability of generating biomimetic architecture has been risen. The computer technology facilitates the design and construction of complex forms that were almost unachievable in the past. Integration of biologically inspired process in computational design creates opportunities of new ways of designing approach by developing natural process as an algorithmic process. There are wide variety of biomimetic projects are in development or in use now, included students like us are also getting approach to it.

1. ‘biomimicry’, last modified 2010, http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/biomimicry.html

Airspace TokyoLocation: Ota-ku, Tokyo, JapanFunction: Multi-family dwelling unit Floor Area: 35.66 sqmDesigning Period: July, 2007

Airspace Tokyo is a representative example of biomimetic architecture which shows how nature helps designer to solve the problem. The idea of having facade which look like trees’ foliage came from the abundant surrounding vegetation of the previous building. Since the entire site is to be razed to accommodate construction for the new larger development, the design invents an architectural system that performs with similar characteristic to the demolished green strip.3

The facade not only take the inspirations from the nature for aesthetic purpose, it has significant function to the building too. This ‘artificial vegetation’ could perform similarly to the previous facade, providing shading and reflection of excess light away from the building.1 It is made up of four layers of metallic surface of porous. Functionally, it also works as a screen to provide a sense of privacy to the occupants. The densities could change by the open-celled meshwork as it moves across the facade.1

The Voronoi pattern of the unique facade of Airspace Tokyo is generated in collaboration with Proces2 Design in San Francisco using parametric software.2

The panels that made from composite metal panel material are attached by a matrix of think stainless steel rods which threaded from top to bottom in order to ensure that the cellular mesh visually float.3 Hence, the supporting structure is appropriately being hidden.

In short, biomimicy provides opportunities for many designer to innovate creative structure with similar qualities as the previous site rather than defeating the nature. It is very encouraging to see more and more of these schemes actually being built. Tokyo Airspace is an example shows how nature inspired designer and affects the designs of the building, it has directly create an artificial linkage of nature and architecture.

1. ‘Airspace Tokyo | Faulders Studio’, last modified June 27, 2012, http://www.arch2o.com/airspace-tokyo-faulders-studio/2. ‘Artificially blended with nature’, last modified 11 Jun 2007, http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/2007/1142/thom-faulders-beige-architecture-and-design/airspace-tokyo-in-kitamagome-ota-ku-district-tokyo.html3. ‘Airspace Tokyo by Faulder Studio’, last modified March 15, 2010, http://travelwithfrankgehry.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/airspace-tokyo-by-faulders-studio.html

Canopy by United Visual ArtistsLocation: Toronto, CanadaFunction: Canopy Area: 90 metres x 3 metresDesigning Period: 2010

United Visual Artists (UVA) created a permanent installation for Maple Leaf Square in Toronto, Canada. Given a pedestrian sidewalk as the site for the work, they wanted to create a work that people could connect to, immerse themselves within, and almost escape momentarily from the hard environment of the city.

This permanent architectural installation is one of the example of a project that explores the influence of nature. It is made of thousands of identical modules, organized in a non-repeating growth pattern.1 Their form, abstracted from the geometry of leaves, reflect nature.2

Furthermore, in the daytime, light is allowed to shine through the modules illuminating the street below, while at night, LED lighting shines from each cell in flowing patterns that resemble a light breeze shaking the leaves of the forest.3

It is similar to walking through a forest with the sun coming through the trees.

Canopy is a meditation on the essential unity between what we think of as ‘artificial’ and ‘natural’ processes. The particles thrive or perish according to the whims of larger, cloud-like regions of energy that sweep across the canopy.

This project expresses the capacity of nature-inspired thinking to generate parametrically designed form, at the same with the case of biomimicry as our approach.

1. ‘Maple Leaf Square Canopy / United Visual Artists’, Saieh, Nico, last modified Oct 15, 2010, http://www.archdaily.com/81576/maple-leaf-square-canopy-united-visual-artists/2. ‘Canopy’, last modified 2010, http://uva.co.uk/work/canopy3. ‘Canopy Brings a Forest to the City’, By Paul Caridad, last modified December 16, 2010, http://www.visualnews.com/2010/12/canopy-forest-sculpture/#SozkWh2kKdoy1Qp0.99