Biomimetic architecture

Biomimetic architecture is a branch of the new science of biomimicry defined and popularized by Janine Benyus in her 1997 book (Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature). Biomimicry (bios - life and mimesis - imitate) refers to innovations inspired by nature as one which studies nature and then imitates or takes inspiration from its designs and processes to solve human problems.^[1] The book suggests looking at nature as a Model, Measure, and Mentor", suggesting that the main aim of biomimicry is sustainability.

Living beings have adapted to a constantly changing environment during evolution through mutation, recombination, and selection.^[2] The core idea of the biomimetic philosophy is that nature's inhabitants including animals, plants, and microbes have the most experience in solving problems and have already found the most appropriate ways to last on planet Earth. Similarly, biomimetic architecture seeks solutions for building sustainability present in nature, not only by replicating their natural forms, but also by understanding the rules governing those forms.

The 21st century has seen a ubiquitous waste of energy due to inefficient building designs,^[3] in addition to the over-utilization of energy during the operational phase of its life cycle. In parallel, recent advancements in fabrication techniques, computational imaging, and simulation tools have opened up new possibilities to mimic nature across different architectural scales.^[2] As a result, there has been a rapid growth in devising innovative design approaches and solutions to counter energy problems. Biomimetic architecture is one of these multi-disciplinary approaches to sustainable design that follows a set of principles rather than stylistic codes, going beyond using nature as inspiration for the aesthetic components of built form, but instead seeking to use nature to solve problems of the building's functioning and saving energy.

^ Benyus, Janine M. (1997). Biomimicry : innovation inspired by nature (1st ed.). New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-13691-5. OCLC 36103979.
^ ^a ^b Knippers, Jan; Nickel, Klaus G.; Speck, Thomas, eds. (2016). Biomimetic Research for Architecture and Building Construction. Biologically-Inspired Systems. Vol. 8. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46374-2. ISBN 978-3-319-46372-8. S2CID 30823702.
^ Radwan, Gehan.A.N.; Osama, Nouran (2016). "Biomimicry, an Approach, for Energy Effecient [sic] Building Skin Design". Procedia Environmental Sciences. 34: 178–189. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.017.

[:0-1] Benyus, Janine M. (1997). Biomimicry : innovation inspired by nature (1st ed.). New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-688-13691-5. OCLC 36103979.

[:1-2] Knippers, Jan; Nickel, Klaus G.; Speck, Thomas, eds. (2016). Biomimetic Research for Architecture and Building Construction. Biologically-Inspired Systems. Vol. 8. Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46374-2. ISBN 978-3-319-46372-8. S2CID 30823702.

[3] Radwan, Gehan.A.N.; Osama, Nouran (2016). "Biomimicry, an Approach, for Energy Effecient [sic] Building Skin Design". Procedia Environmental Sciences. 34: 178–189. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.04.017.

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