Bioinspired Teacher

Throughout this course I have learned that there are a lot of aspects of biology that can be used in our world today. These factors can range from things like spider silk to how a bug moves to photosynthesis. There are materials that we can use as inspiration in order to solve every day problems.  While we have used nature already as an inspiration to solve problems already, there are so many more aspects that we can hack into in order to solve even more problems. The organisms that are on the planet today learned how to survive in the environment around it. These organisms were able to solve problems that were facing it, which means that these organisms have been able to do something that we as humans have not done. It would be in our best interest to stop and take a look around. Everything around us has been able to survive and solve some of the same problems that we are trying to solve today. Why not take a tip from nature? The answers are out there, but we just have to look hard enough to find them.

Another thing that I learned was the difference between bioinspiration and biomimicry. I can easily understand how these terms can be related, but I also now understand why it is so difficult. After week one and two, my thoughts were that it was a clear definition between the two. However, as we continued through the weeks, I found it to be very difficult to determine if my glossary entry was an example of bioinspiration or biomimicry. It definitely is not as clear as I once thought.

I believe that I came to the realization during week 6 as to how this course has changed me. I had been changed instantly after the second week of material, since the first week was a lot of broad topics. The second week we dove into the specific materials that were inspired by nature that I had never heard of before. I used the technique that we learned from the activity in the very beginning in order to gain a new perspective. I found myself questioning different aspects in nature. As I said in Week 6, I now find myself observing nature and asking “Why?” and I love it!

Thoughout this course, I have even thought of new methods to set up classes. I think that the most I have taken from is in the form of this PBIA. It makes sense that we would have our students create an archive of the cool stuff that we were doing in class. It almost causes me to ask the question, why do we keep binders? Why not have the students take pictures of worksheets (if your school is not 1-to-1 yet), and have the students keep a digital account of the class. Let’s be honest. It will be way more accessible to students if it is in a digital form. It will also be more likely to be used if it is a form of technology that is familiar. I know my students are going to FLIP out when I tell them that for my summer class I created a Tumblr and started a blog. To them, that is not something that can be ‘school useful,’ and I would love to show them just how much I learned during this course. It shows them how they can use technology in a positive light and really learn from it. I think it would be amazing if we set up our high school students with a Tumblr account, if they are familiar with that, and have them keep track of the information that they are learning in our course. What would they blog about my class?

What would they Tweet about my class? Last year, I set up a class Twitter account. I loved incorporating this technology into the classroom. It is a way that I can have students converse with me, I can show the students interesting articles and facts, and I can even Tweet about my grad class! I have even had some students respond to and/or “favorite” my Tweets. This means that the knowledge is getting out there. I think that is such a cool idea. I think about how many hours my students spend on Twitter and it frightens me. However, if I can get them to read at least one article, or watch one video (I had the most positive response with a video post) about science, I feel that I am teaching the students to learn outside the classroom.

Specifically looking at lessons, this class has allowed me to think of new ways to teach my students. More importantly, I have discovered new ways to teach my students how to think differently. I can teach them in the same manner that I have been taught. I really like the idea of having to create a robot that has not yet been created. Then, once the robot was able to move, going back to the same robot and making edits. This was a great way to look at science and engineering, an ever-popular topic discussed in today’s classes.  This teaches the students that science can be a field where edits are encouraged. There is no final solution. There are only new topics to learn and new concepts to think about how these new topics could be put to good use.

For all the fascination with biomimicry, the field hasn’t generated a lot of products. But a lot is going on behind the scenes.

Economists are trying to quantify both the spread of the 15-year-old biomimicry industry and its economic effects, and the results are eye-opening.

The Circular Economy is a game changer, but how does a company find and collect valuable waste before the competition does? The dung beetle shows us how.

How are ants so efficient? Do they have a business plan? If not, why should we?

BIDLab = Biomimetic for Innovation and Design Laboratory, University of Toronto.

In the past, biologically inspired design has mostly relied on personal or chance knowledge and observation of biology to inspire design. As many engineers may not know the most relevant biological phenomena for any given design problem, a systematic method of accessing biological knowledge is required. Prof. Li Shu, a mechanical engineer by training, and her team in BIDLab has developed a biomimetic search tool for systematically mapping engineering terms to biologically meaningful keywords using an online version of the introductory university-level biology textbook Life, the Science of Biology. The iterative approach aims to optimize the process of identifying and using the most relevant biological phenomena for any given engineering problem via facilitating the following areas:

Knowledge

Literature search for analogous biological phenomena in open sources can result in an overwhelming number of both relevant and irrelevant matches. Language analysis is used to improve the quality of matches, and reduce the quantity of information that an engineer must process by summarizing the relevant information.  

Comprehension 

Images are more effective than text in describing spatial relationships. The tools uses illustrations to simplify complex information and clarify abstract concepts to aid in comprehension and visualization of material and/or technical design in a new knowledge domain. Improved understanding will allow better application of biological concepts in design.

Application  Analogical reasoning is the creation of new knowledge via similarities from a domain that is already understood. A key challenge associated with analogical reasoning applied to biomimetic design is the accurate extraction of strategic analogies from biological phenomena relevant to the design problem. BIDLab has been carrying out a wide range of experiments to investigate factors affecting the transfer of analogies including salience and visibility, as well as the practical implications of biological information presentation.

From what I could gather from the description, the search tool will require us to key in the biologically meaningful keywords associated with the design or engineering terms. Biological descriptions can be characterized as describing form, behaviour or principles. The tool will then follow a set of algorithm to generate corresponding strategic analogies associated with both the engineering and biological domains. The accuracy and quality of the analogy relevant to the design problem will be assessed via a “casual template” and “instructional mapping rules” which are multi-step processes.

In my opinion, such a search tool will definitely be helpful to effectively identify and extract appropriate biological information with higher level of accuracy to apply to the design problem in the bioinspiration project. The analogic results are especially valuable when the required biological knowledge for the engineering function is outside the area of expertise. However, for the tool to be robust and reach a larger pool of designers, the BIDLab needs to continue to test and prove their methods against a wider range of biological information sources.   

References

Norbert Hoeller (fall 2012) “Developing Cross-Domain Analogies using Natural-Language Sources” Zygote Quarterly, 131-144. ( Retrieved from: http://issuu.com/eggermont/docs/zq3/131?e=2346520/1920394)

Cheong et al. (2011) “Biologically Meaningful Keywords for Functional Terms of the Functional Basis” J. Mechanical Design, 133(2), 021007.

The SBF model was developed by Ashok Goel from Georgia Tech (Zygote Quarterly, Volume 5). Goel and his team designed this model to be used by students. They wanted students to be able to support interdisciplinary problem solving between the disciplines of biology and engineering. Goel believed that it would help designers understand complex parts of systems that could end up destroying a product. He thought this because he said that some researchers/designers look at the big picture; not necessary the individual functionally of the parts. He also believed that it would help discover and understand interactions between different levels of systems.

First, the Zygote Quarterly discusses what the structural aspect is. The Structural aspect involves  physical elements of a system, the state of the element, and external stimuli. The behavior part of the model involves a step by step process of the events. Finally, the function model involves the state of the system, the objective state, and external stimuli. Normally a system is put into this type of model for one of three functions: accomplishment, maintenance, or prevention.

This type of model can be useful for many different things. It can be useful in systems that involve cause and effect relationships. The Zygote Quarterly (Volume 5) gave many different examples. The first example that the Zygote Quarterly gave was having biologists study fish behavior and focus on the function and evolutionary factors of fish. The second example that the magazine gave was having an engineer focusing on properties of aerodynamics. Finally, the third example that the Zygote Quarterly gave was using the SBF model to develop a better form of communication and collaboration between team members. 

The SBF model does take time because it uses all of the different components. However, it is a very useful tool that can be utilized in many different biology and engineering fields. It could be especially useful when trying to find a better function for bioinspired or biomimicked products.

According to Goel, Rugaber, & Vattam (nd), the SBF model would lead to a more precise, consistent tool building. The SBF model is able to give a more detailed description of the many stages that are needed to create a bioinspired product (Zhang, Lin, & Sinha, nd).

References

Goel, A., Rugaber, S., & Vattam, S. (nd). Structure, behavior, and function of complex systems: The SBF modeling language. Retrieved from: http://www.dilab.gatech.edu/publications/SBF2.pdf. 

The Engineering-to-Biology (E2B) Thesaurus is a tool to help bridge the gaps in terminology between engineers and the biological world. This is done by pairing a biology word or words with the synonymous engineering word or words in order to make more connections in a shorter amount of time. The picture below is from Zygote Quarterly (Nagel, 2012) and it shows a graphical representation of the E2B Thesaurus:

(http://issuu.com/eggermont/docs/zq_issue_02final/103?e=2346520/1920397)

Jacquelyn Nagel is the professor from James Madison University who came up with the idea and saw the need for this tool in order for scientists and engineers to work together and come up with more solutions to problems around us. Nagel explains in a paper written for a conference that she saw the difficulty in engineers performing biomimicry because the terminology used for nature is different than the terminology used anywhere else (2013).

In her interview in Zygote Quarterly she explains that the three goals of the E2B Thesaurus are: “(1) lessen the burden when working with knowledge from the biological domain by providing a link between engineering and biological terminology; (2) assist designers with establishing connections between the two domains; and (3) to facilitate bioinspired design during many steps of the engineering design process” (2012). Basically she wants to make it so that bioinspiration is easier and more achievable for more researchers (engineers). While she explains that she designed the tool with engineers in mind, it does not mean it would not be helpful for other people as well.

            The E2B Thesaurus is still a work in progress as there is still a lot of room to include more terms and to execute it as a database. The E2B Thesaurus was designed to have the following applications in addition to any other valuable uses: “(1) translation of biological information to increase comprehension or develop connections, (2) functional modeling of biological systems, (3) analogy discovery, (4) searching for biological inspiration, and (5)dialogue facilitation between the engineering and biology communities” (Nagel, 2013). This means that this tool was created knowing that not all scientists are engineers and not all engineers are scientists. In fact, the two combinations rarely happen. The easier it is for these two groups to work together, the more productivity we will see in the world of biomimicry and bioinspiration.

            The image shown earlier is a graphical representation of how this tool works, but that is not what it actually looks like. The E2B Thesaurus is organized in two different ways: sorted by engineering flow and function, and sorted alphabetically by biological term. Both are found as PDF’s. Here is the link to the alphabetical version; I highly recommend taking a minute or two to see a few of the comparisons. Most of us in this class are science teachers so I thought this version would be easier for us to navigate through. In looking at the comparisons it really opened my eyes to the differences in what a word meant to me (as a biology teacher) and what an engineer would interpret the word as.

To use theE2B Thesaurus the first step is to identify the engineering problem or need. Next, determine the engineering terms that are associated with the problem and find them in the E2B table which is sorted by function and flow. The biological synonyms can then be used for brainstorming and for further research. The suggested research resources are: The Bio Design Repository and Ask Nature.

Nagel explains a specific example in trying to answer the following question about bicycle brakes: “What purpose does braking serve”? So now that the problem has been identified the word we would want to look up in the E2B Thesaurus would be “stop”. The biology word that shows up is “extinguish”. Now using the suggested research resources an engineer would be able to find processes and organisms in nature related to “extinguish”. Some of the possible suggestions that would come up from the research site would be clam shells, scabs, and blood clots. If the engineer was not familiar with this biological information then they could use the other format of the E2B Thesaurus to help gain more knowledge and/or do more research on their own. From there the engineers use their creative side in conjunction with nature to hopefully find the best solution to their problem. The next step for this tool is to have actual products  from using this tool in order to document its success.

References

Engineering to Biology Thesaurus PDF link:http://function.mime.oregonstate.edu/delabsite/publications/conferences/E2B_Thesaurus_v2.pdf.

Nagel, J. (2012). The engineering to biology thesaurus. Zygote Quarterly Volume 2. Retrieved

            From: http://issuu.com/eggermont/docs/zq_issue_02final/103?e=2346520/1920397.

Description of the assigned “Tool”.

The systems view allows a designer to explore the network, structure, or item of interest, understand its components and relations, and comprehend how that system connects to the world. In other words it is design for the whole.  Features of a system are often viewed as patterns. With a systems view, scientists are able to tie design into nature cycles. The alternative is reductionism: seeing the parts and not the higher-level systems, designing with “known good components”  and limiting consideration of interactions or context.

  Description should include who developed it (Engineer? Architect? Biologist?)

Since the systems view is something that we have naturally developed (recognizing patterns), it is not something that one person can claim as his or her development. Multiple biologists have used this approach to develop multiple different aspects of biology.  I think that this was something that everyone used

  From what you can gather from the description what are some of the steps that have to be followed when using this tool?

As described earlier, this ‘tool’ has a lot to do with recognizing patterns. Once a pattern is recognized, individuals look into how that pattern helps the “bigger picture” of what it is connected to in the world.

  Do you think it would be helpful if you ever had to do a bioinspiration project?

I believe that his tool is very useful. It is a tool that multiple different types of people can use to solve problems around the world. Sometimes it can take more of an “artistic view” to solve a problem in biology, and sometimes it can take a more mathematical approach. Different people can use this technique to sole multiple problems. To me, it makes sense 100% to use this tool to solve a bioinspiration project.

Sources:            

The first inspiration that I would like to add to my dream home comes from guard cells on plants. Stomatal pores in plants regulate the amount of water and solutes within them by opening and closing their guard cells using osmotic pressure. "When a guard-cell pair accumulates solutes, the resultant turgor and volume changes cause the guard cells to bow outward because of cell-wall architecture, enlarging the pore between them. This simple explanation belies the underlying complexity of guard-cell turgor regulation and whole-plant responses." (Outlaw Jr. 2003:503). I would use the guard cell inspiration to create windows that would open and close based on the humidity and temperature of the air. Something similar to the windows described here. I think that this would be a societal benefit because it would save energy. This would cut down on the use of a cooling system because the windows would open automatically when conditions were right. I have not been able to find my ideal automatic windows inspired by nature, so I do not think that this technology exists yet. However, I think that it should because it could save people a lot of money and energy. I chose to add this to my dream house because I think that people are very lazy when it comes to turning off and on the air conditioner. It makes sense to have your windows open during the night because temperatures can drop down to low sixties, even in the summer. I think that people are too lazy to get up and shut them the next morning or go through at night to open all of them. Instead, people stay in bed and keep the air conditioner on.

The second bioinspiration that I would like to add comes from epiphytes. Due to the fan-shaped arrangement, epiphytes are able to capture water. I invision this design being put to use in the backyard of my house. The design idea acutally is inspired by the Elf Shelter Rainwater Collector. I would use this structure to enjoy the outside as well as collect rainwater. This is a societal win because the water that I collect would help save water. I would use the rainwater collected to water my vegetable garden. I chose to add this to my dream house because I think that it would be important to have a vegetable garden and to grow your own food. However, vegetables need a lot of watering, which can be very expensive. If this structure was added to my house, then I would be able to save water.

The third bioinspiration that I would add to my house would be another inspiration that comes from plants. It would include the incorporation of solar panels on my house. I would love to have the solar panels have the ability to capture as much light as possible. This would be a societal win because the additional solar energy would allow for a substitution to other additional energies.

There are other additional designs that I would like to add to my dream house. See if you can find them in the drawings! :-)

    Primary Sources:

Outlaw, Jr, W. H. (2003). Integration of cellular and physiological functions of guard cells. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 22(6), 503-529. 

  Additional sources: 

http://www.asknature.org/strategy/8c389105f450bb568e1eed4725c4c195/new/2#.U9krqRY777X

http://www.asknature.org/strategy/175716737acf76040abccce753b7ab3a#.U9k7bxY777U

http://www.asknature.org/product/8cb076fafce8b95b379adc020d7ed705

Description of the assigned "Tool".

The systems view allows a designer to explore the network, structure, or item of interest, understand its components and relations, and comprehend how that system connects to the world. In other words it is design for the whole.  Features of a system are often viewed as patterns. With a systems view, scientists are able to tie design into nature cycles. The alternative is reductionism: seeing the parts and not the higher-level systems, designing with “known good components”  and limiting consideration of interactions or context.

  Description should include who developed it (Engineer? Architect? Biologist?)

Since the systems view is something that we have naturally developed (recognizing patterns), it is not something that one person can claim as his or her development. Multiple biologists have used this approach to develop multiple different aspects of biology.  I think that this was something that everyone used

  From what you can gather from the description what are some of the steps that have to be followed when using this tool?

As described earlier, this ‘tool’ has a lot to do with recognizing patterns. Once a pattern is recognized, individuals look into how that pattern helps the “bigger picture” of what it is connected to in the world.

  Do you think it would be helpful if you ever had to do a bioinspiration project?

I believe that his tool is very useful. It is a tool that multiple different types of people can use to solve problems around the world. Sometimes it can take more of an “artistic view” to solve a problem in biology, and sometimes it can take a more mathematical approach. Different people can use this technique to sole multiple problems. To me, it makes sense 100% to use this tool to solve a bioinspiration project.

  Sources:            

Singapore Arts Centre- The Esplanade

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay officially opened on 12 October 2002, is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River. It serves as the centre for performing arts in Singapore. Their all-enveloping façade system changes pattern to suit the orientation, providing solar shading and controlling the internal environment of the pavilions.1,2

The Esplanade was designed by London-based James Stirling Michael Wilford & Associates and DP Architects of Singapore with a few challenges to overcome. Being just 83 miles from the equator, Singapore has a tropical rain-forest climate with uniformly high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. The Esplanade building is designed to be open and visible to the outside world during the day, while at night giving people a stunning view over the city. As a result, glass was the logical material for the building but the glazed building would have to be protected from the sun and heat.

Inspired by the durian fruit with its formidable thorn-covered husk to protect the seeds inside, a cladding system consisting of lightweight, curved steel space frames with triangular aluminium sun shields were designed.3 The local sun path was extensively studied which showed that it is almost exactly east west, and this in turn determined the shape and depth of the sunshade louvers. Complex geometry analysis via computer modelling then calibrated the shields to change their shape and orientation depending on the angle the sun hits them throughout the day.4 This dynamic solar shading strategy thus provides an optimized trade-offs which help to protect the interiors from overheating at any time of the day, while allowing sunlight in and not limiting the panoramic views. In conjunction with the sunshade louvers, spiral landscape ramp, sky gardens, and deep overhangs were also incorporated to establish comfortable micro-climates in habitable spaces along the building’s exterior.5

References:

http://www.biomimetic-architecture.com/2010/biomimetic-shading-techniques-of-the-esplanade-theatre/

http://www.archnewsnow.com/features/Feature101.htm

http://www.dpa.com.sg/projects/esplanade/

Rahimzadeh et al. (2013) “Parametric modelling for the efficient design of daylight strategies with complex geometries” In Cutting Edge: The 47th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association (ANZA-ScA)
http://eprints.qut.edu.au/64562/1/10-112_ASA_conference_2013.pdf

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/singapore/solaris-singapore

Description of the bioinspired architectural structure or feature;

The Silk Pavilion is an architectural design. It was created by digital fabrication technologies along with many silkworms (Oxman, Laucks, Kayser, Gonzalez, & Duro-Royo, nd). It was created in a two-step process. The primary structure was created by a computer-numerically controlled (CNC) machine. This machine was able to lay down 26 polygonal panels that were made of silk thread (Oxman, Lauchs, Kayser, Gonzalez, Duro-Royo, nd). The secondary structure of the architectural piece that was finished by silkworms. These 6,500 silkworms were put at the bottom of the structure (Hollister, 2013). The silkworms then filled gaps that were created by the CNC machine. According to Stott (2013), silkworms have a preferences for darker areas and were able to complete their job because it was set in a darker environment. Once the silkworms went through their pupation stage, they were removed (Oxman, Lauchs, Kayser, Gonzalez, Duro-Royo, nd). The Silk Pavilion is a functional space for humans (Stott, 2013).

Description of the inspiration from nature (make connections to Module 7’s lecture and readings);

According to Module 7, designing an architectural building is a hierarchical process. What that means is that it starts with a base and then builds up. Silkworms, on the other hand, do not follow a hierarchical process. They work alone. Except when they created the Silk Pavilion. When they were creating the Silk Pavilion, the silkworms were being led, in a sense, by the Computer-Numerically Controlled machine.

Researchers got the idea to use silkworms after a bit of research. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process used to recreated a 3D structure from digital files. In order to do this, there are two basic characteristics that need to be kept in mind. The first is known as tunability. Tunability is the degree at which a material is sophisticated or complicated. The second attribute is communication between fabrication units (Oxman, Duro-Royo, Keating, Peters, Tsai, 2012). After many researcher projects, these scientists were able to create a type of Swarm Printing. Swarm Printing had a high tunability rating but a low communication rating (Oxman, Duro-Royo, Keating, Peters, Tsai, 2012). What this means is that silkworms are able to create extremely complicated and sophisticated structures, but they do so mainly alone with little coordination or communication. Researchers also found that silkworms are very adaptable in their environments as well as their spatial parameters. Researchers first ran a test on the computer to see if this would work. They found that it would indeed work and would use nearly 50,000 feet of digitally spun silk (Oxman, Duro-Toyo, Keating, Peters, & Tsai, 2012).

References:

Hollister, S., (2013). MIT enlists 6500 silkworms and one robot to print a silk pavilion. Retrieved from: http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/6/4401184/mit-media-lab-silk-pavilion.

Oxman, N., Duro-Royo, J., Keating, S., Peters, B., & Tsai, E. (2012). Towards robotic swarm printing. Retrieved from: http://neri.media.mit.edu/assets/pdf/Oxman_Swarm_Printing.pdf.

Oxman, N., Laucks, J., Kayser, M., Gonzalez, D.,&  Duro-Royo, J. (nd). Biological computation for digital design and fabrication. Retreived from: http://neri.media.mit.edu/assets/pdf/278.pdf.

Bioinspired Architectural Structure:

Seawater evaporates at the front of the greenhouse, which then creates a cool, humid environment inside the greenhouse. A portion of the evaporated seawater will then condense as fresh water that can be used to irrigate the crops inside.  If excess freshwater is created, it can be irrigated to water additional crops outside of the greenhouse.  The air that enters the greenhouse is cooled and humidified by seawater, and passes over the first evaporator. As the air leaves the crop growing area, it will then pass through a second evaporator, over which more seawater is flowing. The seawater was heated by the sun, in a network of pipes, which will allow the air to become hotter and more humid, leaving optimal conditions for growing crops. The heated air then meets a series of vertical pipes, which contains cool seawater. When the two meet, freshwater will condense as droplets that run down the base where it can be collected.

Diagram of the process. Seawatergreenhouse.com

Inspiration from Nature:

The Namib Desert is known as one of the most arid habitats on Earth. Since water is essential to all living things, the beetles have adapted ways to harness water from their environment. The Namib beetle has also inspired self-filling water bottles that draw moisture from the air. Although there is little water in the desert, there is fog. The beetles utilized their body surface to collect the water from the fog. The beetles adopt a head standing posture, facing into the wind. The fog water collects on their elytra and runs down to their mouth. The elytra contain structures with hydrophilic peaks, surrounded by hydrophobic areas, allowing fast forming droplets to occur, and roll down towards the head of the beetle.

Diagram of beetle collecting water from fog. Todayinba.com

Namib Beetle. AskNature.org

Process:

Freshwater is a very limited resource on this Earth. Not only do people need it to drink, they need it to feed crops and animals for food. Water shortage and the incapacity to grow food due to environmental conditions are two basic causes of poverty.  Starting 1991, Light Works LTD began developing the conceptual system. The first project commenced in 1992, with positive results, on the Canary Island of Tenerife. The company then created two research centers that worked in more extreme climates, increased water production rates and improved climate control.

References:

Seawater Greenhouse: http://www.seawatergreenhouse.com/

A New Approach to Restorative Agriculture: http://www.globalwaterforum.org/2012/05/28/seawater-greenhouse-a-new-approach-to-restorative-agriculture/

Simulation of Fresh Water Production Using a Humidification Dehumidification Seawater Greenhouse http://bibliotecavirtualut.suagm.edu/Publicaciones_profesores/mgoosen/simulation%20of%20fresh%20water%20production%20using%20a%20humidification-dehumidification%20seawater%20greenhouse.pdf

VIDEO: Using Seawater to Farm in the Desert: http://www.bloomberg.com/video/using-seawater-to-farm-in-the-desert-Uptn~KIyS9Sea7cMQ8YUlg.html

Namib Beetle: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-20465982

Davies Alpine House at Kew Gardens

The Kew gardens are located in London  

image: google maps

The point on the map above shows that this structure is nowhere near an alpine ecosystem, yet many varieties of alpine plants enjoy year-round cool conditions despite constantly changing external weather conditions.  Unlike other greenhouses specializing in housing plants that typically grow above tree line, the Davies Alpine house does not rely on energy-gobbling air conditioners.  Instead, the house has been designed in such a way that the cool temperatures are maintained using passive cooling techniques.  The designers of this structure took a cue from the passive cooling found in termite mounds and used that to inform their design (Bellew 2006).  One of the keys to the passive cooling is the tall, narrow design of the building itself which draws warm air up and out through roof vents.  The air that is pulled in to replace the lost hot air is brought in through vents low to the ground.  Also, there is a separate natural form of air conditioning that is employed inside the house itself.  Outside air is brought in via a small fan and forced through a labyrinth-like series of concrete chambers under the floor of the greenhouse.  This cools the air before it is pumped into the greenhouse to be recirculated. 

The general plan for the dual cooling systems of the Davies Alpine House.   image: Wilkinson Eyre Architects

A schematic for the subfloor cooling labyrinth.  The warm air is drawn in at one end and forced through a labyrinth of concrete pillars that are cooled at night.  The air is cooled as it reaches the other end and it is circulated in the greenhouse.   image: Wilkinson Eyre Architects

 In the bottom row middle two images; notice the retractable, fan-like shade that can be used to protect the plants form the hottest summer sun. 

image: Wilkinson Eyre Architects

This design is not only beautiful, but extremely functional and amazingly energy efficient.  I do consider the design of the passive cooling system as bioinspired, borrowing from termite mound design.   I also consider this a big societal win.  The double-floor cooling labyrinth is a very low-tech, yet highly effective method of maintaining a constant cool environment at a drastic savings in energy costs.  This simple design could change the way large spaces are cooled and would not require a very large up front cost, as some other bioinspired designs do. 

Resources:

Bellew, P.  (2006) Going Underground.  Retrieved from: http://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/articles.aspx?Index=389

Description of the bioinspired architectural structure or feature.

Biorock uses a low voltage electrical current to seawater to cause dissolved minerals to adhere to a structure. The result of this adhesion is a material that is a composite of brucite and limestone. This composite material has the strength similar to that of concrete. To build a biorock reef, a frame is built from construction grade revar or wire mesh. This structure is then anchored to the sea floor, and a low voltage direct current is applied using an anode. Once the reef structure is in place and minerals begin to coat the surface, divers will go down and transplant fragments from other reefs to the frame. The new reef tends to grow faster than a normal reef. The biorock structures can be built in any size or shape, as long as the structure can survive the location desired (i.e. current, sea bottom, etc.).

Image Source: http://www.biorock.net/Technologies/index.html

  VIDEO: Bio-rock (Whale Shark) - Malapascua

  Description of the inspiration from nature

Originally researched by architect/marine scientist Professor Wolf Hilbertz and biologist Dr. Thomas J. Goreau, BioRock was inspired by nature’s coral reefs. They focused on coral propagation, preservation of corals, and coral reef restoration. I believe that this inspiration came about because the “coral reefs are the most imperiled ecosystem, with accelerating mortality from globally increasing temperature, disease, and pollution” (Goreau et al., 2003). I believe that creating the electrical current and creating the precipitates came from the idea that there are multiple salts in sea water (although this topic is not discussed in Hilbertz paper).

VIDEO: Pulau Gangga Biorock Project, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

VIDEO: Lauderdale By The Sea Biorock Reef Project

  Description of the process that led to the architectural design (if possible)

Biorock technology arose from experiments in the 1970s when Hilbertz was studying how seashells and reefs grow, by passing electrical currents through salt water. In 1974, he found that as the salt water electrolyzes, calcium carbonate slowly forms around the cathode, eventually coating the electrode with a material as strong as concrete. He initially thought that this technology could be used to create underwater structures. “Other applications for the electrochemical accretion process can be seen readily: floating habitats and industrial islands, settlements on banks, shoals, and the continental shelves” (Hilbertz, 1979, p 110). It wasn’t until the 1980’s after meeting Dr. Thomas J. Goreau that his focus shifted to coral reefs.

VIDEO: Biorock - saving the reef in Pemuteran, Bali

  Is the new/future technology a societal win in your opinion?

I think that this technology is a societal win because the coral reef normally takes a long time to grow. With this technology, we can speed up the growth process of the coral and therefore keep multiple organisms alive. As brought up by Goreau et al. (2003), this technology can be used by hotels and dive shops to grow nearby reefs as beautiful tourism attractions. The downside to this technology is that the growth process starts with using specimen and samples from existing coral.

Image Source: http://www.baliscubamasters.com/pemuteran.html

Your opinion on if this is truly a biomimicry or bioinspired architectural design.

I believe that this is an example of biomimicry because we are attempting to mimic the way that coral reefs are grown. However, I am not 100% sure that this is truly an example of biomimicry because it is simply putting coral on a frame to grow.

  Sources:

1. Goreau, T. J., Hilbertz, W., Azeez, A., Hakeem, A., Dodge, R., Despaigne, G., & Shwaiko, C. (2003, September). Restoring coral reefs, oyster banks, and fisheries by seawater electrolysis: coastal zone management and tourism applications. In OCEANS 2003. Proceedings (Vol. 2, pp. 755-Vol). IEEE.

2. Hilbertz, W. (1979). Electrodeposition of minerals in sea water: Experiments and applications. Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Journal of, 4(3), 94-113.

3. http://www.biorock.net/Technologies/index.html