Biomimicry is a new science that links nature's best designs into human applications. It can be used to solve many problems which humans face in the fields of medicine, transportation, architecture and construction, energy, product design, computer science and network systems management. The science of biomimicry is a newly developing field but the application of biomimicry has been around since the beginning of man.
This research thesis examines the science of biomimicry within the realm of the built environment and explains how biomimicry can be a useful tool when trying to build sustainable buildings and cities.
In order to better understand biomimicry and how it applies to buildings, I used a variety of case studies spanning a timescale from the recent past all the way to 100 years in the future. Each case study addresses a different problem ranging from building heating and cooling to creating affordable sustainable habitats for 3rd world developing nations to building state of the art green building and eventually sustainable cities which will allow humans to continue to inhabit earth when sea levels rise in the future.
By observing these case studies, meeting with architects, biologists, entomologists, engineers and urban planners, I was able to understand the challenges of sustainable design, the flaws in the current building techniques we use and uncover new techniques which use biomimetic technology to address these problems.
I’ve concluded that we need to shift the focus of green design from managing the environmental impact of the destructive system to creating buildings and materials that create positive effects for people and nature. The entire context can change when we make good design decisions. By emulating nature’s time tested strategies and patterns, we can create new products, policies, processes and a new way of living.
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