A critical review of biomimetic building envelopes: towards a bio-adaptive model from nature to architecture

Sommese, Francesco; Badarnah, Lidia; Ausiello, Giorgio

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.112850

Cited by 33 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…The recent use of biomimicry approaches to develop responsive envelopes has been previously addressed in critical reviews [ 2 , 17 , 24 , 25 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. These authors provide a starting point to develop a general overview of the global context and development of responsive building envelopes using biomimicry.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Buildings must adapt and respond dynamically to their environment to reduce their energy loads and mitigate environmental impacts [ 12 , 13 ]. Adaptive and regenerative buildings can tackle building energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, benefiting in terms of comfort and mitigation of the heat island effects [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], which changes the perspective of the envelope traditional static solution [ 17 ]. In this sense, responsive building envelopes have shown potential for energy savings, reducing energy inefficiencies and greenhouse gas emissions and improving heating, cooling, and light uses [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this sense, responsive building envelopes have shown potential for energy savings, reducing energy inefficiencies and greenhouse gas emissions and improving heating, cooling, and light uses [ 16 ]. The envelope plays an essential role in regulating the exchanges between the indoors and the outdoors of a building [ 17 ]. It contributes significantly to the energy-saving potential and low environmental impact of a building [ 18 ] while providing comfort for the occupants [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several approaches have been tackled to address responsive behavior in buildings, such as adaptive and biomimetic envelopes [ 17 ]. The latter has gained attention in the last years, in which nature is used as a source of inspiration through biomimetics or biomimicry approaches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Biomimicry as a tool in architecture and building construction offers the opportunity to inspire active envelopes and integrate natural concepts and principles aiming for sustainable and climate responses [ 2 , 19 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. According to Somesse et al [ 17 ], biomimicry approaches can be taken advantage of in the architectural context using morphological–structural emulation, mimicking the morphology of a living being found in nature to recreate a specific behavior or response, and dynamic–functional emulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

2023

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Buildings must adapt and respond dynamically to their environment to reduce their energy loads and mitigate environmental impacts. Several approaches have addressed responsive behavior in buildings, such as adaptive and biomimetic envelopes. However, biomimetic approaches lack sustainability consideration, as conducted in biomimicry approaches. This study provides a comprehensive review of biomimicry approaches to develop responsive envelopes, aiming to understand the connection between material selection and manufacturing. This review of the last five years of building construction and architecture-related studies consisted of a two-phase search query, including keywords that answered three research questions relating to the biomimicry and biomimetic-based building envelopes and their materials and manufacturing and excluding other non-related industrial sectors. The first phase focused on understanding biomimicry approaches implemented in building envelopes by reviewing the mechanisms, species, functions, strategies, materials, and morphology. The second concerned the case studies relating to biomimicry approaches and envelopes. Results highlighted that most of the existing responsive envelope characteristics are achievable with complex materials requiring manufacturing processes with no environmentally friendly techniques. Additive and controlled subtractive manufacturing processes may improve sustainability, but there is still some challenge to developing materials that fully adapt to large-scale and sustainability needs, leaving a significant gap in this field.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

2023

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Polylactic‐Acid Having MoS₂ Particles for Reversible Bilayer Actuators

Nolasco,

Flores,

Palza

2024

Macro Materials & Eng

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Polylactic acid (PLA) composites having 1 wt% of MoS2 particles are prepared by solvent (SM) and melt mixing (MM) methods and their main thermal and mechanical properties are characterized. Coated films from SM samples and 3D‐printed filaments from MM samples are tested as active layers in reversible bilayer actuators using a paper sheet as a passive layer. The thermal properties depend on the method used to prepare the composites with MM samples presenting a cold crystallization and a glass transition during the first and second heating and SM samples displaying a standard melt process during the first heating and a small cold crystallization and a glass transition during second heating. Regarding the stiffness, MoS2 increases this property confirming its reinforcement effect. Both kinds of bilayers show reversible actuation under heating either by putting the actuator on a hot plate or by remotely irradiating the sample with near‐infrared light (NIR). Under NIR, the 3D printed composites present a much higher actuation. The higher remote actuation in composited bilayers is explained by the NIR light absorption of the MoS2 photoactive particles. This actuator can be used for the design of a smart façade or blind that closes under NIR stimulus.

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From Nature to Architecture for Low Tech Solutions: Biomimetic Principles for Climate-Adaptive Building Envelope

Sommese

Ausiello

2023

The Urban Book Series

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Building envelopes represent the interface between indoor and outdoor environmental factors. In recent years, attention to climate adaptive building envelopes has increased. However, some types of adaptive envelopes don’t always offer low-tech solutions, but require energy for their activation and high operating and maintenance costs. Nature has always proposed a large database of adaptation strategies that are often complex, multi-functional, and responsive. Transferring the functional principles of natural organisms and their associated adaptive modalities to technologies is the challenge of the biomimetic discipline (from Greek bios, life, and mimesis, imitation) applied to the field of architecture. In this article, various examples of biomimetic architecture that illustrate the relationships between biology, architecture, and technology, were considered. Various analyses of the operating principles of natural organisms are carried out, particularly with regard to self-adapting materials, in order to transfer them to the building envelope, and to propose technological solutions capable of passively adapting to external climatic conditions. Among all natural organisms, plants are prefereble to animals because, like buildings, they remain stationary in a specific location. Despite this, plants have developed different adaptation mechanisms to survive in certain environments. Buildings with biomimetic adaptive envelopes, characterized by passive and low-tech solutions inspired by plants, help limit energy consumption, and improve not only the indoor microclimate but also the outdoor environment. In line with the ecological transition, this work highlights the importance of biomimetic as a strategy to orient the new paradigms of built space design towards innovative and sustainable models of low-tech solutions.

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A critical review of biomimetic building envelopes: towards a bio-adaptive model from nature to architecture

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

Polylactic‐Acid Having MoS₂ Particles for Reversible Bilayer Actuators

From Nature to Architecture for Low Tech Solutions: Biomimetic Principles for Climate-Adaptive Building Envelope

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A critical review of biomimetic building envelopes: towards a bio-adaptive model from nature to architecture

Cited by 33 publications

References 42 publications

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

Environmentally Responsive Materials for Building Envelopes: A Review on Manufacturing and Biomimicry-Based Approaches

Polylactic‐Acid Having MoS2 Particles for Reversible Bilayer Actuators

From Nature to Architecture for Low Tech Solutions: Biomimetic Principles for Climate-Adaptive Building Envelope

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Polylactic‐Acid Having MoS₂ Particles for Reversible Bilayer Actuators