Bio-Inspired Sustainability Assessment for Building Product Development—Concept and Case Study

Abstract

Abstract:Technological advancement culminating in a globalized economy has brought tremendous improvements for mankind in manifold respects but comes at the cost of alienation from nature. Human activities nowadays are unsustainable and cause severe damage especially in terms of global depletion and destabilization of natural systems but also harm its own social resources. In this paper, a sustainability assessment method is developed based on a bio-inspired sustainability framework that has been developed in the project TRR 141-C01 "The biomimetic promise". It is aims at regaining the advantages of societal embeddedness in its environment through biological inspiration. The method is developed using a structured approach including requirement specification, description of the inventory models on bio-inspiration and sustainability assessment, creation of a bio-inspired sustainability assessment model and its validation. It is defined as an accompanying assessment for decision support, using a six-fold two-dimensional structure of social, economic and environmental functions and burdens. The method is applied and validated in 6 projects of TRR 141 and its applicability is exemplarily shown by the assessment of "Bio-flexi", a biobased and biodegradable natural fiber reinforced plastic composite for indoor cladding applications. Based on the findings of the application the assessment method itself is proposed to be advanced towards an adaptive structure and a consequent outlook is provided.

Structural Optimization through Biomimetic-Inspired Material-Specific Application of Plant-Based Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites (NFRP) for Future Sustainable Lightweight Architecture

“…The project started following the design philosophy: “Materials as a Design Tool” [ 19 ] combined with a synthesis of primarily inductive and partially deductive methodology. The aim was to further investigate the applicability of Tailored Fiber Placement in the field of architecture and how the material-appropriate application of NFRP can contribute to structural optimization and increase the sustainability level as once indicated using another material development in architecture from the same BioMat group [ 11 ]. The iterative design process included manual and digital computational design, parameter driven optimization and digital fabrication.…”

Comparative Study into the Environmental Impact of Traditional Clay Bricks and Mixed with a Biological Ingredient Using Life Cycle Analysis

“…The incorporation of by-product or waste from different origins has been evaluated to improve these properties. [6].…”

Application of Natural Plant Fibers in Cement-Based Composites and the Influence on Mechanical Properties and Mass Transport

“…Sustainability is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as the ability to meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [1]. One major problem facing mankind is the growing world population and the related pressure on construction environment [2]. Fibers, mainly including metal fibers, synthetic fibers, and natural fibers, are widely used today for building reinforcement of cementitious composites.…”