Exploring design principles of biological and living building envelopes: what can we learn from plant cell walls?

Abstract

A number of innovations in building envelope technologies have been implemented recently, for example, to improve insulation and air tightness to reduce energy consumption. However, growing concern over the embodied energy and carbon as well as resource depletion, is beginning to impact on the design and implementation of existing and novel building envelope technologies. Biomimicry is proposed as one approach to create buildings which are resilient to a changing climate, embedded in wider ecological systems, energy efficient and waste free. However, the diversity of form and function in biological organisms and therefore potential applications for biomimicry, requires a holistic approach spanning biology, materials science and architecture. It is considered timely to re-examine opportunities to learn from nature, including in the light of recent understanding of how plant form and function are determined at the cellular levels. In this article, we call for a systemic approach for the development of innovative biological and living building envelopes. Plant cell walls are compared to building envelopes. Key features of cell walls with the potential to inform the development of design principles ofPeer reviewe

Plants and architecture: the role of biology and biomimetics in materials development for buildings

“…It is frequently commented that the development of biomimetic architecture requires an interdisciplinary approach between biologists, engineers, materials scientists and architects (Xing et al 2018). This is all the more the case where building services such as active or passive ventilation or shading are considered to address technically demanding challenges.…”

“…The above biomimetic frameworks typically follow linear approaches, and they can only depend majorly on technical abstraction of a single function (Knippers and Speck 2012). Building design may in fact rely on the interaction of many disciplines, and require an iterative process to balance the complexities of holistic design (Xing et al 2018). In this review, the authors followed a bottom-up approach to examples from the literature.…”

“…These angles vary in each layer i.e. primary (P), secondary (S1, S2, S3), and tertiary (T) layers (Figure 5, Xing et al 2018). In softwood tracheids the microfibril angles (MFA) at secondary layers are around 4° to 6°, whereas the outermost layers have 60°-80°.…”

In-situ monitoring of energetic and hydrological performance of a semi-intensive green roof and a white roof during a heatwave event in the UK

“…Global weather scientists have established and predicted that heatwaves, lasting from days to weeks, are often related to increased human mortality 1,4 . Nature-based solutions [5][6][7] , such as green roofs, have been proven efficient in heat Indoor and Built Environment, DOI: 10.1177/1420326X19887218 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1420326X19887218 flux reduction and rainwater retention in order to reduce urban flooding risks and urban heat island effects simultaneously 5,6,8 . White or bright roofs are a competing building roof technology to green roofs as a method to reduce the urban heat island effects and roof top temperatures 9,10 .…”

“…1,4 Nature-based solutions, 5–7 such as green roofs, have been proven efficient in heat flux reduction and rainwater retention in order to reduce urban flooding risks and urban heat island effects simultaneously. 5,6,8 White or bright roofs are a competing building roof technology to green roofs as a method to reduce the urban heat island effects and roof top temperatures. 9,10 Previous research activities comparing green roof and white roof performances 10–12 demonstrate that green roofs are not only cooling primarily through albedo, but also through latent heat loss.…”