Form Follows Environment: Biomimetic Approaches to Building Envelope Design for Environmental Adaptation

Abstract

Building envelopes represent the interface between the outdoor environment and the indoor occupied spaces. They are often considered as barriers and shields, limiting solutions that adapt to environmental changes. Nature provides a large database of adaptation strategies that can be implemented in design in general, and in the design of building envelopes in particular. Biomimetics, where solutions are obtained by emulating strategies from nature, is a rapidly growing design discipline in engineering, and an emerging field in architecture. This paper presents a biomimetic approach to facilitate the generation of design concepts, and enhance the development of building envelopes that are better suited to their environments. Morphology plays a significant role in the way systems adapt to environmental conditions, and provides a multi-functional interface to regulate heat, air, water, and light. In this work, we emphasize the functional role of morphology for environmental adaptation, where distinct morphologies, corresponding processes, their underlying mechanisms, and potential applications to buildings are distinguished. Emphasizing this morphological contribution to environmental adaptation would enable designers to apply a proper morphology for a desired environmental process, hence promoting the development of adaptive solutions for building envelopes.

Biomimétisme en architecture. État, méthodes et outils

“…(Badarnah, 2017). Ces travaux montrent que la collaboration interdisciplinaire entre architectes et scientifiques permet l'identification des convergences fonctionnelles pour différents défis environnementaux dans les bâtiments et dans la nature.…”

Characterization and Bioreplication of Tradescantia pallida Inspired Biomimetic Superwettability for Dual Way Patterned Water Harvesting

“…From this it can be inferred that perhaps the hexagonal microstructure adds to T. pallida ability to survive any habitat by adding additional ruggedness. Furthermore, the convex nature of the hexagon has a large influence on the surface roughness and wettability at the microscale . Each morphological feature performs a particular function and provides inspiration for efficient biomimetic applications.…”

“…Each morphological feature performs a particular function and provides inspiration for efficient biomimetic applications. For instance, biomimetic studies have stated that the hexagonal microstructuring can be used for moisture and water harvesting while trichomes facilitate in heat reduction and moisture harvesting . Similarly the parallel venation enables directional water transportation, thereby making the entire hierarchical structuring of the T. pallida leaf an efficient water harvesting system.…”

Analysis of thermal performance of wood and exposed stone-walled buildings in mountainous areas with building envelop variations

“…Building thermal performance is signifi cantly infl uenced by building envelope be it in terms of its shape, materials, ornament or color [1][2][3]. Many studies on building envelope have been conducted and they have also found the building envelope design variations they believe capable of creating thermal comfort and energy saving [4,5]. Building envelope is a building's element in direct contact with the outer environment.…”