Nature inspiration, imitation, and emulation: Biomimicry thinking path to sustainability in the construction industry

Abstract

The construction industry has been globally fingered as the major sector responsible for the continued deplorable state of the environment. The rising exploitation of the natural environment by the sector decapacitates the function of the flora and fauna to sustain life on earth. Therefore, the adoption and implementation of sustainability concepts in the construction industry are imperative to reduce the sector’s negative impacts on the environment. The growing field of biomimicry as a sustainability concept has increased global interest and call to maximize the numerous benefits offered by nature. This article is aimed at exploring biomimicry potentials in solving human challenges in a sustainable manner through responsible imitation, emulation, and drawing inspiration from nature. The first part of this paper explores the construction industry with rapt attention to its positive and negative impact on the human and natural environment. The second part provides a comprehensive overview of the biomimicry concept looking at its definitions, tenets, and sustainability standpoint. Finally, biomimicry inspiration, imitation, and emulation are discussed citing examples of their applications within and outside the built environment.

Applicable areas of biomimicry principles for sustainable construction in Nigeria

“…This cluster accounted for 17.26% of the variance. The result here is in tandem with the studies of both Oguntona and Aigbavboa (2017b) and Hoffman and Gustafson (2001), the biomimicry solution into concrete works help reduce the amount of pollution (CO 2 ) emitted into the atmosphere as a result of construction activities.…”

“…This finding corroborates the finding of Manish et al (2017) which stated that biomimicry is helpful in development of tiling materials. Oguntona and Aigbavboa (2017b) also opined that biomimicry has provided both paint and cement solution for efficient and sustainable finishing works.…”

“…It is at the inception that project requirements, strategies are set out. At the inception, the choice of materials and technology to be used for the project is one of the decisions that would be taken; hence, the sustainability objectives of the project would be set out at this stage (Oguntona and Aigbavboa, 2017b), which shows the importance of biomimicry principles for construction projects. Akinradewo et al (2019) opined that the importance of planning which is an integral part of the principles of management to construction project cannot be overemphasized, and the contractor's profit is enhanced by proper planning at the start of execution of a construction contract, hence, failure to put proper planning techniques in place can jeopardize the success of a construction project.…”

Creating Sustainable Competencies in Engineering Through Biomimetics Courses

“…Biomimicry is an innovative approach to sustainable development that seeks inspiration from nature to solve human problems [27]. This approach involves emulating nature's patterns and strategies to develop sustainable solutions to social, economic, and environmental issues [28], [29].…”

How bio-inspired solutions have influenced the built environment design in hot and humid climates

“…According to the literature (Mirniazmandan and Rahimianzarif, 2017), 5 sub-levels are proposed for imitation, which are: form, material, construction, process, and function. Three key dimensions are also mentioned to abstract the idea of nature: imitation, emulation, and inspiration (Oguntona and Aigbavboa, 2023a).…”