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

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the state-of-the-art in plant-inspired biomimicry for novel materials applied within architecture and buildings. Bioinspiration is considered in examples at a materials level, and examples are explored which move through increasing scale towards elements and components for application at the building level in new designs and approaches. The review of plant biology mechanisms indicates that a single plant attribute can give rise to many biomimetic concepts. It is common for these to overlap, and to be applied to similar technological or design challenges, via different routes. By focusing on six specific plant inspirations (self-cleaning, self-healing, cell wall structures, plant movements, cellular structures and branched structures) the paper highlights approaches which have been taken, and some emerging fields, within bioinspired materials.The process of abstracting biomimetic concepts requires interdisciplinary research, and there is much scope for collaboration between biologists, materials scientists, designers, architects and structural engineers. The paper concludes by discussing several of the areas where additional research is needed to progress from the concept within materials and small assemblies up to the building element or full structure. One of these is service life, and may necessitate that self-cleaning and self-healing concepts are re-visited for new inspiration which is compatible with the new generation materials. Multi-functionality may therefore become increasingly important as the new materials are applied to delivery of biomimetic concepts at a building level. Scaling of concepts from laboratory and small prototypes to full elements for buildings also poses challenges in both the materials selection for stresses incurred, and the alteration of geometry to be accommodated into the structural form while retaining the biomimetic function. In addressing these challenges it may be necessary to deviate from the frequently proposed top-down and bottom up models of bioinspiration to a holistic approach which can accommodate multiple inspirations and adaptations to deliver the final functioning element or structure.

Characterizing Smart Environments as Interactive and Collective Platforms: A Review of the Key Behaviors of Responsive Architecture

“…In the “intelligent building” category, multiple journals are concerned with energy and environment, for example, Energy and Buildings , Building and Environment , Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review , Applied Energy and Energy . Whilst the last dataset includes many energy- or computing technology-focused studies, Intelligent Buildings International deals with a variety of topics including AI, biomimetics and biophilia [ 51 , 52 ].…”

Surfaces of congruent sections on cylinders

“…Однако архитекторы считают, что в наш век инновационных идей уже недостаточно существующих, хорошо изученных аналитических поверхностей для реализации творческих замыслов архитекторов и инженеров [13,14]. Архитекторы и инженеры-механики требуют создания и исследования новых форм и поверхностей, описываемых аналитическими уравнениями, для внедрения их в различные отрасли науки и техники, поэтому у авторов появилась идея расширить класс поверхностей конгруэнтных сечений за счет винтовых поверхностей конгруэнтных сечений и поверхностей конгруэнтных сечений маятникового типа на круговом, эллиптическом и параболическом цилиндрах.…”

“…12. A helix-shaped surface of congruent elliptic sections (14) in the planes of a bundle on an elliptic cylinder (13) плоскости xOy, и все параболы лежали в плоскостях пучка, проходящих через ось Oz, то векторное уравнение поверхности, образованной траекторией движения параболы (рис. 14), необходимо представить в виде:…”

“…A helix-shaped curve (12) on an elliptic cylinder (13) Винтообразная поверхность конгруэнтных эллиптических сечений с плоскостью параллелизма на эллиптическом цилиндре A helix-shaped surface of congruent elliptic sections with the plane of parallelism on an elliptic cylinderРис. Винтообразная поверхность конгруэнтных эллиптических сечений(14) в плоскостях пучка на эллиптическом цилиндре(13)…”

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“…In general, they are referred to as “pinnacles”. Darai Prabhakaran [ 11 ] shows how biology can provide bio-inspired ideas in developing materials for buildings, according to the levels of biomimetics. Studies on the properties of materials and how they can influence the building envelope are relevant examples in appearance.…”