Precis (as of 11/17/2011)

The main focus for my thesis is to define how human ingenuity can flourish in sustainable design. Through the implementation of an organic apparatus, contemporary science can produce sustainable architecture without degrading from habitual lifestyles. Nature serves as the main area of precedent research by providing evolutionary adaptive solutions that are defined by the reclamation of matter, biological forms and functions, and utilizations of energies. The intent of analyzing this subject is to compliment human ingenuity by revolutionizing design, building, and construction methods in order to have a benign or positive impact on the natural world through an apparatus of architectural expressions. We can dramatically benefit the natural environment, as well as ourselves, by learning how to produce organic designs that will support the environment that supports us. 

Nature's Architecture

Abstract Précis:

                  The main focus for my thesis is a deeper look into the true meaning and implications of sustainability. Thinking about this notion has lead investigations to the question of How can biomimicry form new design logistics for sustainable methodologies? The main idea is to investigate a new method of developing a building that integrates biomimicry as the main design concept for sustainable solutions. The theme of this new designing method will develop new building typologies that will fuse with the supporting concepts that define biomimicry. Using investigations of “cradle-to-cradle” design, building form, and passive design utilization, more direct explorations of biomimicry into the built environment will prove to be a beneficial design method for supporting the environment that supports us.

The importance of rethinking and hypothesizing alternatives to sustainability is important to the future of building “less bad”. The idea behind “biomimic” design is to embark on creating a completely efficient building seeing that sustainability has not yet been achieved one hundred percent completeness, but has only embodied a great improvement to the invasive modern lifestyle. Sustainable buildings have been designed to be “less bad” but still do not classify a building to be “beneficial” to the world we live in. The intent of analyzing this subject is to revolutionize buildings and construction to have a positive impact on nature and to build for our future using nature as the main precedence research.

The process for investigating this topic will be to understand through various types of research the importance and effectiveness of infusing a “cradle-to-cradle” design with natural forms and utilization of passive energies. This investigation needs to be the basis for a new methodology of designing solely on the ideas of biomimicry, which can reveal the key components to the most sustainable precedent we know: Mother Nature. The goal is to integrate these ideas into architecture to achieve total sustainability through the creation of these new design typologies. These typologies will present a new method and approach to design that can dramatically benefit the natural environment by learning how to build and become a part of nature.

MindMap on Biomimicry

Biomimicry in Architecture

Free light - Zero Electricity

How do fireflies light up?

Insect Image Gallery

Firefly (Photinus pyralis) on soy bean plant, close-up See more insect pictures.

Gail Shumway/Getty Images

Fireflies or lightning bugs make light within their bodies. This process is calledbioluminescence and is shared by many other organisms, mostly sea-living or marine organisms. Fireflies light up to attract a mate. To do this, the fireflies contain specialized cells in their abdomen that make light.

The cells contain a chemical called luciferin and make anenzyme called luciferase. To make light, the luciferin combines with oxygen to forman inactive molecule calledoxyluciferin. The luciferase speeds up the reaction, which occurs in two steps:

1. The luciferin combines with adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is found in all cells, to form luciferyl adenylate and pyrophosphate (PP_i) on the surface of the luciferase enzyme. The luciferyl adenylate remains bound to the enzyme: luciferin + ATP -------------> luciferyl adenylate + PP_i
2. The luciferyl adenylate combines with oxygen to form oxyluciferin and adenosine monophosphate (AMP). Light is given off and the oxyluciferin and AMP are released from the enzyme's surface:luciferyl adenylate + O₂ -------------> oxyluciferin +AMP + light

The wavelength of light given off is between 510 and 670 nanometers (pale yellow to reddish green color). The cells that make the light also have uric acid crystals in them that help to reflect the light away from the abdomen. Finally, the oxygen is supplied to the cells through a tube in the abdomen called the abdominal trachea. It is not known whether the on-off switching of the light is controlled by nerve cells or the oxygen supply.

The luciferin-luciferase chemical reaction has been used for years to measure the amount of ATP produced in cells and by various chemical reactions. Recently, the gene (section of DNA coding for the protein) for the luciferase enzyme has been isolated, placed in the genes of other organisms, and used to follow the synthesis and/or expression of other genes (i.e. used as a reporter gene).

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/insects-arachnids/question554.htm

Structuring Thesis

The main idea circulating around the idea of sustainability is the fact that it is not 100% efficient. It is a very important notion to incorporate within design, however I feel this research on the investigations hidden behind biomimicry can reveal designing solutions to many problems we have that limit our successes of sustainability. This research will define specific typologies that will be used within a design process to accomplish the ultimate goal of a building becoming an asset to exist in our environment. Building and understanding these guidelines derived from biomimicry can define a methodology of design for a completely sustainable role in the environment; become a part of nature.

“Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen distills water, accuse solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars as food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self replicates… why don’t we knock that down and write on it!”

-William McDonough

This site has a huge range of ideas of green technology and sustainability. Very interesting to think about integrating these ideas into architectural design and engineering...

http://inhabitat.com/green-technology/

Sustainable innovation inspired by nature

The importance of the study of history has furthered my thinking on the importance of many subjects in their relation to design. Besides history, what about economy, culture, and science and how do those outside subject relate back into architecture? The idea of studying history of architectural design relates directly to architecture students and professionals. But what has been done to link the idea of science and architecture? Is the importance of knowing and understanding science going to cross paths with architects and design? In my initial scans of topics and question I have found ideas of this that have not been talked about in school. There are many things outside my major about science that affect design in my major.  If am going to try and solve issues of sustainability and figure out solutions to modern problems, there are huge possibilities when you welcome "a biologist to the design table" in an architectural firm. Architecture is not only about design and forms of spaces, but the idea that different professional expertise can and will help to design and shape our architecture. This idea relates to every design. A designer takes the demands and wants from a client and produces a building off of what they have in mind. My theory is that if you take the expertise of someone out of a science major, and design around what they know, you will still be able to produce a design but will have a greater impact as two worlds come together.

                  I find that in all my topics of interest that orbit this idea of sustainability, the most important and interesting thought I have on the subject is the most focused idea of bio-mimicry. This is going to be my primary focus of my ideas that lead directly from the first broad idea of sustainable communities. I find it is the first step in solving the issue. All the subjects are important but the first step one can go through in solving the overall subject of sustainability is to start with the micro scale of the idea and investigate the fully broken down underlying ideas.

Bedzed Complex: London England

The most important precedent to my thesis is the Bedzed Complex built in 2002 by Bill Dunster; an architect from London. The building is designed for efficiency and sustainability. It was not an intensional masterpiece of form and color but instead a complete and beneficial design of function and rationality. This kind of design was not so much of sketching intricate concepts and creating a piece of art. I believe there is a day and a time where creative design was very important. The modernest movement with Corbusier brought out discoveries of efficiencies and "Compactness". In the Cite de Radiouse, Corbusier used architectural design to create efficiencies of modular organization.  The architectural designs of the time were important to discovering something we still use today. 

So what is the most crucial point that an architects must discover and design for today?

EFFICIENCY. As Corbusier solved problems of urban design many years ago, today architects must solve and address the issue of energy consumption and sustainability in todays time. Buckminster Fuller was designing to solve for these real time problems in his modular ideas and structural innovations of the geodesic dome. The Bedzed complex and the Philip Merrill Environmental are building that address real time issues. Some architects today are still hung up on past time affairs, still trying to make a sculptural express of function, and literally do nothing for our planet with overwhelming  energy consumption. This issues we are in today can be solved in architecture... 

"The possession of arbitrary power has always, the world over, tended irresistibly to destroy humane sensibility, magnanimity, and truth."

-Olmsted

http://www.floornature.com/architettura_sostenibile.php?id=2&sez=21