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Biomimicry and Sustainable Architecture: A Review of Existing Literature

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Contents lists available at CJ

Journal of Environmental Management and Safety

Journal homepage: www.cepajournal.com Vol. 8, No1

Biomimicry and Sustainable Architecture: A Review of Existing Literature

Okeke F. O.
Email: Ogochukwu.okeke@unn.edu.ng

Okekeogbu C. J.
Email: Chukwuemezie.okekeogbu@unn.edu.ng

Adibe F. A.
Email: festus.adibe@gmail.com

Department of Architecture, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history Living organisms over time appear to have
Received 28 January 2017 evolved very effective ways to cope with
Received in revised form 5 Feburary 2017 their natural environment. The field of
Accepted 10 March 2017
biomimicry stems from the view that these
Available online 30 March 2017
natural systems of adaptation can be
emulated in the design of buildings as well
as other aspects of technology. Some have
even tried to draw analogies from nature to
Keywords: apply them to non-design fields like
Bio mimicry, sustainable design, bio- sociology and business. This paper is
inspired, energy, nature primarily a review of current literature
covering approaches and theories on the
subject of biomimicry and how it may be
applied to architecture so as to produce
more sustainable buildings. It concludes that
biomimicry is the veritable for
sustainability.

Copyright@ 2017 cepa

 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The word biomimicry first appeared in
scientific literature in the early 1960s
(Pawlyn, 2011). It has its roots in two Greek
words ‗bios‘ which means ‗life‘ and
‗mimesis‘ which means ‗to imitate‘.
Putquite simply, biomimicry means ‗to
imitate life‘; it involves studying how
biological organisms have been able to
overcome challenges and have adapted to
survive and thrive in their environment-
often it is found that living organisms are
able to achieve this using minimal amounts
of energy –then emulating these strategies in
human technology.
Figure 1.1; Fukuoka
Source; Emilio Ambasz
2.0 WHY BIOMIMICRY?
The traditional approach to design used to
be that of man dominating his environment.
The purpose of a building was first and
foremost to provide shelter for man
(Uchegbu, 2007). The building was to protect
manfrom the environment and as a result the
internal of the building had to be made
With regard to architectural design, this
paper seeks to explore how by mimicking
nature, designers may be able to borrow and
apply some of these strategies to the design
of buildings.
1.1 What Biomimicry Is NOT
Before proceeding, it must first be pointed
out that for the purposes of this paper, the
focus shall be primarily on biomimicry in
terms of function and less in terms of form –
or what is otherwise described as
‗biomorphosis‘(Pawlyn, 2011). The
emphasis will be on mimicking what nature
doesrather than mimicking what nature
looks like.
Figure 1.2; Bionic Tower Figure1.3; Big Duck Wisconsin
source; www.evolo.us source; www.pbs.org
comfortable for theman regardless of
external conditions on the outside or how
the measures taken to provide
comfortaffected the environment. If it was
too hot outside, more air-conditioning was
employed inside and conversely if it was too
cold outside, more heating was employed
inside. As the famous architect Le-Corbusier
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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
in 1923 said; ―the house is a machine for
living‖ and as a machine its job was to
providesafety and comfort for its
inhabitants. Nothing else had much
relevance.In recent times however, the
house-is-a-machine paradigm seems to be
fading away and now thefocus is beginning
to shift from protecting man from the
environment to protecting the
environmentfrom man (Williamson et al,
2003). This means that buildings of today
have to become adaptableand function such
that they meet the needs of their human
occupants while at the same timepreserving
their external environment.
Currently the best examples available of
things that function in such a way that they
meet their internal needs and at the same
time do not deplete nature‘s resources but
rather enhance nature‘s ability to support life
are living organisms. Life creates conditions
conducive to life (Benyus, 1997). Often
these living organisms manage to flourish
quite well without needing to employ
additional contraptions.
The solution to the problem is often found
either within the organism‘s structure itself
or as a result of its normal behaviour. If
designers are looking to create sustainable
buildings and cities that would preserve their
inhabitants and adequately provide them
with necessary resources for living without
in the process harming the ability of the
environment to be conducive for life in the
future, then they may need to learn how
other living organisms manage to effectively
achieve this.
13
3.0 BIOMIMICRY AS A VEHICLE FOR
SUSTAINABILITY.
The truth is, natural organisms have
managed to do everything we want to do
without guzzlingfossil fuels, polluting the
planet or mortgaging the future. - Janine
Benyus
Sustainability is about functioning in such a
way that one is able to meet his/her needs
without jeopardizing the capacity to meet
those needs in the future. Upon observing
natural ecosystems, one finds an intricate
web of connections between organisms so
that nothing is wasted but everything is
recycled and reused. One organism‘s waste
is often a resource for the next organism.
When the rateof resource use does not
exceed the rate of natural replenishment,
there is no sustainability problem.
As organisms evolve ways to survive, they
form relationships which maintain this use
and replenishment balance. By mimicking
how organisms function, designers may gain
relevant knowledge to enable them create
buildings that in a sense fit into their
environment similar to human organism
may fit into an ecosystem – using resources
and giving out waste that can be naturally
recycled to replenish resources that can be
used again in the future.
In her book Biomimicry – Innovation
Inspired by Nature, Benyus (2002) proposes
nine criteria by which a design can be tested
to measure how well it succeeds at
mimicking nature.
1. Whether it runs on sunlight – Is its
primary source of energy passive?
 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
2. Whether it uses only the energy it needs –
Does it consume only the energy it needs to
function?
3. Whether it fits form to function – Is the
shape of the building derived from what it is
supposed to achieve?
4. Whether it recycles everything – How
effectively does it handle waste?
5. Whether it rewards cooperation – How
well does it relate with its surrounding
environment?
6. Whether it banks on diversity – Is the
design tailored to its environment or is it a
one-size fits all type of building?
7. Whether it utilizes local enterprise – How
well does it make use of local resources?
8. Whether it curbs excess from within – Is
there a good economy of building material
such that it only uses the amount of material
it needs to function and isn‘t overbuilt?
9. Whether it taps the power of limits – Is it
able to maintain the narrow range of values
in which suitable for its inhabitants without
need for supplementary devices like air-
conditioningand heating systems?
The above nine criteria act as a guide when
mimicking nature in design. They may form
the basis for setting a benchmark against
which to test how sustainable a proposed
design is and where possible suggest areas
for improvement.
4.0 APPROACHES TO BIOMIMICRY
There are a number of approaches that can
be taken to mimicking nature. According to
Zari (2007), Biomimicry can be broadly
categorized under two types of approach
namely
1. Design looking to Biology (or the direct
approach) and
2. Biology influencing Design (or the
indirect approach)
4.1. Design Looking to Biology: Where a
design directly copies natural strategies of
adaptation. The process usually starts with a
design problem first being identified and
then the designer proceeds to find out places
where nature has solved a similar problem
and then either copies it directly or uses it as
a metaphor to inform the design. This
approach is perhaps best exemplified bythe
Design Spiral method proposed by the
Biomimicry Institute (an organization
founded by Janine Benyus in 2006)
The Design Spiral Method lays out 6 steps
to approach design namely
1. Identify
2. Translate
3. Observe
4. Abstract
5. Apply
6. Evaluate
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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
Fig 2.1. Design Spiral Diagram
design-process)
First the design problem is properly
identified then it is phrased as a biologic
question then an example that will form an
analogy is sought in nature, next an abstract
is drawn from the natural example and this
is then applied to the design. After applying
the lessons learned from nature to the
design, it is then evaluated by the nine
criteria for biomimicry put forward by
Benyus. This processcan be repeated as
many times as necessary until the designer is
satisfied with the result that bestserves the
purposes of his design.
4.2. Biology influencing design or the
indirect approach: on the other hand is
when prior biological knowledge inspires
design i.e. unlike the direct approach where
the initial question is a design problem and
then one proceeds to actively seek
metaphors, the initial question - if one may
15
(Source: bouncingideas.wordpress.com/tag/biomimicry-
call it that – stems from the discovery of the
strategy existing in nature and then the
question becomes‗how can this be emulated
in mechanical technology?‘
An example of a result of this type of
approach is Sto‘s Lotusan self-cleaning
paint developed by Sto Corp. of Atlanta
which got its inspiration from observing
how the leaves of the lotus plant manages to
stay clean. Lotus leaves have a peculiar
micro-texture which makes them
hydrophobic and as a result, when it rains,
the water does not adhere to the leaf surface.
It rolls off taking with it any dirt that was
settling on the leaf. This hydrophobic micro-
texture has been emulated by the paint-
making company to and has been
implemented in building paints enabling
them to stay clean without the need for
much maintenance.
 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
Fig 3.1. Images illustrating how Lotusan paint functions
5.0 DISCUSSION
Architecture and biology at first glance do
not appear to be so different—both are
materially and organizationally based, both
are concerned with morphology and
structuring. Both are wound together by
multiple simultaneous systems and drives,
and probably most important for us, both are
constructed out of parts operating as
collectives.
Nature‗s design process utilizes a number of
feedback systems to direct the growth and
formation of an organism based on the
internal and external forces acting on and
within it. All systems are continually
updated and act in concert with each other to
provide optimum functionality at all levels
of development. It presents to us countless
opportunities and suggestion to tackle
design and environmental problems. When
nature has a problem, evolution weeds out
what doesn‘t work and selects the most
effective adaptations (Pawlyn, M, 2016).
Humans could also address environmental
problems by using biomimicry —
examining nature‘s solutions and applying
them to human designs.
Nature has a principle: ‗whatever is a waste
for one, is food for someone else‘. Nothing
in nature is a waste rather it is been recycled
(Source: www.asknature.org)
and re used still in the same environment or
ecosystem. The quantity of waste we
generate and dump in the course of our daily
life‘s activities do not encourage
sustainability. The amount of energy wasted
in buildings through various forms and in
various states keeps increasing per-hour
particularly in Nigeria and in West Africa at
large. Nature does not invite external bodies
to advocate for its problem but resolve it
through adaptations. It finds workable
solution within thereby having and creating
a state of total environmental friendly
conditions. In the world of today,
biomimicry, because it encourages and
supports sustainability, it can be applied to
climate change; to address food, energy and
water security; to cope with resource
shortages or biodiversity loss; and in
building sustainable cities.
6.0 RESULTS
Nature has already solved many of the
mechanical and structural problems humans
face today without generating residual and
inactive waste. Humans have cheaply
contracted the unsustainable power of oil
(petroleum and its by-products).
Biomimetics seeks to remedy such error
designing systems. For architectural design
to be sustainable, architects are meant to
look into the activities, reactions and
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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
adaptability of living things in the
environment copy and replicate their
behavioral or functional life style. For
example.
The leaves of the lotus plant are
waterproof and self-cleaning.
The microstructure forms an array of tiny
bumps that create a hydrophobic surface. As
the droplets roll off, they collect dirt
particles and clean the leaf. Stocoat Lotusan
is a paint mimicking the lotus leaf
microstructure that is used to paint building
exteriors. The building is then cleaned by
rainfall. This minimizes water usage and
reduces maintenance costs. Imagine
applying this to car exteriors. You would
never have to wash your car.
Mussels form byssal threads underwater.
It is necessary for these threads to be strong
so that the mussel can attach itself to
substrates in the rocky intertidal (must
withstand constant wave disturbance.) This
can be widely applicable for use in
waterproof adhesives. Scientists, inspired by
the mussel, have been able to manipulate
soy proteins to behave like byssal threads to
make plywood glue without urea-
formaldehyde (a known carcingoen) called
Purebond. Doesn‘t cost any more than
current adhesives yet outperforms them in
waterproofing and heating tests.
Desert plant cactus, use its spines to save
energy in form of water.
The plant has no true leaves therefore
Cactus plant uses its highly developed
spines to help prevent the loss of water and
maintain its internal temperature by
17
reducing the air flow close to the cactus and
provide some shades. If our building can be
built with enough windbreakers, fins and
grills to direct and moderate wind speed and
its flow, thermal comfort is enhanced.
The beauty and proportion of animal,
birds and insect.
The colour combination of most birds and
insects are just appealing that they are most
times used to decorate our homes and public
spaces. If architects can draw inspiration
from this proportionate and beautiful
creatures the built environment will be
aesthetical pleasing and with a harmonious
balance of proportion and style.
Water lilyfloats on water; the spotlight to
floating building.
The plant water lily have rounded, variously
notched, waxed-coated leaves on a long
stalk that contain many air spaces and float
on water which can be used as a principle of
light weight construction and floating
building.
The structure of a termite mound.
Termites thermoregulate by opening/closing
vents and manipulating air currents inside
the mound. They open vents near the bottom
to let in cool air, while hot air rises and exits
vents at the top. Known technically as stack
effect
Plants can do photosynthesis.
Our best solar cells are 30% effective at
harvesting sunlight. Photosynthesis is 95%
effective. What if we could design solar
panels based on the reactions of
 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
photosynthesis. This could allow us to gain
energy from the sun and also sequester
carbon dioxide.
Spider silk is sometimes referred to as the
“Holy Grail” of biomaterials.
Pound for pound it is 3 times stronger than
steel yet still maintains flexibility. It is also
fully biodegradable, unlike steel. Huge
applications can be of special interest in
Military and defense. Also the interwoven
and sticky (ability to anchor on surfaces)
nature should be a starting point for the
construction of modern bridges and cable
structures.
By designing the building in this efficient
manner the Client, builders, occupants and
the environment will be able to save costs
because no air conditioning system had to be
installed. The lower energy bill continues to
save the owners money and as a result, the
tenants are charged less rent. Furthermore,
carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas
emission into the environment is drastically
reduced and hence a balance in ecosystem is
maintain.
7.0 PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF
BIOMIMICRY IN ARCHITECTURE
Biomimicry has been applied as a method
for informing design in many fields
including architecture. Michael Pawlyn‘s
book (2011) Biomimicry in Architecture and
the Biomimicry institute‘s website
www.asknature.org provides a number of
architectural examples where biomimicry
was used in the design. Perhaps a good
example that illustrates the advantages as
well as the challenges of imitating nature is
the Eastgate Center, Harare in Zimbabwe
which was designed by architect Mick
Pearce andcompleted in 1996.
7.1 The Eastgate Center, Harare
By observing the way air flows in termite
mounds to keep the temperatureconstant and
mimicking the ―architecture‖ of the mounds,
he has been able to create a ten storey
shopping complex and constantly maintain
its internal temperature between 21oC and
25oC in aregion where temperature varies
from as low as 5oC to 33oC and it does all
these using only about10% the amount of
energy used by buildings of the same size.
The structure of a termite mound is such that
cool air comes in at the base and is
channelled through a number of tunnels in
the mound and as it warms, it rises up to the
top where it escapes then more cool air is
sucked in at the base replacing the lost hot
air and thereby maintaining a constant
internal temperature.
The Eastgate center functions in the same
manner as a termite mound. However it is
equipped withlow speed back up fans that
bring in the cold air at night and distribute it
throughout the building keeping it cool, and
as the air gets warmer as the day progresses,
the warm air escapes through thetop of the
building.
It must be noted however, that in recent
times, this particular building has come
under criticism following the publication of
a research paper by J.S. Turner and R.C.
Soar (2008) which showed that termite
mounds are not in fact thermo-controlled as
temperatures were found to vary largely
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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24

within them. This called into question
whether the Eastgate center is actually an
example of biomimicry or as some critics
have put it, biomythology. The case of the
Eastgatecentre raises thequestion; ‗if what is
known of a particular natural phenomenon
changes, does it invalidate designs built
based on the now defunct knowledge
regardless of how successful the designs
are?‘

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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24

Fig 4.1. Showing how the Eastgate center functions. (Source: www.asknature.org)

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 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24
7.2. Zero waste brewery
(Southern Africa)
―Good beer, no chemicals, no pollution,
more sales and more jobs" Pawlyn, M.
George Chan's sorghum brewery in Tsumeb,
Namibia, which was built to deliver "good
beer, no pollution, more sales and more
jobs". It produced 12 products instead of
simply just beer and these included the
nutrient-rich alga Spirulina, mushrooms
grown in the spent grains and gas from an
anaerobic digester which was used instead
of burning wood.
7.3. Norman Foster’s Gherkin Tower in
London
Figure 5.1 Gherkin Tower
7.4 The Eden Project 2001
The multiple greenhouse complex in
Cornwall, England is a series of artificial
biomes with domes modeled after soap
bubbles and pollen grains. Grimshaw
Architects looked to nature to build an
21
Namibia According to Ehsaan (2010) Sir Norman
Foster‘s Gherkin Tower is a very well-
known building on its own, but many fail to
realize its famous hexagonal skin was
inspired by the Venus Flower Basket
Sponge. This special sponge hosts a lattice-
like exoskeleton that appears glassy and
glowing in its underwater environment. The
various levels of fibrous lattice work help to
disperse stresses on the organism in various
directions and its round shape reduce forces
due to strong water currents, both of which
were applied to Foster‘s design of the tower.
Here‘s a close up of a Venus Flower Basket
showing the layered
source; www.en.wikipedia.org
effective spherical shape. The resulting
geodesic hexagonal bubbles inflated with air
were constructed of Ethylene
Tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a material that
is both light and strong. The final
superstructure weighs less than the air it
contains.
 Okeke F. O., Okeke O. C. J. and Adibe F. A., /Journal of Environmental Management and Safety Vol. 8, No. 1, (2017) 11 – 24

Figure 6.1. The Eden project source

www.en.wikipedia.org

8.0 RECOMMENDATION greenhouse effect, global warming, or even

the Ozone hole. By reducing the vast
Le Corbusier made us to understand that life amount of CO2 emissions from the built
is right and the architect is wrong. Meaning material, and purifying the surrounding
that architect should emulate nature and environments.
design in and with nature. Architecture has a
small role to play in our daily life but it has Design biomimetics is a bridge that can
a great influence in the world we live in, connect architectural and design professions
therefore architects in practice should see on a route to linking designed or built
building and construction as means to environment and natural environment,
sustain the environment through Biomimicry therefore research centers and institutes
not as a means to end in the environment. should be established and strengthened to
bring about more innovation in the field of
Design biomimetics can emphasize ways of biomimicry and sustainability.
thinking and designing that bring
architecture and industrial design into a
process of environmental and biological
focus on more responsive, safer buildings,
therefore it should be taught intensively in
schools of architecture and design. This will
foster an in-depth understanding and
appreciation of the subject matter.

Biomimicry is a tool for innovation.

Utilizing Biomimicry to its capacity is
detailed in this roadmap. It provides a new
look on the design process that can achieve
both sustainability and efficiency.
Biomimetic technology would help us also
overcome environmental issues, such as the

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9.0 CONCLUSION 10 REFERENCES

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Studying how nature has solved its problems Berkebile, B., McLennan, J., 2003. The
Living Building. [ONLINE]
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