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REHABILITATING THE CARBON CYCLE WITH BIODESIGN IN ARCHITECTURE

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 7th Global Conference on Global Warming (GCGW-2018)
June 24-28, 2018
Izmir, Turkey

REHABILITATING THE CARBON CYCLE WITH BIODESIGN IN ARCHITECTURE

Onur Kırdök, Didem Altun, Deniz Dokgöz, Ayça Tokuç

Dokuz Eylul University, Department of Architecture, Izmir, Turkey
*Corresponding author e-mail: arch.onurkirdok@gmail.com.tr

ABSTRACT
The carbon emission has reached enormous rates all around the world since the beginning of the industrial
revolution. These releases have negative effects on the carbon cycle, which has a direct effect on the life
over the Earth. The urbanization causes a wide pie on the chart of carbon dioxide emissions. Therefore;
architects and engineers have to look for new solutions in their designs and products to achieve zero
emission release. But it is generally overlooked that the process of construction has its own big slice, around
40%, resulting in emissions, during the construction process itself (from materials extraction, processing,
transportation, assembly etc.). Thus it usually harms the carbon cycle in the environment and is considered to
have an impact on climate change.
This paper aims to investigate if another kind of architecture is possible by linking biodesign and
bioarchitecture concepts and using them to rehabilitate the carbon cycle. It focuses on two case studies of
bio-design in architecture which offers novel low carbon emission construction process by creating the
product by or within the nature itself; Neri Oxman’s Silk Pavilion and Wolf Hilbertz’s Sea-Autopia Ampere
(Eco-Island City) proposals. “A new approach to eco-construction methods can be achieved by Bio-
Architecture”; is the hypothesis of the study. Bio-design is slowly coming to reality by the fast development in
Technology and science. The results indicate the potential effects of Bio-architecture on the environment.
Keywords: Bio-Architecture, Bio-Design, Eco-Construction, Carbon-cycle, Sustainability.

1. INTRODUCTION
Carbon is a key component of all known life on Earth thus, the ‘carbon cycle’ in the environment means ‘life
cycle’. Carbon cycle has been widely investigated in relation to global changes since the 1990s because of
issues on global warming (Sun, 2017). The negative impacts of human activities within the cities, like rapid
development of urbanization or the massive use of fossil fuel combustion since the industrial revolution,
effecting badly not only the cities but their surrounding areas too. Urban areas are the reason of more than
%80 of carbon dioxide emissions released to the athmosphere. Today’s unsustainable methods of
constructions, and use of materials like concrete in our buildings, as we generally observe over the globe,
impacting negatively on global carbon cycle and climate change. Thus todays urbanisation and urbanisation
methods should tend to become more sustainable. This lead designers move their designs towards carbon
neutrality. However, zero emission building designs doesn’t come with zero emission building processes. As
Yeang points out; “Designers must integrally consider operational emissions, embodied emissions of
construction (that is, the raw material extraction, processing, transportation, on-site assembly and demolition
of building materials), and emissions from the permanent change in amount of on-site vegetation and other
sources (such as workers commuting to and from the building.”(Yeang, 2010).

There are many new directions coming along with the 21st century in Architecture. New scientific and
technological developements led designers be more free and imaginative with the help of new tools and
materails to achieve their imaginations. By the increasing technology, multi-disciplinear approach has opened
the vault of infinite possibilities to the architecture. An american Architect Mitchell asks in his Ted speech;
“Why grow homes?” and replies himself; “Because we can.” (Joachim, 2010) His question is targeting the
potential to change in all the construction process from the beggining, we have the possibility to grow our
sustainable homes with help of the nature and technological developments today we have.

The study of the fields of biology and architecture, colliding within each other as Bio-Architecture, will show
innovative potentials of bringing architectural solutions which will help reducing the harmful effects of building
industry on the environment.

The aim of this paper is to find new ways to link Biodesign and architecture within the context of rehabilitation of
‘carbon cycle’ in the built environment and experiencing new approaches to eco-construction methods. The
method is providing and discussing 2 case studies of Bio-architecture.
 7th Global Conference on Global Warming (GCGW-2018)
June 24-28, 2018
Izmir, Turkey

2. BIO-DESIGN THROUGH BIO-ARCHITECTURE

2.1 What is biodesign?
Biodesign is a multidisipliner approach to the design process principle which aims to understand and use the
mechanics behind the ingenuity of nature to solve problems. Nature consists with the knowledge and experience
of limitless possible scenerios within life, that may answer today’s questions.

2.2 What is Bio-Architecture

Nature can be called as a designed habitat for life to happen. As Benyus mentioned; “Life creates conditions
conducive to life. It builds soil; it cleans air; it cleans water; it mixes the cocktail of gases that you and I (we)
need to live”(Benyus, 2005). As humanity begin to grow its civilization, architects’ duty begin to be designing
the habitats for our kind. In this perspective, what we call sustainable is the one already nature had before we
disturb the balance of it. Bio-Architecture, where architecture and bio-design meets, seeks to understand that
balance and incorporates it to the work from the outset in all parts of the work at all scales. It considers the
nature as the grandmaster of the design, learning from the experience it carries along. Naguib and Hanafi
(2011) point out; nature has the “most elegant and sophisticated forms” in terms of engineering principles
which brings out the complicated design principles that life bears in organic structures. With the advance in
digital techniques we come up today we have new possibilities to push the limits of architecture and
engineering; deriving the intellect behind the nature’s genuine by “representing, analyzing, creating, fabricating,
and simulating architectural forms inspired by nature”. It would open the vault of new understanding and evolve
the construction process from its roots through the sky by “considerations of aesthetics, materials, structure, and
environmental controls” (Naguib and Hanafi 2011).

What distinguishes Bio-Architecture from Biomimicry is the derivation of the inspiration levels at basic. As
Rhipley and Bhushan (2016) describe; “This is not simply copying natural shapes or forms in plan, section
and elevation or in ornamentation (on the structure, components or in discrete art objects). This is not simply
incorporating bioinspired materials in the construction of a structure or the making of art. It is also not simply
scaling up natural principles. Instead, bio-architecture is a multiscale approach to the incorporation into the
work of solutions and opportunities that nature presents in solving universal human problems.” (Rhipley and
Bhusan, 2016).

In that manner, if we are going to design our own habitats as a Civilization we should consider doing this
collaboration with nature. For a sustainable life in the tomorrow’s world that we can live in harmony the Bio-
Architecture may barry the new potentials to grow our civilization in that quest. Regarding to Naguib and
Hanafi; the future world will be designed to function like living organisms, specifically adapted to place and
able to draw all of their requirement for energy and water from the surrounding, while the main role of the
architect will be how to design an “Ecomorphic buildings” buildings that mimic natural systems and those will
have the capacity to reconnect people to nature.

The selected case studies come up with different approaches to construction process, showing potentials to
change the way we think and the designs answering that, will be examined from now with this point of view in
this paper.

3. CASE STUDIES
The two case studies selected by the new point of views they brought to the today’s construction methodology,
which would be an alternative sustainable solution. Neri Oxman’s Silk Pavilion comes with 3D printing
technologies and stiching, while Wolf Hilbertz’s proposal offers stashing calsification like the coral reefs deep
within the ocean water.

3.1 Neri Oxman- Silk Pavilion

In this project, Neri Oxman and her partners’ research focuses on exploring “the possibility of merging digital and
biological fabrication to deliver a holistic and sustainable design approach in the production of non-woven fibre-
based constructions”. The question comes from nature, Oxman points that; “... most natural and biological
materials are made of fibrous structures locally aligned and spatially organised to optimise structural and
environmental performance”. To understand the mechanics and genuine behind it, Oxman and partners
examined the movements and reactions of Bombyx mori silkworm while it weaves its cacoon. This research,
was conducted within three phases; research, design and application.

Through research phase; “basic research into fibre-based cocoon construction of silkworms in terms of
anatomy, behaviours and methods” have been researched. “Advanced imaging techniques and quantitive
 7th Global Conference on Global Warming (GCGW-2018)
June 24-28, 2018
Izmir, Turkey

analysis of silk cocoons” have conducted following this research process. To do so three different approach of
experiments have been considered in this research phase; “dynamic tracking of silkworm by magnetometer,
Wide-angle high resolution MicroCT and SEM (scanning electron microscope) imaging techniques, Template
fibre-spinning experiments.” With those experiments, movements and features of the silkworm has been
analized to understand behind the logic of possible design directions to continue the next phases; design and
construction.

In design phase, the behavior of the silkworms against the heat and light sources has considered to control the
action of silkworms through the vowing phase. To support that within the limitations of current CAD(computer
aidded design) “RhinoCommon build” that runs “Grasshopper” plug-in has been chosen to “enable(d) realtime
evaluation of multiple design solutions”. The computational projection of panelled dome which would be the main
frame of the pavillion, has been examined under conditions of solar mapping and aperture distribition mapping.
Oxman refers this process as; “The first map encoded the specific on-site solar trajectory and the second
provided an opening radius multiplier to generate organisational fibre variation. Combined, these two maps
informed the position and size of the pavilion apertures.” (Oxman et al., 2017) To complete the design phase and
start constructing, silkworm’s biological characteristics were superposed with these digital mappings, “with the
goal of providing maximum silk deposit reach (Fig.1).

Figure 1. Computational projection and generation of distribution mappings

Construction phase consist of two different sustainable construction approaches that is the main topic of this
paper; digital fabrication and biological fabrication.

“Digital fabrication approach was developed that supported the findings with regard to the worm’s possible
range of motion and deposition behaviour, thus enabling the digital fabrication tools and biological construction to
merge” (Oxman et al., 2017). To create temporary skeleton of the pavilion digital fabrication has been done with
temporary aluminum scaffolding with CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine weaving silk based
threads as a base for the maximum range of the silkworms weaving capacity observed in the research phase.
“Once the structure was in place, the entire vertex and centroid tension lines were installed and tensioned to
their marked lengths, suspending the metal frame and the structure in space. At this point, the frames were
removed, starting from the top of the structure and working down in circular fashion.” (Oxman et al., 2017).

Biological fabrication phase have been held parallel to the digital fabrication of the skeleton structure (Fig.2).
In a light and temperature controlled room 6500 silkworms were fed and monitored antil they start spinning. “As
the worms began spinning, they were transferred onto the tensioned silk structure with a protective fence and
drop cloth in place.” (Oxman et al., 2017). This process of spinning took two to three days for silkworms.
Silkworms that completed spinning were collected on a drop cloth at the bottom of the dome and unlike general
silk industry that is boiling the silkworms, Oxman points out that these silkworms which is hired to do the labor
work; “were able to continue their cycle of metamorphosis into a silk moth, including egg laying and
reproduction.”(Oxman et al., 2017).

Figure 2. Digital and Biological fabrication process (web)

 7th Global Conference on Global Warming (GCGW-2018)
June 24-28, 2018
Izmir, Turkey

3.2 Wolf Hilbertz’s Sea-Autopia Ampere (Eco-Island City)

Sea-autopia Ampere is the so called autopian dream of the Architect and inventor Wolf Hilbertz proposed in
1970’s with the first sketches of artist Newton Fallis. “...a marine city that would literally grow out of the sea at
Seamount Ampere, a site of shallow waters situated about halfway between the Madeira Islands and the tip of
Portugal” (Hilbertz, 1970; Dobraszczyk, 2017)(Fig.3a) The idea behind this proposal comes from an early
invention of Hilbertz called “Bio-Rock” also known as Seacrete or Seament (Fig.4). “The method delivers safe,
low voltage electrical currents via cables, and through seawater, to submerged metal reef structures. This
causes dissolved minerals to crystallise out onto the structures as a white limestone substrate (similar to that
which naturally makes up coral reefs and tropical white sand beaches), meanwhile accelerating the formation
and growth of the skeletons of corals and other shell-bearing animals – at two to six times natural rates.”
(Porteous, 2009). Hilbertz idea behind this proposal comes from the importance of Coral Reef’s to the
ecosystem at all range. Hilbertz explains importance of Coral Reef’s in his study;

“Coral-reef environments have among the highest rates of photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and CaCO,
deposition of any environment, supporting larger numbers plant and animal species than any other
marine habitat. Central to this high productivity is the unique biology of corals which is of vital importance
to the reef community's structure, ecology, and nutrient cycle.” (Hilbertz,1992).

“Accepting the estimate of an existing worldwide reef area of 617 000 km2 and using specific
measurements, coral reefs are estimated to act as a sink for 111 106 tons C per year. Considering that
vast reef habitats are increasingly damaged by bleaching, hurricanes, excessive overfishing, and
tourism, the feasibility of repairing and even extending existing reefs has to be examined. SBM can be
used to stimulate reef and shell-building organisms, creating artificial reef communitie.” (Hilbertz,1992).

With this sustainable method, Sea-autopia Ampere proposal rises; meshing the shallow waters of Seamount
Ampere to form a naitulus, with PV’s attached on top of the sea, producing electricity to catch carbon in the
water and giving the kickstart for a construction that grow by sun power. Supporting the life around it creating
habitats for the damaged underwater life. He also propose to use tidal power to enhance the system so by that
the construction will draw nearly all the materials and energy it needs except the ones that needed for the
kickstart of the project or modifications added by users.

Fig.3a (left) Perspective view of Autopia Ampere (after Newton Fallis)by Paul Cureton, 2013, pencil and ink on paper (reproduced
by permission of Paul Cureton) (Dobraszczyk, 2017)
Fig.3b (right) Beginning colonization of accreted material by coral. St. Croix, USVI, 1976. Photo: W.H. Hilbertz. (Hilbertz,1970)

4. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

Today’s construction methos are not feasible, to bring more sustainable future. Even in green buildings, first we
release carbon during construction and production periods, then trying to fix the damage. These new technologies
provide a different option. The first question behind both case studies are; “How can we shorten the production line?”
So we can have less carbon consumption happens during production, transportation etc. Two of these novel
fabrication technologies are discussed below:

4.1 Mixed use of 3d printing techniques with biological fabrication;

The two systems of 3d printing and biological fabrication are completing each other, one constructs the load
bearing paths, other fills the structure “ acts as a skin” says Oxman. Direct weaving of silkworms onto the
construction means processing silk cacoons into thread and textile will not be needed, shortening production line
means, less carbon emissions released during the construction period, which will also mean also promoting a
 7th Global Conference on Global Warming (GCGW-2018)
June 24-28, 2018
Izmir, Turkey

more sustainable silk harvesting cycle than we use today. Also future of 3d printing systems show that it is
possible to have cast on side printings with less label work. In that manners, completing 3d printed structure with
biological fabrication has the potential to be the new future of construction technology.

4.2 Solar powered Bio-rock (limestone) emerging constructions;

Use of limestone as a material of construction addreses to realy early dates of humanity. The technique and
materials needed for Bio-rock emerging construction is easy to essemble and easy to find even in 3rd world
countries. Hilbertz explain that; “Expanded artificial/natural reefs using MA could be used to produce large
amounts of proven building material. At the same time, as a result, global warming would be mitigated” (Hilbertz,
1970). As he envisions; all the system will work like a “sink” for carbon in the sea. Also by creating habitats for
the marine life, it will save the ecosystem from failing and help fix the carbon cycle.

As global warming shows its effect on corals, more and more habitats will fail if we let that happen. To stop the
climate change it is necessary to change our view on how we handle the building industry. More and more
futuristic visionaries foresight that future of construction will submerge from/by the nature, grow with it. Methods
using biodesign for construction still is in conceptual phase and needs further research and more support.
Potential benefits from these researchs can cause paradigm change about whole idea of building.

The way of rehabilitating the connection we lost today with nature is hidden inside, yet shining bright with the
genuine of the nature. As the robotic arm of 3D printer and the labour of the silkworm crosses their path today,
collaboration between the humanity and nature will lead us to a new path for future of eco-construction.

REFERENCES
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