Sustainability in Architecture Through Biomimicry - Research Paper Example

It has been speculated as a core design tool in the new ecological age of mankind shifting widely from the industrial age.Biomimicry originated from two Greek words; bio meaning life and mimesis meaning to imitate. Others refer to it as bionics or diagnosis. Hence, it’s simply the study of natural structures and processes in order to solve human needs. Nature has been serving architecture with inspiration in the ancient Greeks and Romans. Biomorphism was the term used to refer to the use of existing natural components as inspiration in design.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a keen observer and was able to sketch flying machines by watching birds flying. A very early application of biomimicry was evident in the Sagrada Familia, a church by Antoni Gaudi which begun in 1882. It used nature’s functional forms to answer a structural problem. He solved statics problems using columns that modeled the canopies of trees in supporting the vault. Later on in 1903 Wright brothers finally succeeded in creating and also flying the first airplane with inspiration drawn from observing pigeons in flight.

Biomimicry is able to blend nature to solve human needs with results that have aesthetic beauty. The main idea behind this concept is to make sure everything we design is meant to sustain our planet and not destroy it.Biomimicry developed as an interpretation of the landscape through science and art of exemplifying nature’s forms and processes in architecture. Biomimetic Architecture is a mimic from the biomimicry concept translated into architecture. The history of biomimicry was noted early in the 15th century when Leonardo Da Vinci took this type of mimicry from the birds and created drawing to portray a flying machine Different forms of biomimicry are well expounded by professionals in the subject of sustainable architecture.

A small number of built case studies prove that the practical application of biomimicry in architectural design is largely unrealized.