Biomimetics 89118 - Technotextiles Lee Wynyard Page 1 of 37

Table of Contents

Introduction - Nano-Nipples and Near Perfect Transmission 2

Section One - High Transmission Surfaces from Nature 4

Section Two - New Directions in Solar Collection 10

Section Three - Lightweight Building Envelopes 16

Section Four - Putting the Package Together 20

Section Five - Material Samples 26

Bibliography 27

Additional References 31

Throughout the history of man living in dwellings the primary concern has been protection from the elements. As man

has developed he has sought to control temperature within that dwelling. The ability to protect himself and his family in

the searing heat of the day or from the frozen winters is one of the reasons that man has survived and prospered in hostile environments. Many techniques can be seen throughout history of man’s attempts to control that environment.

Bringing fire indoors allowing the heat to be captured while letting the smoke escape. Windows to allow the air inside to

be cooled. Thickening of walls to insulate against the outside temperature. Raising floors off the ground.

The construction of many early dwellings was dictated by the available

materials and the nature of the inhabitants existence. For nomadic tribes

it was important to be able to make a dwelling quickly and for it to be

dismantle-able when the time came to move on. These houses would

generally be based on a lightweight frame, usually of gathered sticks,

covered in the skins of animals.

For the non-nomadic communities (except for the opportunistic cave-

dweller) their construction methods were not dissimilar. The major

difference was that these home-builders could use more permanent

materials for cladding. These materials included thatching, mud, dung and

eventually clay.

Nano-Nipples and Near Perfect Transmission

Yurt as used by nomadic tribes of Central Asia, Mongolia to Iran

(Shelter Publications 1973)

Recently we’ve see the return to ‘thin skin’ cladding. The benefits are many and

varied but include;

• Cost effectiveness

• Fashion

• Ease and speed of construction

• Thermal control benefits

In addition there is a sense that some buildings construction does not have to meet

the requirement of permanence - that unlike building of old, this building, or this site

may have a future use far from its current day purpose.

If this is true, we need to begin designing for recycling and renewal. This will affect

not only our building construction methods but also the materials we choose for its

composition.

During this project we’ll explore how observations drawn from nature can be used to

substantially improve the effectiveness of some of our most recent achievements in

the ability to control our dwelling environment.

Biomimetics 89118 - Technotextiles Lee Wynyard Page 3 of 37

Above - Mandan earth lodge, Upper MissouriBelow - First Geodesic Dome - Jena, Germany 1922

(Shelter Publications 1973)