BIOMIMICRY

November 2, 2012New Delhi, India

Presented by

JAYESH HARIYANIM. Arch, MBA, AIA, COA, LEED AP

Burt Hill - Stantec

STANTEC SNAPSHOTS

Founded in 1954

Multidisciplinary global design firm

Recognized as a world-class leader and innovator in the delivery

of sustainable solutions.

Diverse range of markets at all stages of development

Trades on the TSX and NYSE (STN)

Stantec. One Team. Integrated Solutions.

STANTEC SNAPSHOTS

13500+ staff across 190 locations globally

56 years of uninterrupted profitability

18 practice areas

“Full-service” Buildings, Environment, Industrial, Transportation, Urban

Land and Construction Administration Services

Cutting-Edge Technology

Award Winning Projects

500,000 projects, 50,000 clients, in 80 different countries

ISO 9001:2008 Registered

Stantec. One Team. Integrated Solutions.

PRACTICE AREA GROUPS

Building Design & Interior Design

Buildings Engineering

Environmental

Infrastructure

Environmental

Management

Industrial Buildings & Facilities

Power

Resources &Chemicals

Transportation Infrastructure

Transportation Planning &

Traffic Engineering

Infrastructure Management &

Pavement Engineering

Planning & Landscape

Architecture

Urban Land Engineering

Survey &Geomatics

GLOBAL LEDERASHIP IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND

LEED

INTEGRATION OF SYSTEMS

ARCHITECTURE

HUMANISM

EXPERIENTAL DESIGN

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

THE ENVIRONMENT

Design Positioning Statement

Performance Based Design + INNOVATION

“From my designer’s perspective, I ask: Why can’t I design a building like a tree?A building that makes oxygen, fixes nitrogen, sequesters carbon, distils water, builds soil, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colours with the seasons and self replicates.

This is using nature as a model and a mentor, not as an inconvenience.It’s a delightful prospect…’(McDonough and Braungart,)

What is “Biomimicry”

It is the examination of nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements to emulate or take inspiration from in order to solve human problems.

From the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate.

What is “Biomimicry”Over the last 3.6 billion years, nature has gone through a process to refine the living organisms, processes, and materials on planet Earth.

It is not a new idea.

Humans have been looking at nature for answers to both complex and simple problems throughout our existence. Nature has solved many of today's engineering problems.

• Biomimicry, where flora, fauna or entire ecosystems are emulated as a basis for design

• It is a growing area of research in the fields of architecture and engineering.

WHY :• an inspirational source of

possible new innovation • The potential it offers as a

way to create a more sustainable and even regenerative built environment.

BIOMIMETIC APPROACHES

The widespread and practical application of biomimicry as a design method remains however largely unrealised.

WHY :

• Biomimetic approach to architectural design that incorporates an understanding of ecosystems could become a vehicle for creating a built environment that goes beyond simply sustaining current conditions to a restorative practice where the built environment becomes a vital component in the integration with and regeneration of natural ecosystems.California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA – LEED

PlatinumMafraq Dialysis Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Defining a human need or design problem and looking to the ways other organisms or ecosystems to solve this,

Identifying a particular characteristic, behaviour or function in an organism or ecosystem and translating that into human designs, referred to as biology influencing design

(Biomimicry Guild,)

DESIGN APPROACHES TO BIOMIMICRY:

1: DESIGN LOOKING INTO BIOLOGY:

Cartilege or Semi-rigid Car, by Tom Wiscombe Design

Designer looks to the living world for solutions, requires designer to identify problems and biologists to then match these to organisms that have solved similar issues.

This approach is effectively led by designer identifying initial goals and parameters for the design.

DESIGN LOOKING INTO BIOLOGY

Thematic Pavilion, South Korea

2:BIOLOGY INFLUENCING DESIGN

When biological knowledge influences human design, the collaborative design process is initially dependant on people having knowledge of relevant biological or ecological research rather than on determined human design problems. An examples is the scientific analysis of the lotus flower emerging clean from swampy waters which lead to many design innovations.

DESIGN APPROACHES TO BIOMIMICRY:

LEVEL OF BIOMIMICRY

Organism Level ( Mimicry of a specific organism)

Behaviour Level(Mimicry of how an organism

behaves or relates to its larger context)

Ecosystem Level (Mimicry of an ecosystem) :

o Formo Materialo Constructiono Processo Function

Humans have an extensive pool of examples to draw on to solve problems experienced by society that organisms may have already addressed, usually in energy and materials effective ways

ORGANISM LEVEL

Dragonfly at Sci Arc by Tom Wiscombe Design

Special feature, rather than a whole ecosystem

On a functional level, ecosystem mimicry could mean that an in-depth understanding of ecology drives the design of a built environment that is able to participate in the major biogeochemical material cycles of the planet.

ECOSYSTEM LEVELWhere objective is the wellbeing of ecosystems, rather than ‘power, prestige or profit’.

Biomimicry to be conceived as a way to increase sustainability of an architectural project…..

Mimicking of general ecosystem principles should be incorporated into the design at the earliest stage and used as an evaluative tool throughout the design process.

BIOMIMICRY TO INCREASE SUSTAINABILITY

Environmental assessment of existing biomimetic products reveals some practical consequences of the reductive mindset.

Simple imitation vs Green design

Imitation of the living world is not by default environmentally superior.

BIOMIMICRY: GREEN BY DEFAULT?

•Life builds form from the bottom-up

•Life fits form to function Behavior Level

•Life depends on Water

•Life is cyclic (processes) and recycles (material resources)

•Life is locally attuned and resourceful

•Life adapts and evolves

•Life coexists within a cooperative framework

Life’s Characteristics and Relation to Engineering

BIOMIMICRY =RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

10 Metrics for Evaluation of Design

1 The Story -narrative, theme, metaphor

2 Innovation -research, information, synergistic whole

3 Integration -all disciplines, concept through delivery

4 Sustainability -quantitative, beyond leed

5 Context -social, economic, physical, environmental

6 Aesthetics -composition, language, expression, taste

7 Humanism –emotional connection to physical space

8 Content -research, benchmarking, understanding client

9 Performance -technical response, project feasibility

10 Representation -communication of ideas

Agreed upon criteria for design assessment and evaluation

Basis for internal design audit

• HUMANISUM

• STORY

• INNOVATION

• INTEGRATION

• SUSTAINABILTY

• ASTHETICS

• PERFORMANCE

DESIGN METRICS

CLOSING REMARKS

• VISIONING

• PLANNING & PROGRAMING

• DESIGN

• EXICUTION

• OCUPATION & DATA COLLECTION

• ANALYSIS - RESEARCH &

SYNTHESIS

• VISIONING….

PROCESS CYCLE

• To emulate nature, our first challenge is to describe her in her terms.

• The collaborative team's ability to create a strong sense of community, clear goals, and their interest in searching for integrated designs that are inspired by nature will dramatically improve the results.

• Establishing and maintaining this forum for discovery requires more preparation, research and participation by more people (all stakeholders). More participation means more time and money. Fortunately there is a growing body of evidence that the additional investment delivers long term benefits including increases in flexibility, durability, and human health and productivity, with decreases in energy consumption, pollution and operating costs.

CHANGING THE METAPHOR

CLOSING

California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA – LEED Platinum

Mafraq Dialysis Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE7407 SM

“Nature supports right actions”

“Nature works in parallel ways”

“The nature of life is to more and more”

“If a man is able to submit himself to nature, then

nature will react to his needs. Almighty nature

is powerful and all loving, for the laws of

nature are for the creation and evolution of all

beings and creatures throughout cosmos.

There is no greater kindness than the kindness

of nature.”

Quotes from Maharishi Yogi