Nature’s Blueprint

Is Architectural Biomimicry the Way Forward or Just a Small Fad?

A. J. Li

SHOULD WE ALL LIVE IN TREEHOUSES? It seems as if nowadays, our “ecological footprint” is becoming an ever present character trait we must always consider in all our actions. Do you have a massive ecological footprint? Well then you must be a terrible person. This interesting problem translates into the world of architecture. By nature, architects seek to push the boundaries and dream up status-quo-shattering designs in a bid to assert dominance over their fellow inferior architect – it’s just the nature of the game. In this sense, building designs have evolved countless times over the centuries and millennia, but now into the 21st century, how do we build structures that are not only bold and functional, but also sustainable? 

Well, what we have discovered is that we can draw inspiration from nature. Many functions of the buildings we use daily often have their respective doppelganger in nature. One idea that’s sure to springboard any prospective architect into either fame or infamy is a termite mound inspired air conditioning system. Termites are known for their impeccable home-building skills and we can mimic their designs for our own human needs.

The main premise behind this idea is that termite mounds have a sophisticated ventilation system which allows for effective air-circulation throughout the structure. As a result, we now have buildings with intricate airflow systems that are as energy-efficient as they are effective.

Another idea is spider silk skyscrapers. Most people have heard the surprising fact that spider silk is extremely strong. In fact, it is as strong, if not stronger than current bullet-proof vests and research is being done to make spider silk body armour 💀. This quality of strength that spider silk so naturally provides can be exploited for architectural means. Currently, concrete must be reinforced with steel beams when building towers  as steel is effective at handling tension and concrete is effective at withstanding compression. 

Spider silk is one of nature’s own resistant materials, possessing these combined properties. Thus, it can be used as a primary material in the construction or supporting of towers and skyscrapers. Certainly it’s an otherworldly idea now and even more so for arachnophobes, but it is an effective proof of concept of sustainable biomimicry.

With these two seemingly effective and sustainable ideas, the question arises, why don’t we see biomimicry everywhere? The answer is, we already do, but there is a limit. There are already many examples of biomimicry in architecture and our daily lives. For example, the shape of bullet trains being inspired by kingfisher birds and shock absorbers being inspired from woodpeckers. Indeed, the termite mound ventilation system has already been implemented in several architectural designs. But on an even larger scale, biomimicry might just simply not be feasible. The whole concept relies on finding a natural doppelganger for a human building or functionality, which sometimes just isn’t possible. There is a reason after all, why humans are the most advanced species. Sometimes we just have to create and engineer our own solutions. Other times, natural designs which operate on a miniscule level like for ants, lose their effectiveness when scaled up to human size (see the square-cube law).

Biomimicry is something most architects are looking into and should be explored further, particularly in our sustainability-centred world. They provide effective and sustainable solutions for many human problems. But sometimes, we just have to purely innovate and engineer our own solutions when we can’t find them in nature.