Bio-inspired Adaptive Building Skins - Biotechnologies and Biomimetics for Civil Engineering - page 126

Fig. 5.7 Natural air-conditioning principles of Earth, Wind and Fire. (Source Bronsema ( 2013b ),
reprinted with permission)
In order to come to a more profound integration of biomimicry and architectural
design, with potentially a higher impact on sustainable living, there is a need to
make the translation process from nature to building envelope technologies more
rigorous, systematic, and rational (Badarnah 2014 ). In literature (Badarnah 2012 ;
Gamage and Hyde 2012 ; Pedersen Zari 2010 ; Knippers and Speck 2012 ;
Mazzoleni 2010 ; Gruber 2011b ), several barriers that currently hinder the transfer
of relevant biological solutions have been identified:
• Difficulties with access to information that helps in narrowing down the
enormous space of solution strategies found in nature;
• The sometimes large analogical distance between biology and building design
and the lack of cross-domain knowledge;
• Conflicts between different requirements for aesthetics and functionality;
• Scaling issues to bridge the gap from small-scale observations to design
principles on the human or whole-building level.
With these principles in mind, recently, a number of design methodologies and
support tools have been proposed to stimulate the development of biomimetic
building design.