Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
Can Biomimicry Be a Useful Tool
for Design for Climate Change Adaptation
and Mitigation?
Maibritt Pedersen Zari
Abstract As professionals of the built environment need to solve more urgent and
difficult problems related to mitigating and adapting to climate change, it may be
useful to examine examples of how the same problems have been solved by other
living organisms or ecosystems. Looking to plants or animals that are highly
adaptable or ones that survive in extreme climates or through climatic changes
may provide insights into how buildings could or should function. Examining the
qualities of ecosystems that enable them to be adaptable and resilient may also
offer potential avenues to follow. This chapter examines whether biomimicry,
where organisms or ecosystems are mimicked in human design, can be an effective
means to either mitigate the causes of climate change the built environment is
responsible for, or to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Different biomimetic
approaches to design are discussed and categorised, and a series of case study
examples illustrate the benefits and drawbacks of each approach. In light of the
conclusions reached during the course of the research, it is argued that design that
mimics ecosystems and utilises synergies between mitigation and adaptation
strategies in relation to climate change could be a beneficial long-term biomimetic
built environment response to climate change. The foundations of the theory to
support this are also presented.
4.1 Introduction: Climate Change and the Built
Environment
Changes to the climate, and therefore related impacts on the built environment are
expected to increase in intensity in the future, suggesting that re-evaluation of
the built environment and rapid expansion of policies and actions to mitigate
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