Can Biomimicry Be a Useful Tool for Design for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation? - Biotechnologies and Biomimetics for Civil Engineering - page 84

Table 4.2 Different kinds of biomimicry (adapted from Pedersen Zari 2007 )
Level of biomimicry Example—A building that mimics

termites:

Organism level (mimicry of a
specific organism)

Form The building looks like a termite

Material The building is made from the same

material as a termite; a material that
mimics termite exoskeleton /skin for
example

Construction The building is made in the same way

as a termite; it goes through various
growth cycles for example

Process The building works in the same way as

an individual termite; it produces
hydrogen efficiently through
metagenomics for example

Function The building functions like a termite in

a larger context; it recycles cellulose
waste and creates soil for example

Behaviour level (mimicry of how an
organism behaves or relates to its
larger context)

Form The building looks like it was made by

a termite; a replica of a termite mound
for example

Material The building is made from the same

materials that a termite builds with;
using digested fine soil as the primary
material for example

Construction The building is made in the same way

that a termite would build; piling earth
in certain places at certain times for
example

Process The building works in the same way as

a termite mound would; by careful
orientation, shape, materials selection
and natural ventilation for example, or
it mimics how termites work together

Function The building functions in the same way

that it would if made by termites;
internal conditions are regulated to be
optimal and thermally stable for
example (Fig. 4.6 ). It may also function
in the same way that a termite mound
does in a larger context

Ecosystem level (Mimicry of an
ecosystem)

Form The building looks like an ecosystem (a

termite would live in)

Material The building is made from the same

kind of materials that an ( termite)
ecosystem is made of; it uses naturally
occurring common compounds, and
water as the primary chemical medium
for example

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