Nature has had millions of years to adapt and coexist with severe weather patterns. Yet, it is only in the relatively recent past that people-specifically architects-have started to incorporate some of nature’s wisdom into architecture. This is known as biomimetic architecture and is increasingly being practiced around the world.
As Earth Day is being observed globally today, it is perhaps the ideal time for architects and interior designers to glean lessons from plants and animals in order to design sustainable structures.
What can an architect learn from a lotus flower? Well, lotus flowers need to retain their glistening freshness to attract pollinating insects evolved with micro-rough, dirt-repellent surfaces whose properties have stay clean naturally.
Another exterior wall finish has been ‘borrowed’ from a desert beetle which has tiny bumps in its shell. These bumps act as condensation points for airborne moisture which, as it is collected, run down grooves straight into the beetle’s mouth.
Applied to building, exteriors, this technology harvests water in areas which experience fogs and high levels of humidity.
Termites are inspiring architects as well. A fully-fledges termite colony is a huge, multi-storeyed affair somewhat akin to a solid mass of apartment blocks which, without a functioning air cooling/circulation system, can be extremely hot.
Termites developed a sustainable answer long ago: an answer which was used in some parts of Pakistan for decades in the shape of wind catchers but fell out of favor after the arrival of electricity.
The answer also lies in cooling ‘chimneys’ that have been incorporated into termite colonies they draw cool night air inside, lowering temperatures in the multi-level floors of the colony throughout the day as result. Incorporating such ‘shimneys’ along with special floor tiles in buildings is therefore back on the drawing board with a massive eco-bang.
By B.Kahn
Rana Haroon
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