The lobby of the Hearst Tower in New York City
Hidden Falls, Grand Teton National Park
I think this is what the Hearst Tower was going for. Standing in front of the falls on a hot sunny day you can feel the rush of cool air come at you: nature’s air conditioning at your service as you hike up the Tetons.
Do you know of any bio-mimicry examples? It does not have to be a building, it could be a product or even a service, be sure to share them below in comments. And please don’t foget to sign up for the RSS feed to keep up with the latest updates here.
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What is the intention of biomimicry?
Vicki – Good question. I think the Wikipedia definition below is a pretty good one, but click through to the full entry for some compelling examples. I see the intention of biomimicry as humans looking to the natural world as a role model to help solve problems in the most efficient, direct and simple manner. Millions of years of evolution for animals and plants, or in the case of the waterfall a natural geological feature, shows that a simple and straight forward solution can be the most reliable and easy to implement. The complexity of modern chemistry and industrial production can often create significant waste and by-products, and there maybe another solution that is not so over engineered.
Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is an ancient concept recently returning to scientific thought that examines nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements— and emulates or takes inspiration from them to solve human problems sustainably. Scientific and engineering literature often uses the term Biomimetics for the process of understanding and applying biological principles to human designs. This includes biomaterials, biomechanics, biological systems composed of individuals of one species (e.g., schools, herds and swarms), or multispecies ensembles.
Sourced from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry