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Architectural Design Theme: BIOINSPIRATION
2. Architectural Design Theme: “BIOINSPIRATION & THE QUEST FOR TECTONIC NOVELTIES IN WOOD – STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE - ARCHITECTURE AS STRUCTURE & THE REVIVALOF AUTOGENIC ORNAMENT”
2.1. Bioinspiration / Bionics / Biomimetics / Biomimicry Since the formation of natural and biological systems in our planet, nature has constantly been called upon to act as an engineer in solving technical problems.
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Bionics or Biomimetics, as we understand it today, dates back to the period between 1800 and 1925 and its proponents Alessandro Volta (electric battery), Otto Lilienthal (flying machine), and Raoul Francé (concepts). It was virtually reinvented under the strong influence of cybernetics in the 1960s by H. v. Foerster and W. McCulloch. The term biomimetics arose simultaneously with a slightly different connotation. “Bioinspiration” is a convenient modern overarching term that embraces everything from bionics and biotechnology to bioinspired fashion design.
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According to Werner Nachtigall, the German language term Bionik originally comes from the English word "bionics", which was coined by the US Air Force Major J.E. Steele at a conference entitled "Bionics Symposium: Living prototypes – the key to new technology" in 1960, supposedly as a combination of the words "biology" and "technics" or "electronics". In German, the term "Bionik" has found a very expressive reinterpretation in the first and last syllables of the words Biologie [biology] and Technik [technology]. In the English-speaking world, the term "biomimetics" has appeared as equivalent to the German "Bionik" and is commonly used. Otto Schmidt coined this term in the 1950s. As the part "mimetic" suggests a mimicking of nature, the term is controversial. Recently, "Bioinspiration" has been used more often in the same context, but seems to be too general to prevail. Another solution for the continuing terminology discussion is to also use the term "bionik" in English. Nowadays, the three terms bionics, bionik and biomimetics are used synonymously.
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