Re-thinking Nature Richard James MacCowan Biomimicry UK richard@biomimicry-uk.org @Biomimicry_UK
overview Part 1: 21st century challenges Part 2: Learning from Nature Part 3: Research Part 4: Development
Image source: anthropocene by Tau Zero CC 2.0 flickr.com
Cover source: New plant, small in dark soil copyright www.assadsaif.com
“How many people think twice about a leaf? Yet the leaf is the chief product and phenomenon of Life: this is a green world, with animals comparatively few and small, and all dependent upon the leaves. By leaves we live.” – Patrick Geddes
Image source: Fall colors by Jose Maria Cuellar CC 2.0 flickr.com
Part 1
question Is there a need to change?
Image source: Blue Marble (Planet Earth) by woodleywonderworks CC 2.0 flickr.com
54% 7 Billion
Image source: Pollution by ribarnica CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: garzweiler.bagger by Tobias Mandt CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Hoover Dam and Power House by kla4067 CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Flooding at North Bridge by CorpsNewEngland CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Earth Day by pbruch CC 2.0 flickr.com
“Resilience is the long-term capacity of a system to deal with change and continue to develop.” – Stockholm Resilience Centre (2013)
Image source: 'Needle in the Hay', United States, New York, New York City, Uptown Looking Downtown, East Side by Chris Ford CC 2.0 flickr.com
“Resilience thinking…..belief that humans and nature are strongly coupled to the point that they should be conceived as one socialecological system.” – Stockholm Resilience Centre (2013)
Part 2
So what is biomimicry?
BIOMIMICRY is the mimicking of nature. It is NOT the solution, but a way to FIND solutions.
Image source: Damien Newman, Central Office of Design - CC 3.0
Image source: Evolution by possan CC 2.0 flickr.com
Design
Evaluate
Implement
FORM Image source: bamboo cane by Darwin Bell CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Interior of tropical biome, Eden Project Wikimedia Commons 3.0
PROCESS Image source: Hungarian wetland Wikimedia Commons 3.0
Image source: copyright www.livingmachines.com
MATERIAL Image source: Bird by possan CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Bio concrete Wikicommons 3.0
FUNCTION Image source: Termite Mound by Potjie by CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe by unknown Wikimedia Commons 3.0
SYSTEM Image source: Riparian habitat by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region CC 2.0 flickr.com
Image source: New York City by Tony Shi Photos CC 2.0 flickr.com
Part 3
Image source: www.biomimicryalliance.eu/.
Improved Risk Management + Resilience Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems Climate Change Adaptation + Mitigation Sustainable Urbanisation Image source: Google Maps copyright 2015
Part 4
Lloyds Crossing, Portland
Image source: copyright http://mithun.com/
90% 54 acres Image source: Mixed conifer forest Ochoco Mountains OR by Wayne Weber CC 2.0 flickr.com
30%
35-block area
wildlife corridor ecological sensitivity reduce CO2 emission stormwater treatment
Lavasa Hill Station, India Image source: Lavasa Masterplan copyright www.hok.com
Image source: Indian Harvester Ant Nest Wikimedia Commons 3.0
Image source: Copyright www.lavasafuturecities.com/
70% 65%
50,000
30%
95%
12,500acres 5 villages Image source: Copyright www.lavasafuturecities.com/
future‌.
Image source: copyright openstreetmap.org
improve ecological status
resilience
biodiversity
habitat connectivity Image source: copyright Google Maps 2015
Image source: Alloa Borealis by delphwynd CC 2.0 www.flickr.com
Image source: Alloa Harbour - rephotograph by delphwynd CC 2.0 www.flickr.com
City Resilience Framework November 2014
City Resilience Index
City Resilience Framework April 2014 Š Ove Arup & Partners International Limited 2014
Image source: XXXXXXXXXX
Bristol, England
Chronic Energy Shortages, Flooding (Coastal and Rainfall) Food Shortage Infrastructure Failure Poor Health Infrastructure
Image Source: 100resilientcities.org
Earthquake Flooding Poor Transportation System Tsunami
Porto Alegre, Brazil Image Source: 100resilientcities.org
architecture materials
government
ecology
CHANGE NEEDED
engineering
finance
economics landscape
“If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem and 1 minute solving it� - Albert Einstein
Image source: Einstein Wikimedia Commons 3.0
Richard James MacCowan richard@biomimicry-uk.org @Biomimicry_UK
www.biomimicry.uk.org