Biophilia and Biomimicry
Tori Smith
“The connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life� - E.O. Wilson
CONTENTS LECTURE 1...................................................................................................................................... 1 LECTURE 2...................................................................................................................................... 3 LECTURE 3...................................................................................................................................... 5 LECTURE 4...................................................................................................................................... 7 LECTURE 5...................................................................................................................................... 9 LECTURE 6...................................................................................................................................... 11 LECTURE 7...................................................................................................................................... 13 LECTURE 8...................................................................................................................................... 15 PROJECT 1: CLIFF YOUNG PROJECT............................................................................................ 17 PROJECT 2: RBT LIGHT FIXTURE...................................................................................................... 19 STUDENT PRESENTATION: DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOR............................................... 21 SKETCHES........................................................................................................................................ 23 RESOURCES.................................................................................................................................... 25
LECTURE 1
The biophilia hypothesis - man has an affinity with nature. Biophilia: connections that humans subconsciously seek with the rest of life Looking at nature as a source of inspiration for design: environmental features, natural shapes and forms, natural patterns and processes, light and space, place based relationships, and evolved human nature relationships. Biomorphy= natural occurring forms and shapes Geomorphy= looking to land masses and terrain. Physical landscape as inspiration Idea of prospect and refuge - humans naturally want to sit in front of a wall with their back protected. Open spaces telescoping outward. Biomimicry= looking to nature to solve man’s problems We live on a finite planet- can’t throw anything “away” Limits of technology- we can’t use technology to solve everything.
REFLECTION I find the idea of biophilia extremely interesting because it is all true. Without even knowing why, I always knew that I loved nature and I used to just think it was because I am an “outdoors person”. As I think and learn more about this idea, everyone is technically an “outdoors person”. Also, now I am starting to understand why “nature” is not a strong design concept. There are endless elements in nature to be inspired by as a designer. I think biomimicry is such an amazing way to solve some of our problems; it is almost so obvious that it is not obvious. As I’ve researched Native Americans and indigenous populations for studio projects this year, I learned about their affinity with nature. I never thought about this idea in terms of biomimicry or biophilia.
LECTURE 2
E.O Wilson - Studied Ants Consilience: you can get an answer from multi-disciplinary thinking Epigenic Rules: the brain is hardwired to behave a certain way Biophilia: Humans have a natural affinity with nature and we want to preserve it Janine Benyus- “Biomimicry� Looking at form in nature and how it functions to solve problems Organic forms and structures Daylight - humans have worked around it Need fresh air and ventilation Case Studies:
Humpback Whale - Wind Turbines Termites- Sustainable Buildings Trees/Bones- Shell of a car Prairies - Growing food sustainably Human Lungs - sequester carbon Lotus - Cleaning w/o cleaners Kingfisher - bullet train Chimp skin - self healing fabric Dolphins - predict tsunamis
REFLECTION The case studies in class this week inspired me to think of ways that other variations of nature can take on. Also, it is fascinating that these systems and forms can happen and occur naturally as they evolve as a reaction to their surroundings. No one ever told termites to create their mounds the way they do, they just do it. Thinking about these natural reactions has made me realize how forced our way of life is as humans. We eat strawberries all year round because we want t, we do not stop eating them when they are not grown locally. Reading the “14 Patterns� article opened my eyes to all of the different aspects of nature there are to learn from. I also never considered how far back in history this idea of biomimicry was used. Egyptian cultures built the sphinx and the Greeks used acanthus leaves for many aspects of their designs. This world really does have so much knowledge to offer if we just look for it.
LECTURE 3 Theories of Biophilic Design: Biomimicry Cradle to Cradle The Natural Step
Biomimicry: mimics form, process, and system The Approach - It is a cycle Scoping- identify the problem Creating - brainstorm Evaluating - is it working? Discovering - look at strategies to solve problems Elements of biomimicry: Ethos: underlying philosophy Emulate: Nature as a model (Re)Connect: Discover life’s genius Biophilic element: WATER Utilitarian Symbolic Scientific Moralistic Hydromimicry: looking at shapes water can create and its state changes as inspiration
REFLECTION This week in class, I really enjoyed learning more about the approach for designing something based on biomimicry. Similar to the interior design process, the biomimicry process is a cycle. I enjoyed the discussion about water as a design element; I never realized or thought about how weird humans’ relationship with water is. It is interesting that some water sounds are calming and others, like water dripping from a faucet, can be more stressful than relaxing. I like the idea of hydromimicry because as I think more about the properties of water, I realize how inspiring it really is. The article this week, “BioGuide”, helped me understand more about biophilia in the built environment. Nature is easily thought of as an inspiration, yet applying it to our built environment creates a new challenge. Before reading “BioGuide”, I never knew that vegetation was the most successful strategy for bringing the experience of nature into our buildings; but it makes sense. I am inspired by the idea of evoking nature by using designs that do not actually occurs in nature. For example, the opera house in Sidney evokes nature by the shape and form of the building itself. In general, I like the idea of drawing design principles from the natural world.
LECTURE 4
Neuroscience Conceptions of human beings Mechanical: we are a component in an abstract mechanical world Biological Transcendental: human beings are a spiritual being that need meaning oldest way of viewing humans Healing - supports wellbeing genetic factors for ordered geometry of biological forms that connect with humans and lead to healing Neurological nourishment: merging of artificial structures with natural ones Pattern Language: people repeat and go back to certain patterns Ex: using stairs as design element Human machine - human animal transcendent human
REFLECTION This week in class, I enjoyed learning about the neuroscience aspect of biophilia. In particular, I liked learning about our biological reason for being attracted to nature and how our sensory system is such a strong factor in how we perceive certain situations and environments. It is so interesting to me to understand how human beings react to patterns and how patterns are constantly repeated through history. In class, it was mentioned that the concept of stairs as a feature to not only walk up and down, but also to sit on and hide under, is a recurring pattern for humans. This week’s reading, “Bio-Inspired Design”, was a great read and I particularly liked reading about the Savannah Hypothesis and the key functions that light provides us. Before this reading, I did not know that so much human evolution happened in the Savannah. It is so interesting that humans, even today, like environments that contain features of the Savannah. I also enjoyed reading about light’s key functions that were used in ancestral environments and have continued and are relevant today. I never though about or knew of the functions like the peripheral processing aid signal of safety, warmth, and comfort.
LECTURE 5 Science of Biophilic Design
Restorative Design nature will help restore wellbeing ORR+Pyle extinction of the natural experience Biophilia and Health Need for research important to show improvement Research for Healthcare Design Evidence Based Design - western based medicine is based on evidence Roger Urlich - people will heal faster and need less pain medications if they are provided views of nature -Found that lighting levels were too low at night and nurses were misreading medication levels Restoration of Nature Intuitive Conceptual arguments “restoration theory� Clinical epidemiology: study of distribution and determinants of disease in human populations Health benefits of Nature build the evidence of research
REFLECTION In class this week, we discussed the connection between biophilia and health. I did not realize that there is such a need for research in the area of biophilia. It makes sense that biophilia is so important when it comes to healthcare, patients experience a lot of stress and I think designing healthcare facilities with biophilic ideas would solve many problems for patients, family members, and even hospital staff. Last semester, I did a project on Healthcare Design and learned a lot about the importance of evidence based design. Healthcare facilities were the first to use this type of design and it makes sense since western based medicine is based on research being done in the medical field.
LECTURE 6 Inside Outside Relationships Views Daylighting Fresh air/ventilation passive heating/cooling access to outdoors access to activity
Restorative Design : 3 perspectives 1: Stress Perspective - too many demands on you will reduce ability to adapt 2: Coping Perspective - when you have readily available resources to increase your ability to cope 3: Restoration Perspective - need opportunities to be restored Stress vs Coping: Stress: trying to reduce demands Coping: Use additional resources Theory of Restorative Environments Protective Instorative Restorative Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: You need to have your basic needs met before worrying about the higher, less basic ones Psychological Theories of Restoration: Attention Restoration Theory - get away to restore fascination Psychoevolutionary Theory - Stress reduction for beneficial change
REFLECTION This week in class, we discussed the outside inside relationship. “Bringing the outside in” is such a common phrase that I hear during pin ups and associated with many designs. I enjoyed learning more about that relationship in class this week. I had never heard of restorative design before and I think the three perspectives of that type of design are intriguing. As a student, I can definitely understand the “stress perspective” and it makes sense that designers try to mitigate the demands that can create stressful environments. The “coping perspective” is another interesting approach and explains why break out spaces are popular in office design. Stress is difficult to deal with and I think it is great that, as designers, we have the ability to provide resources to help others cope with that stress. The “restoration perspective” is one that I would not have thought about and I believe this is where the concept of biomimicry can be best applied. Taking a walk after sitting at a desk for many hours has so many benefits. Yet, for people stuck in an office all day, there must be other applications to help them feel restored.
LECTURE 7
The way that children grow up now is different - there are new threats 1: more time indoors 2: strangers and cars - less likely to play outside Relationship between children and nature not being in nature changes how kids view the environment There are strong benefits to being outside Better cognitive processing Helps understand Nature More activity A majority of kids today live in cities Biophilic Design in cities: looking at how to re-introduce nature more people = more kids look at spaces in between buildings goes beyond design of buildings alone Childhood threats: sedentary behavior and traffiic People who grow up without nature are often scared of it and don’t understand its benefits Benefits: activity, boost immune system, and introduce “play� into lifestyle Institutionalized childhood - daycare at young ages; the learning process is starting earlier As a part of that reality, we need to find a way to help kids understand that they live on planet Earth.
REFLECTION This week in class, we discussed the affect that nature, and not being immersed in nature, has on children in today’s society. I found this to be a very interesting topic. I grew up on a farm in Virginia and have spent a majority of my life outside and riding horses. I am completely comfortable with most aspects of nature and truly cherish it. When I was a child, I would play outside for hours until it was dark and it was completely normal. Now, kids barely ever go outside to play and play on the computer or just watch TV. I even find myself going outside less now than when I was young. When I was living in New York City last summer, I had this realization of children growing up and living in the city. It was really shocking to me that their playground consists of pavement, hot plastic, and even the subway. There are parks, but of course, that does not even compare to the endless acres of farmland that I grew up on. Living in the city this summer definitely opened my eyes to this growing issue. I plan on moving to the city after graduation and I think it would be awesome to find a way to design something in the city that might be able to introduce, not only children, but everyone to the benefits and amazing aspects of nature.
LECTURE 8
Bio- Inspired Design: looking to anything biological for inspiration for an invention lots of research could also mean biomimicry Bio-Utilization - harvest to use nature as something to use materials Bio - Assisted - domesticate to use taking something from nature to make it useful to humans Ex: yeast for beer Bio-Mimic - to become something It is important to understand that we are a part of nature, and not in charge Half of the humans on earth live on less than $2/day Innovation today has slowed Biomimicry: bios = life, mimesis=to imitate support and enhance life Process - what is the problem we wish to solve? Form Function Ecosystem Nature is a closed loop system - everything is renewed or recycled
REFLECTION This week in class, we discussed the different “bios”. I enjoyed learning about bio-utilization, bio-assisted, and bio-mimic approaches. The concept of how nature is a closed loop system was emphasized again, and that idea really intrigues me. The average consumer in the western cultures would need more than one planet alone to supply the resources that they use daily and no one realizes this. It is important to remember that we live on a finite planet and we really can not “throw away” anything. It is equally amazing to think about how nature instinctively has a way to recycle or renew everything. As human beings, we like to think we are in charge; but in reality, nature has it figured out and we clearly have a lot to learn. I think part of this issue stems from the amount of “needs” that human beings have identified for themselves, especially of the synthetic and unnatural materials. Yet, obviously, we aren’t going to just stop producing or using these substances, which presents a challenge. I wonder if there is a way to look to nature and examine how it recycles and renews itself and try to implement that idea to our synthetic productions; seems pretty difficult. I think the first step would be educating people about the impact that us human beings are truly making.
PROJECT 1: Cliff Young Inspired by the form and function of an armadillo shell, this chair explores the ideas of biomimicry, flexibility, connection, and adaptability. Just as the animal has five distinct regions of its carapace, this piece consists of five separate segments that are flexible and can be moved into different forms, ultimately creating a multifunctional chair. These five different pieces resemble the overlapping plates found within the armadillo’s armor, particularly in the banded shield region of their carapace. The shell, known as an osteoderm, is a protective layer embedded in the soft skin of the armadillo. The shell is an example of a segmented armor, with tiles of two different shapes held together by non-mineralized collagen fibers called “Sharpey’s Fibers”.The tiles found in the osteoderm demonstrate two phenotypes: hexagonally shaped structure in the pectoral and pelvic region, and triangular shaped structures along the mid-section or the banded shield. The length of the fibers and the composition of the tiles can be varied, which gives the carapace structure its desired curvature.
Inspiration Images
The Armadillo Carapace: The Banded Shield The Pectoral Shield
The Pelvic Shield
Curvature created by the retraction of fibers
The Head Stretched fibers
Conceptual diagrams studying the shape of the pieces found within the banded shield
The Tail
The “Armadillo Chair” mimics the unique shape of the armadillo’s carapace. Each of the bamboo pieces has a high amount of flexibility and allows the chair to adapt to every user’s needs. The piece can be fully collapsed, including the legs, and easily transported to a desired location. Whether expanded into a protective and intimate atmosphere or collapsed into a stool, this chair can be used in a user’s home or in a breakout space of a commercial workplace.
Steel: Used for the structural frame and the joint used to hold each of the segments together
Back
Bamboo: Regenerative material used to symbolize the nature of the armadillo’s shell
Front
Side
Top
2’ 0”
2’ 4” 1’ 6”
3’ 2”
1’ 6”
PROJECT 2: RBT Light Fixture Shroom Bioluminescence is an unique phenomenon found in both land and oceanic species. It is the light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism. This reaction requires the presence of two chemicals: luciferin and luciferase or photoprotein. Bioluminescence is used by species to hunt prey and defend against predators. Shroom, a floor mounted light fixture designed for a modern art museum in the pacific northwest, was inspired by the bioluminescent mushroom: mycena chlorophos. This light fixture, similar to the fungi, responds to movement. The light fixtures “glow” brighter as more people walk by. This effect provides energy efficiency and an unique look into the nature of these fungi. Patrons of the museum are able to appreciate the unique light fixtures while learning about bioluminescence.
2”
3” 1”
1’ 0” 8”
Recessed MR16 LED lamp
Light fixtures glow brighter when motion is detected
DfSB:
Design for Sustainable Behavior Definition: DfSB attempts to introduce design strategies to influence consumer behavior towards more sustainable action during the “use phase” of a product.
Why? If everyone in the world lived like the typical UK consumer – the world would need 3.4 planets to support our resource use Sustainable technology does not automatically lead to sustainable user behavior Despite the efforts to reduce resource consumption through increased technological product efficiencies, household energy use has increased
How?
There is an axis of influence between the user and the product that determines where the power in the decision making lies There are two approaches: One: change behavior through the design of the product Two: change the design of the product to match the way actual people use it Technology driven solutions: do not require the user to alter their behavior consciously Putting the user in control: involves building an emotional relationship between the user and the product
User Centered Design Definition: design approach that places the user at the center stage during the entire design process Four basic factors play a role in human-product intervention #1: The Product #2: The User #3: The User’s Goals #4: Context in which interaction takes place
Case Study: Mobile Phone Usage Goal: explore the social impacts of mobile phone use in public and how the application of one or more of the strategies (from the axis of influence) could reduce impacts 3 forms of misuse in a social context: Raised Voice Prolonged Conversation Presence of Physical Others Conclusion: There is no clear consensus of what is an acceptable level of intervention or how to rate the severity of consequences enacted by different behaviors Designers and engineers can positively influence product use if decisions are made at a strategic level prior to design development
SKETCHES
REFERENCES
Design for Sustainable Behavior: Lilley, Debra. Design for Sustainable Behavior: Strategies and Perceptions. Elsevier Ltd, 2009. Lilley, Debra., Spencer, Jack., Porter, Samantha. The Opportunities that Different Cultural Contexts Create of Sustainable Design: A Laundry Care Example. Journal of Cleaner Production. Elsevier Ltd, 2015. Wever, Renee., Van Kuijk, Jasper., Boks, Casper. User Centered Design for Sustainable Behavior. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, 2008. Zimmerman, John., Coskun, Aykut., Erbug, Cigdem. Promoting Sustainability through Behavior Change. Elsevier Ltd, 2015. Photos: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823625/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823582/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823580/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823575/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823569/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823561/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823531/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823512/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823551/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823486/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576823474/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821250/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821247/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821247/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821236/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821214/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821207/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821160/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821187/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821150/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821169/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821153/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821133/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821138/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821117/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821101/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AdfYhuSmwQtsRKI-NhkVrqrUWqy8ERKAaCHolkO_ fTn2WErZHFC1YMY/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576821012/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820999/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820965/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820944/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820929/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820888/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820875/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820869/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820867/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582575127386/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582574824571/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582574824582/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582574824578/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134826582576820879/