THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

INTEGRATION CATALYZES INNOVATION

WRITTEN BY

ROBBIE ANSON DUNCAN

SUPERVISOR DR. SHEENA CALVERT

IVC 2013 - 2014

INTRODUCTION

BAUHAUS to BIOMIMICRY

NATURE: THE DESIGNER Biomimicry explored through: Architecture / Vehicles / Product Design

SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN PRODUCT DESIGN

THE SCIENCE OF INTEGRATION

DIGITAL NATIVES: THE SEEDS OF CHANGE

CONCLUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

My intention is to explore how cross-disciplinary collaboration generates sustainable design

ideas, and catalyzes further innovation. Considering architectural, vehicular and product design solutions that are sustainable is inevitable. But as daunting as this task seems, one can seek solace in embracing a new era of innovation where designers, architects, scientists, mathematicians and engineers are no longer separated they will be integrated. Furthermore, if one describes nature as a potential collaborator, surely observing its physiological and anatomical blueprints would generate sustainable ideas that have been constantly refined over 3.8 billion years of evolution. No doubt this change in trajectory will yield nothing but opportunity, galvanized with positivity.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said, If you want to build a flotilla of ships, you dont

sit around talking about carpentry. No, you need to set peoples souls ablaze with visions of exploring distant shores. And thats what we need to do, so lets be positive, and lets make progress with what could be the most exciting period of innovation weve ever seen.1

As a form of introduction, I would like to begin with a hypothetical scenario that I have

devised as a context defining exercise; One that is specifically relevant to architecture but can be applied to many outputs within design:

Two individuals are proposing alternate designs for new homes to be built in a rural site on the outskirts of a major city. One puts forth the conventional and cheaper idea, consisting of rectangular housing; Using a basic composite of concrete, tiles, tarmac and timber. Build cheap, build quickly generate fast, short-term profit. This affordable new housing will

Ted.com. Michael Pawlyn: Using natures genius in architecture | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/michael_pawlyn_using_nature_s_genius_in_architecture.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013
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appeal to those who wish to commute in from the outskirts to the city, but also to developers who are looking for the least hassle with a property investment project. The second candidate puts forth a more innovative proposal to develop a community that will be powered by solar and wind energy, utilize rainwater and surface moisture to sustain a plumbing network, but instead of the houses being built onto excavated land as with the former, the houses will be incorporated within the existing contours of the land, eliminating the need to flatten the rural landscape. This proposal will borrow the bounties of the rural site, not exploit them. These houses will naturally be insulated, and every potential from the site can be actualized. Most notably, the housing will seamlessly blend into the rural environment, maintaining the natural life that exists there. Build smart, build sustainable generate long-term profit and reduce environmental impact. [words of my own]

the residence and the environment by harnessing nature to generate sustainable energy and thus, a sustainable lifestyle. To be ignorant of our obligation to live in symbiosis with our environment only stigmatizes our species further; As Mark Twain has since commented, Man is the only animal that blushes: or needs to.
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Furthermore, I will consider how the collective input of members within pre-existing

independent disciplines can generate solutions that sustain a mutual symbiosis with our environment. This dissertation will comprise of five core chapters, beginning with visual and written analyses of Bauhaus and Biomimetic architecture. Structures designed by Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Buckminster Fuller will be subject to comparison to the contemporary work of Heatherwick, Lovegrove and Grimshaw. Their characteristics and principles will be scrutinized

It could be argued that this scenario highlights the differences in how our failure to work

and assessed, but embraced as a necessary part of our ongoing evolutionary progress. This will be followed by a chapter comprising of three focuses in relation to biomimicry - within architecture, vehicle and product design. Next, a chapter focused on sustainable product design. A visual showcase of concept ideas collated within William Myers publication Bio Design and several projects that have left the labs at MIT. Reinforced by a written section devoted to explaining the considerations and benefits of designing green. Subsequently, a brief chapter concerned with the science of integration will follow. This will highlight the importance of environmental exchange within inter-disciplinary collaborations. Supported by several brief case studies of projects that have flourished as a result of inter-disciplinary collaboration. Finally, a closing chapter that aims to eliminate the cynicism directed towards the waves of digital natives. In addition to promoting the innovative conservation ideas from teenagers like Boyan Slat, I intend to weave in my own
3 Datschefski, Edwin. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Prs-Cligny, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2001.
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with nature can stem from the wrong decision being made for the financial benefit of faceless organizations. The former hypothetical designer emulates a cognitive process similar to the Le Corbusier mentality; a house is a machine for living in.2 This dismisses the idea that a house could be more like an organism: intuitive, responsive and able to adapt to varying levels of change. The development project would serve purely as a compound of machines and nothing else. Such a statement appears to dismiss any other party involved but Man. Man will build onto land because Man can. This Modernist principle is one that I intend to decode within this document and determine whether it is a contrast or a complement to the post-contemporary movement of biomimetic architecture. Compare this to the next proposal one that will rely upon collaboration with many disciplines to develop a community that works upon a mutualistic basis; Benefiting both

Le Corbusier, Jean-Louis Cohen and John Goodman. Toward an architecture. Los Angeles, Calif.: Getty Research Institute, 2007.
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perspective and personal experience within the fabric of inter-disciplinary collaboration. This will be accompanied with a series of designs and concepts that I have since developed following my involvement with the Broad Vision Art and Science project. This thesis aims to promote the benefits of inter-disciplinary collaboration and eliminate the cynicism behind the future of design that a step forward is always a step in the direction of evolutionary and revolutionary change. A need to work with our environment can be achieved and a sustainable future is more likely to ensue.

There is a shared thought amongst post-contemporary conservationists and environmentalists

Take Mies Seagram Building for instance (Figure 2); A $36 million monolith, comprising of

that we have become increasingly disconnected from nature. As renowned science author and champion of biomimicry, Janine Benyus has been quoted: we live in a competent universe surrounded by genius.4 The ongoing environmental issues that threaten our World today could well be solved, if only we re-establish that connection. It could be argued, that the very nature of Modernism within architecture conflicts with nature. A particular characteristic that helps define a structure being Modern, is the use of industrially-produced materials. Furthermore, another principle of modernist architecture deemed ornamentation superfluous. Louis Sullivans law: that form ever follows function,5 is one that can either be disregarded or embraced. Ornamentation may serve as a distraction, or unnecessary addition to the purpose of a structure but this all depends on context. However, if one was to look at biomimetic ornamentation, in the form of nano-particle denticles applied to glass as a way of self-cleaning; Surely this is nothing but a positive attribute, that will allow the glass to remain clear, transparent and beautiful. If anything, sustaining its original function. The notion that a house is purely a machine for living in,6 may still serve as a valid statement Perhaps the perception of what ornamentation is needs more consideration. For example, a structure found within the natural World like a wasps nest (Figure 1) As a wasp hive is free of unnecessary ornamentation, it still serves its purpose. Yet, such a structure can be perceived as a thing of beauty. This structure is something that we innately see as beautiful because it comes direct from nature. Its very construction requires no fossil fuels or complex machinery just the collaborative effort of the hive. Through an evolutionary process of trial and error, an organism, of such small proportions in comparison to our own can sustain a lifestyle and thrive. To say we have a lot to learn from nature is anything but an understatement.
4 5 6 Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/ talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Manieri-Elia, Mario and Louis H Sullivan. Louis Henry Sullivan. New York, NY: Princeton Architec tural Press, 1996. Le Corbusier, Jean-Louis Cohen and John Goodman. Toward an architecture. Los Angeles, Calif.: Getty Research Institute, 2007.
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around 3.2 million pounds of bronze, housing between one thousand to three thousand people on a business day.
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By stark contrast, a hive during peak summer months will be inhabited by

between six to ten thousand wasps.8 And the raw materials used: a combination of wood fibers stripped from trees or fence panels mixed with saliva.9 There is something truly beautiful about a structure that is both simple but most importantly, a sustainable machine that harnesses the bounties of nature, and most commonly hangs from the branch of a tree.

Figure 1

Figure 2

7 Stoller, Ezra. The Seagram building. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. 8 Robinson, W. Wright. How insects build their amazing homes. Woodbridge, Conn.: Blackbirch Press, 1999. 9 Ibid Figure 1 - Robinson, W. Wright. How insects build their amazing homes. Woodbridge, Conn.: Blackbirch Press,1999. Figure 2 - Nyc-architecture.com. New York Architecture Images- THE SEAGRAM BUILDING. 2013. http:// www.nyc-architecture.com/UES/UES002.htm (accessed 7 Dec 2013).
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If we consider a tenet of Modern Architecture, of truth to materials,10 one can understand

Another characteristic within Modern architecture places Emphasis of rectangular forms

why a material like concrete is not masked to look like anything but concrete. But as a material, concretes function is structural, with its raw appearance a form of aesthetic. A pinnacle of Modern design, Corbusiers Villa Savoye (Figure 3) stands on its grassy surroundings as less of a human achievement within design, and more a [fuck you] to the very ground it relies upon to remain structurally sound. If a buildings function is to support living, why not consider the encouragement of prolonged living. The moment that concrete set in its desired form, its function is already limited. Concrete as a material, even if reinforced is weak. Any seismic activity within the ground will render that structure useless. I would argue that the use of concrete itself is ornamentation. Modern architecture principles encourage the development of simple, functional design, yet there is something very dysfunctional about the use of a material that is so unintelligent and un-natural. Furthermore, to limit the orientation of materials within a structure inhibits its long-term function.

and horizontal and vertical lines.11 This particular characteristic appears to be an example of how form itself is used as ornament. Juxtaposing horizontal and vertical lines resulting in dramatic appearances. The very design of such structures could have been for the purpose not of living, but for photographic documentation. By the end of the 19th Century the use of photography had rendered much of the representational function of visual art obsolete.12 This medium was ideal for cataloguing these human achievements. To me, a skyline is not a place for our opaque silhouettes of unintelligent design it is a horizon that should always be seen with our structures the secondary focus. Concept designs by Heatherwick studios depicted below are examples of structures that are both functional, beautiful, sustainable and dont stand in such stark contrast with the very World that holds them. These will be analysed in closer detail later, with specific emphasis on the improved functionality of nature-integrated design.

Figure 3 Figure 4
11 12 A2modern.org. What is modern: characteristics of modern architecture a2 modern | modern architec ture in the midwest | ann arbor modern | michigan modern | modern architecture in ann arbor. 2013. http://a2modern.org/2011/04/characteristics-of-modern-architecture/ (accessed 7 Dec 2013). Sontag, Susan. On photography. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977. Figure 4 - Heatherwick, Thomas. Thomas Heatherwick. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012.
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10 Mallgrave, Harry Francis. Modern architectural theory. Cambridge [UK]: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Figure 3 - Sbriglio, Jacques. Le Corbusier. Basel: Birkhuser Verlag, 1999.
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A renewable energy power station. Transparent top elevation, built into the contours of the land. Resulting in dramatic acoustic reduction due to the natural insulation of topsoil. The Transparent elevation leaves a silhouette against the skyline, but one which is less opaque, and almost blends into the surrounding landscape.

There were, thankfully, those ahead of their time during this movement. One Buckminster

Fuller, a visionary and champion of earth-consciousness,13 to borrow Paul Edwards terminology. Fuller brought a military sense of organization and practicality to architecture. Seeing the potential in taking strengths from one discipline to another. His Dymaxion house (Figure 7) could be mass produced and assembled in twenty-four hours, thanks to efficient use of materials and construction practices.14 Fuller was not only designing smart structures, but he wasnt limiting himself to the rectilinear forms of construction as seen in previous Modern examples. His geodesic domes resembled more natural structures and contrary to how they were perceived at the time as masculine, I would argue there is warmth to Fullers domes (Figure 8, 9, 10). In contrast to the phallic skyscrapers and concrete monoliths within the cities, Fullers domes are far removed Figure 5
A design for a phone mast that reduces the visual impact on British countryside. The structure aims to blend into the surroundings. The polygonal mesh structure is also more sturdy than the conventional triangulatory masts.

from the patriarchal flags of ownership on the World. Images of the Montreal Biosphre (Figure 11) are like captions of a promised future, a pilgrimage to design that is worthy of the ground beneath our feet. Not only were Fullers designs ahead of his time, so was his thinking. He argued that the future would see scientists, in collaboration with engineers and architects, at the helm of a new Energy-Borne Commonwealth of Humanity, which would steer humankind through the population problem by managing the use of energy.15 And if one considers his blueprints for the geodesic dome serving as a fundamental basis of design for more contemporary structures like Biosphere 2 and the Eden project (which will be covered in further paragraphs); Fullers work was a necessary stage within Modernism that has been evolving through subsequent movements into the post-contemporary World of Biomimetic design.

Figure 6
Figure 5 & 6 - Heatherwick, Thomas. Thomas Heatherwick. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012.
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13 14 15

Edwards, Paul N. The world in a machine. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2010. Peder Anker. Buckminster Fuller as Captain of Spaceship Earth. 2011. http://pederanker. com/2011/05/23/buckminster-fuller-as-captain-of-spaceship-earth/ (accessed 11 Dec 2013).p.418 Ibid p. 420, 421, 422
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Figure 7

Figure 8

Biomimicry aims to emulate the positive adaptations from nature, both anatomical and

physiological, and apply them to solve our design and sustainability concerns. It is a form of collaboration that is reliant upon disciplines from science, architecture, design and technology integrating together to share their knowledge and utilize resources. Janine Benyus is the most prominent figure in this field, and encourages people to remember that organismsare doing things very similar to what we need to doand theyve been refining their methods for 3.8 billion years. 16 There is commonly skepticism within this way of thinking, with some, most notable Stephen Emmott (author of 10 Billion) claiming that time has already run out. What Benyus, and Figure 9 Figure 10 many other in this field always refer back to, is that life creates conditions conducive to life. It builds soil; it cleans air; it clean water; it mixes the cocktail of gases that you and I need to live.
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Unlike Emmotts words, that speak nothing but cynicism to an accelerated doom, there are

already expanding organizations, design studios and companies that champion biomimicry and are working on solutions for our society that harness nature, not exploit it.

Biomimicry utilizes nature as an engineer consultancy - if theres an organism that has

been recorded, surely it must have a particular function that could benefit our species too. This Figure 11 notion of mutualism is vital for our continued sustainability. Instead of looking at organisms in the natural World from a fearful perspective, take sharks for example; We should observe them to discover what we can benefit from studying them instead of culling them. Just as an example, the arrangement of sharkskin denticles (most notably species from the Galapogos) helps prevent bacteria from fouling their skin (Figure 12). This observation was made my collaborating with image scientists and observing shark skin under an electron micrograph scanner - looking at
16 17 Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/ talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). the Guardian. Stephen Emmotts population book is unscientific and misanthropic. 2013. http:// www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jul/09/stephen-emmott-population-book-misanthropic (accessed 7 Dec 2013).
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Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 - Designmuseum.org. R. Buckminster Fuller / - Design/Designer Information. 2013. http://designmuseum.org/design/r-buckminster-fuller (accessed 7 Dec 2013). Figure 11 - Ec.gc.ca. Environment Canada - Home. 2013. http://www.ec.gc.ca/biosphere/ (accessed 7 Dec 2013).
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cellular tissue at the nano-scale. From here, the positive applications of this adaptation are extensive - From glass treatment to inhibit self cleaning, to Olympic swim suits (Figure 13) and even hospital surfaces - to eliminate the need to use harsh chemicals and hazardous chemicals. Here, curiosity plays a huge role in developing these concepts. And within that curiosity, requires collaboration to reduce the effort required; As Einsten rightly said, Environmental innovation is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. 18 But at least with new technologies this level of perspiration can be released by solving the problem - not finding the solution. And this is attributed to the ability to communicate and collaborate with other disciplines.

Figure 14

Figure 12

From a design point of view, inspiration is always the first step and nature is like a source

book of visual references, full of colour palettes, ideas for form and most importantly blueprints for pre-approved ideas. Nature has provided artists with a referral point for centuries, and whats more, those artists soon learn to embrace the science behind the art. For instance, Ernst Haeckles Figure 13
18 Datschefski, Edwin. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Prs-Cligny, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2001. Figure 12 & 13 - Image Source: Biomimetics: Design by Nature. National Geographic, 2008.
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legendary studies in Art Forms in Nature, to me are like an IKEA catalogue (Figures 14 &15).
Figure 14 - IKEA UK, 2013 Catalogue. Assorted images of homeware products. Ikea.com. Search result - IKEA. 2013. http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/search/?query=lighting (accessed 7 Dec 2013).
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On face value, there is clear similarity, but this has already been taken a step further.

Instead of purely emulating the anatomical side of the natural World, designers are looking at the physiological. William Myers compendium Bio-Design showcases products, architectural concepts and designs that have harnessed natures bounties and transferred them to solve environmental and conservational issues. All of which have relied upon the combined effort of cross-disciplinary working. Some of these products will be explored in more depth later. But most crucially, unlike Modernism, within Biomimicry function always precedes form. And with regard to aesthetics, tastes cast aside, what is more beautiful than a structure or product that works with nature, instead against it. (Figures 16 & 17)

Figure 16
Houses built from the reformed branches of trees.

Figure 15 Figure 17
Indoor bioluminescent lighting, 100% electricity free Figure 15 - Haeckel, Ernst. Art forms in nature. New York: Dover Publications, 1974.
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Figure 16 & 17 - Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012.
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Within this chapter, the applications of biomimetic design will be explored, beginning with

architecture. As previously stated, every organism that has been recorded provides designers and architects with a point of reference for anatomical or physiological inspiration. Every organism that science discovers, there is an opportunity for the design community to enhance our way of life by learning from them. Janine Benyus often uses the example of an insect that dwells in the Namibian desert. 19 It has no fresh water to drink, and still it survives in the arid climate. It sustains itself through drinking fog. With a matt black shell, it absorbs as much heat during the day, and when the temperature drops at night, the condensation formed on its back is funnelled to its mouth through a combination of waxy bumps that act as a magnet for water.
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Ingenious. Scientist

Andrew Parker, based in Oxford studied this anatomical adaptation and through collaboration with kinetic architectural firm Grimshaw, ideas for manufacturing coatings for buildings that gather water from fog are in early stages of prototyping. There are currently no images to support these ideas, so I have provided screenshots from a BBC Wildlife documentary (Figure 18) to explain how the process works in the natural World.

Figure 18
19 20 Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry. New York: Morrow, 1997. Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/ janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Figure 18 - YouTube. African beetles beat the heat in the Sahara desert - BBC wildlife. 2013. http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=XsMJNNshPOs (accessed 8 Dec 2013).
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Considering the figures relating to water shortage in future years, pending the success of

With regard to new architectural designs that are focussed more on complete innovation

scalability, its quite amazing what a little beetle could have done for our future. According to the World Water Management Institute, over 1/3 of the human population is affected by water scarcity. Projections show that, without improvements, by 2025 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity.
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as opposed to renovation, there are three key studios/architectural firms I will showcase. The first project is taken from Heatherwick studios, a bridge concept that applies the anatomical observation of how fern leaves open and close (Figure 20)
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to a functional structure. The very

Materials are an essential focus within

geometry of the structure was also designed with close reference to skeletal form (Figure 21) The subsequent structure was also presented as a way to make the process of a bridge opening a less cold and soulless experience, removing this element of one form breaking and introducing the idea that each end of the structure would kiss the other (Figure 22).

architecture, and within biomimetic design, materials are selected that are conducive to the ongoing cycle of symbiosis. Carbon dioxide is considered as a building block, not a toxin. If one compares the use of standard concrete within Modern architecture, the very production of one ton of regular cement emits one ton of CO2. One particular US company, Calera, have observed the way corals absorb carbon dioxide within their building process (Figure 19) and subsequently generated a recipe for a cement that absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere and uses it within their cement recipe, sequesting half a ton of carbon dioxide in the process.
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These examples are

a way of visualizing how existing buildings can be greened to improve their sustainability, a biomimetic-functional-ornamentation of sorts. Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

21 22

Asknature.org. Fog-catching materials - Ask Nature - the Biomimicry Design Portal: biomimetics, archi tecture, biology, innovation inspired by nature, industrial design. 2013. http://www.asknature.org/prod uct/ce46c846e11fb2e99eff7f1143df3bd3 (accessed 8 Dec 2013). Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks /janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Figure 19 - Calera.com. Welcome to Calera. 2013. http://www.calera.com/site/beneficial-reuse-of-co2/ process.html (accessed 8 Dec 2013).
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23 Fern Life Center. Why the Fern?. 2013. http://www.fernlifecenter.com/about-fern-life/why- the-fern/ (accessed 8 Dec 2013). Figure 21 & 22 (overleaf) Heatherwick, Thomas. Thomas Heatherwick. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012.
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Figure 22

That example was an intelligent way of utilizing form found in nature with a function for a

new structure. But Heatherwick studios have also proposed some amazing concepts that aim to promote sustainability. One development project in Malaysia led aims to make a development project not just cost effective, but also improve the experiential side of living and integrate the housing within a miniature rainforest that could potentially enable residence to grow some of their food, and collect rainwater from the leaves and shrubbery. Instead of a tower being a rectangular block with a few trees fighting for sunlight at ground level, the ground floor is moved to the top of the tower, where the biggest commercial benefit lies, and all the towers are linked together. (See Figure 23) So were building these buildings. Theyre actually identical, so its quite cost-effective. Theyre just chopped at different heights. But the key part is trying to give back an extraordinary piece of landscape, rather than engulf it.
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(See Figure 24 overleaf)

Figure 23
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Ted.com. Thomas Heatherwick: Building the Seed Cathedral | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Figure 23 - Heatherwick, Thomas. Thomas Heatherwick. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012.
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Figure Figure 24 24

The next project is one whose origins can be seen in the work of Buckminster Fuller, previously

mentioned in the previous chapter. The Eden project is so called because it is constantly evolving, there is no definitive end, and rightly so because as with nature: the process is ongoing. The familiar sight of geodesic forms have evolved from the singular dome forms of Fullers work, and into a series of biomes transmuted into a series of soap bubbles.
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(Pearman 2003) Pearman

continues his metaphorical analysis of Eden by commenting on how the structure is frequently encountered in nature, from honeycombs to the compound eyes of insects, both suggested that its designers were working along the right lines structurally, and chimed with the aims of Eden.
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(Pearman 2003) Please refer to Figures 25 & 26 for a visual explanation.

One of Edens architects, Michael Pawlyn references the study of pollen grains, radiolarian

and carbon molecules during the process of assessing the structural efficiency of using hexagons as the base shape for each panel. So we started exploring this material called ETFE. Its a highstrength polymer. And what you do is you put it together in three layers, you weld it around the edge, and then you inflate it. And the great thing about this stuff is you can make it in units of roughly seven times the size of glass, and it was only one percent of the weight of doubleglazing.
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Herein lies the value of observing how nature has refined its structural process, and

as a consequence the practical benefits of using less material resulted in the finished superstructure utilizing more solar intake, With less steel we were getting more sunlight in, which meant we didnt have to put as much extra heat in winter. 28 And from the financial side, less material means less cost proof that short-term materials are anything but intelligent. With the advancement of materials, Buckminster Fullers ecotopian vision seem less far away than once thought.
25 Pearman, Hugh and Andrew Whalley. The architecture of Eden. London: Eden Project, 2003. 26 Ibid 27 Ted.com. Michael Pawlyn: Using natures genius in architecture | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/michael_pawlyn_using_nature_s_genius_in_architecture.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013). 28 Ibid
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Figure 24 - Screenshots from: Ted.com. Thomas Heatherwick: Building the Seed Cathedral | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013).
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Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 25 - Pearman, Hugh and Andrew Whalley. The architecture of Eden. London: Eden Project, 2003. p 16 - 17 Figure 26 - Pearman, Hugh and Andrew Whalley. The architecture of Eden. London: Eden Project, 2003. p. 20, 21, 33, 36, 37
26 27

Another architectural development that promotes sustainability is the Masdar arcology

project in Abu Dhabi (Figures 27 30). The city will rely entirely on solar energy and renewable energy sources, resulting in a zero waste ecology. Chief architect Norman Foster describes Masdar as the only true experiment, on the planet at this moment in timeseeking to achieve an environment, a community, a mini city which is carbon free and waste free.
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Its a demonstration

how an environment should not be seen as a limitation for life, but an opportunity for innovation working with nature in harness with nature.
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In addition to harnessing solar energy, the

Figure 28

greenery in the Masdar complex is not used in a cosmetic sense, but by creating shade and absorbing excess carbon dioxide the addition of vegetation helps burn the waste humans produce and create more energy. Contrary to the cynicism towards the use of photovoltaic technology within Emmotts fiction 10 Billion [
31

], one of Masdars PV researches Wolfgang Kessling has

taken the concept of solar absorption further. Not only can solar energy be harnessed to as a power source, but it can be utilized to become a cooling device. The series of images in Figures 31 34 explains this concept, and is already been developed into the stadia being constructed for the Qatar World Cup. Figure 29

Figure 27
29 YouTube. Masdar The Green City. 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhI8gJjHecQ (accessed 3 Dec 2013). 30 Ibid 31 the production of the new generation of solar panels involves nitrogen triflouride one of the most potent greenhouse gases on earth (Emmott, Stephen. Ten Billion. London: PENGUIN BOOKS LTD, 2013.) Not only is this a false statement but Angela Belcher of MIT (to be covered later) has already begun a pro- ject where viruses are re-programmed to pick up carbon nano-tubes and then grow titanium dioxide around themeffectively producing genetically engineered solar cells.
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Figure 30
Figures 27 - 30 - Screenshots sourced from: YouTube. Masdar The Green City. 2013. http://www.you tube.com/watch?v=QhI8gJjHecQ (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Figures 31 - 34 - Screenshots sourced from: Ted.com. Wolfgang Kessling: How to air-condition outdoor spaces | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/wolfgang_kessling_how_to_air_condition_ outdoor_spaces.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013).
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Figures 31 - 34

Figure 35

The final biomimetic architectural example I want to showcase is the Fab Tree Hab,

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(Figures 35 & 36) found in Myers book Bio-Design. A combination of CNC produced scaffolds are complemented by the ancient process of pleaching. Existing trees are shaped to form wall and roof structures. This particular concept promotes an interdependency between nature and people, where our houses become living organisms.
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This particular concept is a long-term

benefit to the surrounding ecosystem and to the inhabitant of the module. This example is still early in its development, but through continued collaboration with MIT and botanical institutes, Joachim, Greden and Arbonas concept could start a new revolution of development projects in rural locations. As much as this idea seems a little too removed from our current societys ideal, Professor of Architecture, David Benjamin from Columbia University comments on the benefits of interdisciplinarity: collaboration across disciplines is helpful to break out of old patterns of thinking. 34 And this is crucial, our ways of thinkind are old-fashioned and we are dependent upon the inception of innovative ideas that challenge our perceptions, but ultimately benefit our longterm sustainability.
32 Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p 58 - 62 33 Ibid 34 Ibid. p 256-257
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Figure 36

Figures 35 & 36 - Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p 58 - 62

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The next application of biomimetics to design outputs will be observed through vehicular

form. Nature is the key collaborator in this series, with the primary focus on observing anatomical forms and translating them into vehicular designs. Beginning with the car, synonymous with carbon emissions, accidents and a machine that is in desperate need of simplification. Within the biomimicry community, Ross Lovegrove A.K.A Captain Organic is an individual who champions natural growth patterns, 35 convinced that form is something nature produces so well, and these beautiful forms that only nature creates 36 should be the influence behind all design. As nature evolves, anything superfluous is eliminated and as Lovegrove rightly says cars are made from around 30,000 componentscouldnt you make that from 300? 37 One of Lovegroves concept vehicles, KYOTO (Figure 37) is what he refers to as an example of fat-free design.
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The

very shape of the vehicle is modelled on a droplet of water (Figure 38), and the vehicle itself is holistically integrated, powered by solar panels. It has no engine, and less than 300 components Its transparent which also improves a drivers decision making and general awareness, being less anaesthetised from solid panels and feeling more at one with the outside World.

35 Lovegrove, Ross. Supernatural. New York: Phaidon, 2004. 36 Ibid 37 Ted.com. Ross Lovegrove: Organic design, inspired by nature | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/ross_lovegrove_shares_organic_designs.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013). Figure 37 - Ross Lovegrove. Kyoto. 2013. http://www.rosslovegrove.com/index.php/custom_type/kyoto/?categ ory=transport (accessed 8 Dec 2013). Figure 38 - Screenshot sourced from: Ted.com. Ross Lovegrove: Organic design, inspired by nature | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/ross_lovegrove_shares_organic_designs.html (ac cessed 23 Nov 2013). 38 Lovegrove, Ross. Supernatural. New York: Phaidon, 2004.
33

Figure 38

Direct anatomical influence from organisms in nature has also led to the concept design

of the Bionic car (Figure 38) A collaboration between G.M Opel & Mercedes Benz led to the proposal of a vehicle that is modelled on the streamlined form of the Ostracion cubicus, or Boxfish in laymans terminology. The engineers also used the computer simulation to configure other body and suspension components in the car, resulting in the car weighing 30 percent less, while maintaining stability, safety, and handling.
39

The chasis for the car was developed by using

software to break down the angular, yet aerodynamic boxfish form (Figure 39) and translate that information to an algorithm that adds or subtracts materials to generate a high stress absorbing, but lightweight data blueprint. Now for a physiological adaptation that could revolutionise Figure 37 vehicular industry. Janine Benyus held another talk on Biomimicry
40

this year and she eludes to

the advancement in sensory technology for vehicles. We have 3.6 million car collisions a year and in the natural World, take a swarm of locusts, where there can be as many as 80 million in a square kilometre and yet they dont collide with one another. 41 This is due to a large neuron in the abdomen of all locusts, and through feedback response, they are always aware of their position with regard to another locust. There is a Newcastle based individual (unnamed) that is currently working on developing an algorithm for this neuron to generate a collision-avoidance circuitry system that could be incorporated within existing vehicles.
42

This, although uncertain,

truly eludes to the power of nature, and its undiscovered geniuses that Benyus organisation asknature.org is hoping to reveal and share with the industry so more innovation can be instigated within separate disciplines, so pooled knowledge can manifest in integrated departments that are fuelled by nature, designed for humans to work with nature.

39 Asknature.org. CAO and SKO design software - Ask Nature - the Biomimicry Design Portal: biomimetics, architecture, biology, innovation inspired by nature, industrial design. 2013. http://www.asknature.org/ product/99d6740a0a07a9d003480f1c414ee177 (accessed 8 Dec 2013). 40 Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicrys surprising lessons from natures engineers | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_shares_nature_s_designs.html (accessed 28 Nov 2013). 41 Ibid 42 Ibid
34 35

Figure 38

Another transportation mode: train. The J.R West Bullet Train engineers had an issue. The

end of the vehicle had a rounded nose, like a bullet, but this caused a huge pressure wave to build up when it exited a tunnel resulting in a sonic boom. As a way to quiet the train, one engineer turned to the humble kingfisher. One key observation made was the shape of the beak (Figure 40) And if one refers to Figure 41
43

, an extraordinary photograph taken by Czech

photographer Jack Hedley, you can see there is not the slightest disturbance in the water as the beak begins to pass from air to water. So by remodeling the nose of the train (Figure 42), the sonic boom disappeared and thats not all. It made the train go 10 percent faster on 15 percent less electricity
44

. Benyus frequently paraphrases a hypothetical question with relation to biomimicry:

45

what if, every time I started to invent something, I asked, How would nature solve this?

This very statement is something every designer could consider working by. Design needs to, if Figure 39 anything, begin with biomimicry and then accelerate to bio-integrated design. To mimic suggests a lack of integration, and this does bring into doubt the notion of just re-designing our World with biomimetic ornamentation. There is a need to start from scratch, taking a bottom up approach and beginning with nature from the start. This is echoed in Myers chapter Hybrid Frontier.
46

Highlighting the need to dissolve our archaic perception of what should incorporate nature and what shouldnt; Nature and humans should never be separate disciplines working independently, the same can be said for architecture, science, art and design.

Figure 38 - Wikipedia. Mercedes-Benz bionic car.jpg. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mercedes- Benz_bionic_car.jpg (accessed 8 Dec 2013). Figure 39 - Image Source: Biomimetics: Design by Nature. National Geographic, 2008
36

43 Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/ janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). 44 Ibid 45 Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry. New York: Morrow, 1997. 46 Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p. 8-9
37

Figure 40

Figure 41

And so to the sea. Despite our species being one that constantly creates environmental

problems, there are some individuals within our twisted gene pool that see solutions, and find them directly from observing our natural World. Oil spills in the Gulf, radioactive discharges in Fukishima and millions of tons of plastic debris have two things in common. The first, is that they have affected our oceans, but the second is that their continued detrimental effects are also due to the forces of nature. Wave patterns and ocean currents exacerbate the impact of these human errors. There is, however, a glimmer of hope to be found within observing the very forces that drive our errors. And one particular inventor, Cesar Harada has begun to explore the most efficient ways of rectifying these ongoing problems. Both through nature inspired innovation and Worldwide collaboration through the use of Open Hardware. To explain his methodology, please refer to Figure 43. This is an image that depicts the conventional method of cleaning oil spills: dragging oil absorbent material across the dirt. These boats not only require fuel to drag the material against the winds, but also the cleaning process is incredibly inefficient. Furthermore, in situations where the spillages to be cleaned are hazardous, the need for manned operations leaves the fishermen and women openly exposed to radiation and harmful fumes. So the solution. A combination of elements, the first is utilizing the ancient technology of sailing. By following wind currents and natural wave patterns, the cleaning process is both quicker and requires less energy (Figure 44 - 45). The second is re-designing the shape and function of the boat itself to become more suited to following natural patterns (46 51). The hull must evolve from the fixed to the flexible, mimicking the kinetic movements of marine creatures whilst dragging the oil absorbent Figure 42
Figure 40 - Asknature.org. Untitled. 2013. http://www.asknature.org/images/uploads/strategy/4c3d00f 23cae38c1d23517b6378859ee/kingfisher_eharrington.jpg (accessed 8 Dec 2013). Figure 41 - Screenshot sourced from:Ted.com. Janine Benyus: Biomimicry in action | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_biomimicry_in_action.html (accessed 3 Dec 2013). Figure 42 - Wired.com. Untitled. 2013. http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/08/shin kansen-500.jpg (accessed 8 Dec 2013).
38

material behind resulting in the Worlds first flexible hull ocean conservation sailing vessel (Figure 52).

39

Figure 46

Figure 47

Figure 43

Figure 48

Figure 49

Figure 44

Figure 50

Figure 51

Figure 45

40

41

Figure 52

I briefly mentioned Open Hardware and Worldwide collaboration. To provide you with Figure 53

more context and background on this concept, Ill borrow an extract of Haradas TED talk. I started publishing online, and some friends from Korea shared interest in the project and began to share ideas about how we could prototype a boat that has a front rudder and a back rudder. If the entire boat becomes a point of control and changes shape, what will happen?
47

And this

is the collaborative input that helped Protei get to where it is today, with constant advice and support from a global network of collaborators over an online network (protei.org). The collective input sped up the design and prototype process, replacing competition with collaboration.
48

Harada also promotes a need for businesses to reshuffle their priorities (Figures 53 54),
49

because without the environment we have nothing, thats why its Proteis top priority.

With

the growing presence of technology, Protei aim to utilize the online gaming community to control a series of autonomous drones. This concept is not just limited to cleaning up our catastrophes, but also to perform functions that manned vessels cannot. Examples like monitoring radioactivity levels near power plants, monitoring fisheries, aiding in oceanographic patrols and as previously mentioned, collecting plastic debris.
47 Ted.com. Cesar Harada: A novel idea for cleaning up oil spills | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/cesar_harada_a_novel_idea_for_cleaning_up_oil_spills.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013). 48 Ibid 49 Ibid
42

Figure 54

Figures 43 - 54 - Screenshot sourced from: Ted.com. Cesar Harada: A novel idea for cleaning up oil spills | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/cesar_harada_a_novel_idea_for_cleaning_up_ oil_spills.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013).
43

And finally, commercial aviation. One particular vision I want to showcase comes direct

The particular prototype Schaefer unveiled at a recent TED presentation was modelled on

from Airbus Cabin and Cargo Innovation department. Their manager, Bastian Schaefer recently presented a scaled prototype sharing Airbus collective vision of the not so distant future of aviation ( Figure 55). I would like to begin by taking a quotation from within Frank Lloyd Wrights 1938 article Ideas for the future. 50 This article was in response to Buckminster Fullers Dymaxion house, As a machine to live in, this house would surely increase human happiness just as the automobile and airplane did.
51

the structure of bone (Figure 56). And within his talk, and I quote, We cannot predict the future. We can only create a vision of the future[we need] to create a vision which reveals disruptive ideas that are inspiring, and this is the most important reason which breaks the chains of common thinking.
52

Schaefer and his team at Airbus are primarily focussed on sustainability with their

new concept, and this can be seen in their remodelling of components within the aircraft that are not only lighter, but stronger because these components have been designed to mimic bone structures (Figure 57 & 58). These, new design rules help us reduce weightthe biggest issue in aircraft designdirectly linked to greenhouse gas emissions. Figure 56
53

To increase human happiness is a statement that brings into

question how something like flying could be perceived as less of a fearful experience, and instead, an enjoyable one. This enjoyment could also be enhanced by a reduced sense of guilt when boarding a plane knowing that its carbon footprint could be dramatically lower than how we assume them to be now.

Figure 55

Figure 57
50 Lloyd Wright, Frank. Ideas for the Future. The Saturday Review, LCXII, 17th September 1938. P.44-65 51 Ibid Figure 55 - Screenshot sourced from: Ted.com. Bastian Schaefer: A 3D-printed jumbo jet? | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/talks/bastian_schaefer_a_3d_printed_jumbo_jet.html (accessed 28 Nov 2013).
44

Figure 58

52 Ted.com. Bastian Schaefer: A 3D-printed jumbo jet? | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/ talks/bastian_schaefer_a_3d_printed_jumbo_jet.html (accessed 28 Nov 2013). 53 Ibid
45

The very shape of the aircraft is completely different, perhaps even considered alien in comparison to the standard Airbus A380. But as a result of remodelling the form, resulting in a rivet-less shell, more light enters the cabin, with no individual windows, more a viewing platform from within that although some may consider more fear inducing, may actually revert that fear of being trapped in a tube flying at 37,000ft (Figure 59 & 60). If one sees the outside World, one feels more connected, as previously outlined in the presentation of Lovegroves KYOTO concept. And as futurist Jason Silva said, If we can imagine it, why not make it so?
54

Figure 59

Figure 60
54 Ted.com. Bastian Schaefer: A 3D-printed jumbo jet? | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted.com/ talks/bastian_schaefer_a_3d_printed_jumbo_jet.html (accessed 28 Nov 2013). Figures 59 - 60 - Screenshot sourced from: Ibid
46

This section will briefly cover applications of biomimetic design in products, with more

made at room temperature without the need to use chemicals or toxins. Figure 64 depicts the small prototype, powering a green LED. She hopes that by scaling the concept, one day we could all be driving virus powered vehicles, and thats her dream to drive a virus-powered Prius.
55

emphasis on sustainability of products being covered in subsequent chapters. As briefly eluded to earlier, there is a vast amount of research that has stemmed from biomimicry and is moving into the realms of synthetic biology. I want to focus on MIT, with two brief projects where researchers have found ways to control nature to perform design and construction roles. Professor of Energy at MIT Angela Belcher has been involved in several collaborations where viruses have been modified at the nano-scale to produce power and make power sources (Figures 61 -63). Figure 61

To think that we could no longer require lithium ion batteries in everyday products is an amazing idea, dramatically reducing the harmful effects that the chemicals and toxins within batteries have on our environment. Figure 64

Figure 62

Mentioned briefly on page 28, the possibilities of manufacturing solar cells using viruses

are becoming ever advanced. With a standard solar panel there is no ability to adjust the Figure 63 performance levels past moving them to areas that have higher levels of solar exposure. With a genetically engineered solar cell, one can actually increase the efficiencies of the unit. And in less than 4 weeks, they synthesized a solar cell from 8% efficiency to 11%. (Figure 65) As small an improvement this may seem, as the project evolves and further collaboration ensues, the projections of super-efficient solar cells being made available are incredibly exciting. Again, an By reprogramming the pre-existing, exquisite structure of viruses to carry other elements example of how nature really does have the answers, waiting to be discovered by those curious
55
48

in the periodic table, Belcher and her team succeeded in producing a record breaking battery,
Ted.com. Angela Belcher: Using nature to grow batteries | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted. com/talks/angela_belcher_using_nature_to_grow_batteries.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013).
49

enough to look for them; Like Belcher, if we all take advantage of how nature makes materials, to make things that nature hasnt yet dreamed of making, 56 surely there really is no man made problem that we cannot solve with nature as our chief engineer. Figure 65

Lovegroves personal philosophy is to create forms that touch peoples souls,

57

and through

creating such emotive work, perhaps this field of biomimicry and beyond will be seen as inspiring, not just another green-wave of whimsical idealists.

Within the field of product design, Ross Lovegroves studio certainly encapsulates what

biomimetic design can really do to everyday products. The example I want to present is his concept for the water bottle. A simple concept, a simple container but Lovegrove deconstructs conventional form, and creates both an object of desire and a functional product (Figure 66). The container is modelled on his own digital drawing (Figure 67 - 68) of what he believes water is represented by. But the very fluidity of the object encourages the hand, all hands, even arthritic hands to adapt to the shape of it comfortably. This is another prime example of how a conventional perception of what a container must look like, is both out dated and cold but also lacking in functionality. Figure 66

Figure 67

Figure 68

56 Ted.com. Angela Belcher: Using nature to grow batteries | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www.ted. com/talks/angela_belcher_using_nature_to_grow_batteries.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013). Figures 61 - 65 - Screenshots courced from: Ibid
50

57 Figure

Ted.com. Ross Lovegrove: Organic design, inspired by nature | Video on TED.com. 2013. http://www. ted.com/talks/ross_lovegrove_shares_organic_designs.html (accessed 23 Nov 2013). 66 - 68 - Ross Lovegrove. 2013. Ty Nant. [online] Available at: http://www.rosslovegrove.com/index.php/ custom_type/ty-nant/?category=product [Accessed: 9 Dec 2013].
51

For a product to be sustainable, it must adhere to five basic principles. They should be part

of natural cycles, and this element of cyclic awareness can serve as a valuable tool for stripping away any superfluous design elements. Like Lovegroves simplified chair designs or Philippe Starcks Emeco Hudson chair, made from recycled aluminium that can be re-recycled once its use is no longer required (Figure 69).

Figure 69 The next principle relates to the use of renewable energy within the design process, so sourcing materials that have been responsibly grown or produced using solar, bio or hydroelectric energy to name a few examples. One principle, that I personally believe is one of the more important is efficiency. Most electrical products are built to last for a duration of 2-4 years, and after this point a more advanced system is released rendering the former useless. If a product is more efficient, in its durability or its functionality it can reduce environmental damage by not having to be disposed of. The next principle is safety, in its function and in the materials used to create it. Even making a simple switch from a white board marker to a prang soyabean crayon (Figure 70) would have a drastic impact on the reduction of harmful chemicals being injected into products. And finally,

53

the principle of increasing the social aspect of a product; There is limited room for products that serve no benefit to the user and others. Edwin Datschefki, a specialist within the promotion of sustainable design comments on the importance of sustainability within products, and how their beauty is intrinsic within the embracement of all five principles.

body weight in materials every two days. It seems clich to reference one of Einsteins many quotes within a dissertation, but for the sake of relevance, the World we have is the product of our way of thinking.
60

As has been addressed in previous chapters, our old design rules are

having an extremely detrimental affect on society and the World as a cyclic macrocosm. I dont wish to continue dwelling on outdated Modernistic principles and characteristics, but there is a lot of truth in the following sentiment, courtesy of Axel Thallemer (A renowned corporate design chief). A product should not be made with the intention of looking good. A good design goes beyond appearances,61 otherwise it serves as a financial game for faceless organizations. As members of a wider ecosystem, there is an urge for each one of us to accept the very responsibility of living sustainably. There is one particular product that has entranced me on many levels, not only with its simple concept but that a single product enforced an entirely new trajectory in my mind with regard to design, and I intend to share some of my new projects in the final chapter. This product is called the Blood Lamp
62

. It works on so many levels, but to put it bluntly, you

have to bleed to appreciate it. Inside a glass vessel is a liquid called luminol. This is used within Figure 70 A totally beautiful sustainable product is 100 per cent cyclic, solar and safe. It is also super efficient in its use of materials and energy and is made by a company that actively seeks fairness for its employees and suppliers.
58

the forensic science field and when combined with blood, the irons present in blood activate the liquid, creating a vibrant blue glow (Figure 71). The very gravity of making such sudden changes within our everyday lives is one that causes concern for longevity, but by being curious and embracing new ways of thinking, these small steps amount to a whole lot of change.

Datschefski shares some real truths about the state of our consumerist culture, for example:

over 30 tonnes of waste are produced for every tonne of product that reaches the consumer98 per cent of those products are thrown away within six months.
59

Quite shocking figures, but to

understand this on a more personable level, this equates to a simple fact we consume our own
58 59 Datschefski, Edwin. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Prs-Cligny, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2001. p 10-11. Datschefski, Edwin. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Prs-Cligny, Switzerland: RotoVision, 2001. p 16-17.
54

60 61 62

Ibid. p 18. Ibid p19-20. Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p 188 - 189
55

Figure 71

Figure 69 & 70 - Datschefski, Edwin. The total beauty of sustainable products. Crans-Prs-Cligny, Switzer land: RotoVision,2001. p. 114 - 117 Figure 71 -Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p 188 - 189
56

Within this chapter, I want to share my experiences within a sci/arts collaboration project

collaboration is that of language. The same words and expressions can mean totally different things for different disciplines. 65 The very first process in Broad Vision involves members of each discipline presenting to others about their fields of expertise, and there is importance placed upon the notion that all participants are both experts and novices allowing for ignorance to be embraced. If one looks at language from a more literal perspective, within a group of individuals there are both social and cultural barriers with regard to language. But an online space like Ning (a more project based social networking site) offers the opportunity for language barriers to be broken, through language translation software to the notion of communication in a less personable field catering for the more socially awkward individual.

that I have been involved in since 2012. What I must highlight from the start is that one could see bringing my own perspective on integration and collaboration as biased. So to put your mind at rest, let me begin by saying how I had no intention of working with scientists from the start I just wanted to take advantage of having access to new technologies and apparatus. I joined Broad Vision from an entirely selfish perspective, hoping to get the most out of other departments and reap the benefits of being published and have the opportunity to exhibit in a London gallery. I feel ashamed to admit this, but a combination of arrogance and immaturity fuelled these cognitive desires. But something amazing happened, and it was because of the exposure to new disciplines, new environments and new mediums that I feel proud to say my former self has evaporated.

Let me begin by outlining what Broad Vision is. Broad Vision is an art/science research

I ended up collaborating with a human and medical sciences student, one Benjamin Palmer

based at the Cavendish campus, a part of UOW. And our project was founded upon a shared desire to make something beautiful, innovative and sustainable. In our recent seminar at the HEA conference, Palmer often comments about his assumptions for how our collaboration would manifest. He assumed it would be a three month tug of war with him needing to lead me on every aspect of the science side; but luckily, he perceived it as more of a relay race. Our background knowledge within our fields would fuel the other with ideas and solutions. He introduced me to the entrancing World of Bioluminescence, and within this arena we devised a project that would celebrate this phenomena whilst entering into a new field of opportunity within sustainable art and design. Our Vibronacci concept (Figure a) was just the start, whilst collaborating with one another on a more ideas and skills based level, I have already begun devising a new concept for a sustainable lighting device that uses zero electricity, relies purely on magnetism, is cheap, replicable at home and most importantly, will transform Marine food retailers and biological Laboratories into new forms of Power Stations. The Vibrioptic light (Figure
65 Catts, Oron in Myers, William. Bio design. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012. p.270-272
59

and learning project at the University of Westminster, London, UK The ethos of Broad Vision is one of a community of discovery, where the hierarchy of lecturer student relations is reduced to a minimum. Rather than lecturer and student, the terms researcher and student researcher, or the non-discriminatory participant are used. 63 I was privileged enough to work alongside some amazing artists, scientists, lecturers and fellow participants that entirely changed my trajectory in life and with work. Within the research that is now being published relating to the Broad Vision model, Silke Lange and John Smith talk in-depth about the importance of the migration effect. Both in physical spaces and online spaces, like the Ning portal: an online social network, namely Ning, allowing participants to engage from different places and at different times.
64

Several leading members within the sci/arts collaborative field often talk about language barriers within inter-disciplinary projects The main issues with almost all types of cross-disciplinary
63 64 Lange, Silke and Smith, John R A (forthcoming). Promoting Learning via Migration: Interdisciplinary Learn ing Spaces. In: Nygaard, C., Branch, J., Scott-Webber, L., and Bartholomew, P. (eds.) Learning Spaces in Higher Education. LIBRI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK. p.1-4 Ibid p.5
58

b) concept is powered by bioluminescent bacteria in liquid solution. This can be synthesized by extracting the fluid from a squid in a pressure cooker or cultured in a laboratory from a vibrio fischeri/photobacterium phosphoreum culture. And within this dissertation, I have constantly referred to the importance of having ones archaic perceptions dissolved, embracing new mediums and seeing the benefit in looking at design with a sustainable eye. And my experience is not the only source of clarification as to the benefits of cross-disciplinary transactions. I was struck at how ones discipline transcends ones physical environment; everyone looked the same [because of the lab coats] but approached their task so differently. The session was designed to introduce everyone to the scientific method and the use of microscopes [...] Working with people who are not afraid of asking dumb questions, experiencing what we, as scientists, take for granted and seeing how people adapt to a new environment has been a significant pedagogical wakeup.
66

Within these conclusions, I too have made mine within the fields of integration and inter-

disciplinary collaboration. There is no time like the present to have your perceptions dissolved and begin a new journey down a new path that embraces the very notion of mutualism; And this path is by no means a straight line Imagine that every star in the cosmos represents a new perception, there is no suggested route to get to each one, more a suggested mentality to adopt on route: that curiosity unlocks new thinking. Figure a

Even the lecturers commented on how foreign members entering their environments

benefited their own understanding of their fields, but also embracing a new group that see things completely differently:When artists come into the lab they ask what happens if we do this, this and this and Id say, lets try it Science students will go into a lab, see a certain type of equipment and use it for that purpose, whereas people from a different discipline come in and just want to have fun, not just for the sake of it, they are curious.
67

Lange and Smith concluded

within their research that the novelty of migrating between discipline-specific spaces encouraged flexibility in thinking and innovation in production of knowledge It is the adaptation to a space, or migration to another space, that is key. It is these abilities of adaption and migration that are so desirable in preparing graduates for life beyond university.68

66 67 68

Lange, Silke and Smith, John R A (forthcoming). Promoting Learning via Migration: Interdisciplinary Learn ing Spaces. In: Nygaard, C., Branch, J., Scott-Webber, L., and Bartholomew, P. (eds.) Learning Spaces in Higher Education. LIBRI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK. p.12 Ibid. p.14 Lange, Silke and Smith, John R A (forthcoming). Promoting Learning via Migration: Interdisciplinary Learn ing Spaces. In: Nygaard, C., Branch, J., Scott-Webber, L., and Bartholomew, P. (eds.) Learning Spaces in Higher Education. LIBRI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK. p.14
60

Figure a - Duncan, Robbie Anson & Palmer, Benjamin. Vibronacci. Photographs courtesy of Westgate, Simon Figure b - Duncan, Robbie Anson (unpublished)
61

Figure b

62

At a recent HEA seminar on the proposal of incepting a similar educational model like Broad

profit generated from recycling the plastic (that is comparable to the weight of 1,000 Eiffel towers
70

Vision in other institutions, I couldnt help but leave with one thought. The seminar ended with a group discussion trying to decipher the negatives of an inter-disciplinary program. The usual, bureaucratic issues were raised, but most notably, I couldnt help but notice that the vast majority of the more mature members of the audience seemed so lifeless. There was no enthusiasm. Having not spent more than two decades in the educations system, especially exposed to the usual issues within education institutions, perhaps I am being unreasonable. But for every negative that was raised, I was silently telling myself at least three counter-arguments. The inherent cynicism that seemed to be shared amongst the attendees was shocking. Call me nave, or an optimist or any other patronising phrase But maybe the very nature of being a digital native, brought up in a World of technology and in some cases, being sheltered from hardships experienced in previous decades is mine, and other natives saving grace. With regard to a topic like the oceans, and the urgency to conserve and protect them there seems to be more focus on the negatives than the positives. For example, Charles Moore, researcher and effect discoverer of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch estimated that it would take 79,000 year to remediate the issue of 7.25 million tons of extractable plastic that is known to be in our oceans
69

). Simple. His idea embraces ocean currents, as each vessel will be fixed to the seabed, letting

the rotating currents do the work. Resulting in the saving of vast amounts of funds, manpower and emissions.
71

The vessels are designed around the aerodynamic and streamlined Manta

Ray, powered by renewable energy and most of all as an effective form of clean up solution, it would generate $500,000,000 from recycling funds. I believe that the key thing is that if we realize change is more important than money, money will come.
72

Cynics of this idea may

consider the concept as the product of idealist thinking, I call it inspiring, from every angle. Youth is power, minds that see solutions, not problems within the solutions.

. That figure, 79,000 should not

have been the figure broadcasted through the media, filling people with further cynicism. Take one 19 year old, Boyan Slat, still a student. He recently spoke at a TEDX conference proposing a potential solution. His concept involves the collaboration between marine biologists, engineers, oceanographers, scientists and especially, his fellow students. His proposed idea involves the construction of a fleet of Manta Ray shaped vessels, that collect the debris (Figures 72 75) They are unmanned, powered by a combination of solar, wind and hydro energy and effectively collect the plastic, transfer it into a separate container for it to be recycled back on land. And the
69 Boyanslat.com. The Ocean Cleanup - Boyan Slat. 2013. http://www.boyanslat.com/in-depth/ (accessed 11 Dec 2013).
64

70 YouTube. How the oceans can clean themselves: Boyan Slat at TEDxDelft. 2013. http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=ROW9F-c0kIQ (accessed 6 Dec 2013). 71 Ibid 72 Ibid Figures 72 - 75 - Screenshots sourced from: Boyanslat.com. The Ocean Cleanup - Boyan Slat. 2013. http://www .boyanslat.com/in-depth/ (accessed 11 Dec 2013).
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To conclude, it is evident that sustainable design relies upon the shared praxis of disciplinary

contribution. Collaboration is an effective way of devising concepts and projects that can solve solutions with a sustainable awareness in mind. The very integration of disciplines leads to a furthered understanding of many research areas, leading to a more informed, intelligent solution. By dissolving our archaic perceptions of what our future must entail, one can seek the answers by observing the anatomical and physiological adaptations of species in the natural World. They are the most reliable case studies 3.8 billion years of lean, efficient design that will continue to thrive or would, had our species not intervened so detrimentally. As members of a cyclic biosphere, we have an obligation to work on a more mutualistic basis with our fellow inhabitants of the Earth ecosystem. The advances in architecture have many roots in Modernism, as a form of backlash against the cold, soulless, concrete steel and glass structures of the 19th Century. We must change our priorities, putting the environment at the forefront of our concerns, allowing potential profit to be the resulting income from harnessing nature not exploiting it. There should be less focus on finding the pitfalls in the ideas from new waves of digital natives, with less emphasis placed on lack of age and experience, and instead, embrace the idealism within innovative ideas from younger generations. Most of all, in spite of the many catastrophes we as a species are responsible for, we too are part of an evolutionary cycle and to the natural World, we are nave. Yet nature never fails to provide us with blueprints for solutions to rectify our mistakes, there is no cynicism within the natural World only opportunity. It is our challenge to seek out the solutions, to be curious, to integrate with fellow collaborators to make this World an Eden worth staying on.

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