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BIOMIMICRYIN

G
A SUSTAI NABLE SOLUTI ON FOR
ECO-FRI ENDLY STRUCTURES
By,
Raveesh L R
4NM13CCT11
Under the Guidance of,
Dr. Radhakrishnan K
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engg.
Contents
Introduction
Principles of Biomimicry
Levels of Biomimicry
Concept of Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
Biomimicry in Practice (Examples)
Lavasa Hill City Biomimicry Application in India
Benefits of Biomimicry
Conclusion
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Introduction
Bios
=
Life
Mimesis
=
Imitation
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Introduction
Biomimicry operates on the principle that in its 3.8 billion year history,
nature has already found solutions to many problems we are trying to solve.
Biodegradation, recycling, effective energy consumption, diverse forms and
surfaces of plants and animals etc.
Studying and understanding these can also offer powerful tools for
sustainable approaches towards long-term prosperity.
Biomimicry is multi-disciplinary subject involving wide diversity of other
domains like architecture, electronics, medicines, biology, chemistry,
mathematics etc.
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Principles of Biomimicry

Nature runs on sunlight.
Nature uses only the energy it needs.
Nature recycles everything.
Nature rewards cooperation.
Nature banks on diversity.
Nature demands local expertise.
Nature curbs excesses from within.
Nature taps the power of limits.
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Levels of Biomimicry
Organism Level Behaviour Level
Ecosystem Level
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Levels of Biomimicry
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Organism
Level
Form The building looks like a termite.
Material
The building is made from the same material as a
termite; a material that mimics termite exoskeleton /
skin for example.
Construction
The building is made in the same way as a termite; it
goes through various growth cycles for example.
Process
The building works in the same way as an individual
termite; it produces hydrogen efficiently through meta-
genomics for Example.
Function
The building functions like a termite in a larger context; it
recycles cellulose waste and creates soil for example.
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Behaviour
Level
Form
The building looks like it was made by a termite; a
replica of a termite mound for example.
Material
The building is made from the same materials that a
termite builds with; using digested fine soil as the
primary material for example.
Construction
The building is made in the same way that a termite
would build in; piling earth in certain places at certain
times for example.
Process
The building works in the same way as a termite
mound would; by careful orientation, shape, materials
selection and natural ventilation for example, or the
building mimics how termites work together.
Function
The building functions in the same way that it would if
made by termites; internal conditions are regulated to
be optimal and thermally stable for example.
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Ecosystem
Level
Form
The building looks like an ecosystem (a termite would
live in).
Material
The building is made from the same kind of materials
that (a termite) ecosystem is made of; it uses naturally
occurring common compounds, and water as the
primary chemical medium for example.
Construction
The building is assembled in the same way as a
(termite) ecosystem; principles of succession and
increasing complexity over time are used for example.
Process
The building works in the same way as a (termite)
ecosystem; it captures and converts energy from the
sun, and stores water for example.
Function
The building is able to function in the same way that a
(termite) ecosystem would; it is able to participate in
the hydrological, carbon, nitrogen cycles etc.
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Examples of Biomimicry
Fibres:
Aramid Fibre (Kevlar) Toughest Man-made Fibre.
Spider Silk Toughest Natural Fibre.
Spider Silk is stronger than steel, finer than human hair, more resilient than any
synthetic fibre, and completely biodegradable.
Spider silk is a perfect model polymer for high performance biomimetic fibres.
The only problem is that we have not managed to produce silk as effectively as the
spider does, whereas it manages to do it at ambient temperature and pressure with
raw materials of dead flies and water.
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Examples of Biomimicry
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Examples of Biomimicry
Efficiency in Transportation:
Shinkansen train Bullet train of Japan.
Pressure changes take place when bullet trains enter a tunnel.
Its shape resulted in boom of noise (pantograph noise) as the train goes through the
tunnel.


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Examples of Biomimicry
Eji Nakatsu was the GM of Technical development department for bullet
trains in Japan in 1990 attended seminar on birds.
Adopted features found in Kingfisher bird in bullet train to make it quieter
and faster.

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Examples of Biomimicry
Shape of a structure:
Disadvantages of a flat surface are,
Sag at the center of the horizontal element
Greater the loading, thicker must be the floor or the horizontal beams
that support it.
Longer beams deflect more.


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Examples of Biomimicry
Veins: Veins increase the functional thickness of leaves with only a little
extra investment of material.
Curvature: Make efficient use of curvature in their bodily forms to reduce
the requirement for their skin to withstand enormous tension forces.
Pleats: Set of pleats in the direction of bending, increases the effective
thickness without adding proper beams beneath the surface.
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Examples of Biomimicry
Corners:

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Problem Solution
Examples of Biomimicry
Building Ventilation and temperature regulation:
The Eastgate Centre is a shopping center and office building located
in Harare, Zimbabwe.
The challenge was to create a self-regulating ventilation system that
would keep the building at temperatures that are comfortable for
workers and residents.
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Examples of Biomimicry
Termites in Zimbabwe build gigantic mounds and inside develop
fungus as their food.
Maintains 30
o
C inside, when outside temperature varies from 1
o
C to
40
o
C.

Air is sucked in at the lower part of the mound, down into chambers
with muddy walls and up through a channel to the peak of the
termite mound.
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Examples of Biomimicry
Council House 2, Australia:
Council House 2 - Administrative building for the City of Melbourne
First in the country to achieve the highest possible rating of six stars
in Australias Green Star environmental accreditation.
In late 90s Melbourne City Council decided to go to zero emissions by
2020.
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Long term
sustainable
investment
Savings in
energy and
water cost
Improvement
in productivity
and health of
staffs
Examples of Biomimicry
Features of CH2:
Healthy design:
64% less CO
2
emission, and provides a working environment that
has improved staff effectiveness and reduced sick leave which
saves AUS$ 1.12 million for the City of Melbourne.
To give priority to the environment and also to its occupants.
Cooling and Heating:
Windows are opened at night to let cool air in, soaking into
thermal mass of the concrete floors indoor.
Recycled timber shutters were placed to open and close to control
Australias hot sun from entering the interior.
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Examples of Biomimicry
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Examples of Biomimicry
Energy:
A gas powered cogeneration plant provides 60kW of electricity,
meeting 40% of the buildings power requirements.
Some 48m of roof mounted solar panels heat 60% of CH2s domestic
hot water; a gas boiler supplements them.
Photovoltaic cells are also employed: a 26m array generates around
3.5kW of electricity.
Fresh air:
CH2s fresh air intake is 22.5 liters per person per second, about three
times the minimum prescribed in Australian building standards.
No air is reconditioned and circulated: it is all flushed out, providing
workspaces with fresh air every half hour.
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Examples of Biomimicry

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Examples of Biomimicry
Water:
Low consumption and extensive recycling reduces CH2s water
consumption by 72%, compared to its older building.
A water mining plant draws black water from the public sewer and
recycles it; along with recycled rainwater, supplies to irrigation,
toilet flushing and cooling.

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Examples of Biomimicry
Self Cleaning:

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Examples of Biomimicry
Colour Production:

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Lavasa Hill City
Biomimicry Application in
India
Developers HCC under Lavasa Corporation
Plan HOK, USA and Biomimicry Guild
Area 23,000 acres
Location Sahyadri Hills, 50kms from Pune
Population planned 3 lakh residents and 20 lakh Tourists per annum
Exclusives:
The first Indian city developed using Geographical Information
System (GIS)
Use of Biomimicry as a science in town planning
Hydro seeding in environment management
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Lavasa Hill City
Biomimicry Application in
India
How is it influenced by biomimicry?
The way to making the city sustainable is to emulate the processes
and design strategies of the moist deciduous forests of the region.
Annual rain fall of 500cm
20-30% - Returned to the atmosphere by evaporation from forest
canopy
7-10% to Aquifers
40-60% was absorbed by the soil and the vegetation
Rest is runoff
The evaporated component was responsible for keeping the
surroundings cool.
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Lavasa Hill City
Biomimicry Application in
India
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Lavasa Hill City
Biomimicry Application in
India
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Lavasa Hill City
Biomimicry Application in
India

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Concept of Cradle to Cradle
(C2C)
Presented by the German chemist Michael Braungart and the American
architect William McDonough.
Life cycle of a product - Should not end at the grave, but should circle
back to a cradle of a new product life cycle.
The three precepts of C2C are,
Waste equals food
Use current solar income
Respect and celebrate biodiversity
In nature there is nothing called as WASTE
C2C - Outputs (waste) from one system can become inputs (nutrients) for
another product or process in a cyclic system.
According C2C - Reducing, reusing, and recycling are not sufficient
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Concept of Cradle to Cradle
(C2C)
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Benefits Biomimicry
Biomimicry aims at sustainable businesses and restores the
connection between people and nature.
It propagates natures way of building to shape, resulting in reduction
of waste.
Biomimicry aims at,
Simple and economic favourable solutions that avoid the
requirement of complicated man-made structures.
Energy efficient solutions like renewable sources.
Efficient use of resources, everything gets recycled.
Efficient use of resources, structures based on bone and trees.
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Conclusion
Architecture and biology at first glance do not appear to be so
different, both are concerned with morphology and structuring.
A truly biomimetic approach to architectural design requires the
development of novel design methods.
If this is applied to architecture, then it becomes possible to develop
buildings that are strongly related to and affected by their
surrounding environment, and are much more advanced in terms of
environmental and sustainable performance.
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References
Agnarsson, I., Kuntner, M., & Blackledge, T. A. (2010),
Bioprospecting Finds the Toughest Biological Material:
Extraordinary Silk from a Giant Riverine Orb Spider.
Braungart, M., & McDonough, W. (2002), Cradle to Cradle:
Remaking the Way We Make Things. New York, NY: North Point
Press.
Janine Benyus (1997), Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by
Nature, Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
Salma Ashraf Saad El Ahmar (2011), Biomimicry As A Tool For
Sustainable Architectural Design.
www.building.co.uk
www.whalepower.com


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Lavasa, India
LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE AND YOU WILL
UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING
- Albert Einstein

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