BIOMIMICRY(also known as biomimetics, biognosis, bionics, or bionical creativity engineering) is the application of methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. Also a short form of biomechanics, the word 'bionic' is actually a portmanteau formed from biology (from the Greek word "βιος", pronounced "vios", meaning "life") and electronic. The transfer of technology between lifeforms and synthetic constructs is desirable because evolutionary pressure typically forces natural systems to become highly optimized and efficient. Biomimicry is an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf.The goal is to create products, processes, and policies---new ways of living---that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long period of time. The Biomimicry Guild helps innovators learn from and emulate natural models through workshops, research reports, biological consulting, and field excursions. EXAMPLES OF BIOMIMICRYBirds = Jets  Birds have been able to boost the distance they're able to fly by more than 70 percent though the use of the V-shape. Scientists have discovered that when a flock takes on the familiar V-formation, when one bird flaps its wings it creates a small updraft that lifts the bird behind. As each bird passes, they add their own energy to the stroke helping all the birds maintain flight. By rotating their order through the stack, they spread out the exertion. A group of researchers at Stanford University realize fuel savings by taking the same tactics, led by Professor Ilan Kroo. By traveling in a V-shape with planes taking turns in front as birds do, Kroo and his researchers think aircraft could use 15%  less fuel compared to flying solo. Lotus = Paint  The lotus flower is sort of like the sharkskin of dry land. The flower's micro-rough surface naturally repels dust and dirt particles, keeping its petals sparkling clean. If you've ever looked at a lotus leaf under a microscope, you've seen a sea of tiny nail-like protuberances that can fend off specks of dust. When water rolls over a lotus leaf, it collects anything on the surface, leaving a clean and healthy leaf behind.A German company, Ispo, spent four years of researching this phenomenon and has developed paint with similar properties. The micro-rough surface of the paint pushes away dust and dirt, diminishing the need to wash the outside of a house. Geckos = sticky tapeWhat if we learned to make tape, for example, from geckos? Geckos are lizards that can crawl up any surface, even smooth glass… … because of the unique structure of their toe pads.Or what if we learned to clean things like leaves do? Have you ever noticed how things in nature are often so clean? You don’t see janitors out there, dusting off the trees! How do they do it? In the case of this leaf, the lotus plant…  The surface of the leaf has tiny tiny bumps on it, that you can’t even see with the naked eye. The bumps cause water to ball up, and the balls of water slide along the leaf pulling off dirt particles as they go.  It turns out Nature is FULL of good ideas for how to do things. Afterall, when you think about it, the other species on this planet have had to learn to do many of the same things that we humans have to do – find energy, move things from one place to another, store things, communicate with one another, make materials and fibers, etc. And nature has been doing all of these things for a LONG time. So it’s really good at doing all of these things. For example spider silk [see photo above] is 5 times stronger than steel given its size. Humans still can’t build anything that strong!  APPLICATION TO ARCHITECTUREUsing biomimicry, people have learned from beetles how to collect water even in dry places like deserts, like this Namibian beetle does.   

 They’ve learned from the lotus leaf how to make self-cleaning paint, so that buildings don’t have to be cleaned anymore because the rain does it for free.   They’ve learned from termites and termite mounds how to keep buildings cool in the summer without using expensive air conditioning systems…  T-shirt that wicks sweat like a horned lizard Shoe soles that grip like a mountain goatUnderwear that breathe like stomates of plantsFasteners that stick like burrs  Clothing colored without dyes like a butterfly, a peacock, or a sea slug       Sandwich bags that biodegrade like tethers of blue mussel and zip closed like a feather     What we as designers, artists and developers take away from an investigation into biomimicry can initially seem fruitless. However, we all know that knowledge is power and given time, ideas grow. Definitely a little slower in the business community, but nevertheless, sustainable companies will soon make their mark, if they haven’t already, and soon enough, we will have a very real choice between designing for the future and designing for the past. So as both consumers and companies become more familiar with the concept of sustainability, we as designers, engineers, entrepreneurs and hippies need to take a closer look at the possibilities within sustainability.    Termite den = Office buildingTermite dens look otherworldly, but they are surprisingly comfortable places to live. While the temperature outside swings wildly throughout the day from lows in the 30s to highs over 100, the inside of a termite den holds steady at a comfortable (to a termite) 87 degrees.Mick Pearce, architect of Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, studied the cooling chimneys and tunnels of termite dens. He applied those lessons to the 333,000 square-foot Eastgate Centre, which uses 90 percent less energy to heat and cool than traditional buildings. The building has large chimneys that naturally draw in cool air at night to lower the temperature of the floor slabs, just like termite dens. During the day, these slabs retain the coolness, greatly reducing the need for supplemental air conditioning.   Habitat 2020′s Breathing Leaf-Like Skin Just like the surface of a leaf, the ‘skin’ of the Habitat 2020 building reacts to external stimuli, opening, closing and breathing throughout the day through a system of‘cellular’ openings that allow light, air and water into the apartments contained within. Designed for China, Habitat 2020 improves indoor air quality and provides natural air conditioning – the skin can even absorb moisture from the air and collect rainwater before purifying and filtering it so it can be used by the building’s inhabitants.  Durian Fruit-Like Skin for the Esplanade Theater It resembles an enormous metallic durian fruit, but the Esplanade Theater spiky exterior is not just made for protection or menacing looks. The scales actually make up an elaborate louvered shading system that adjusts throughout the day to let in natural light but protect the interior from overheating. Spiraling Skyscrapers Inspired by Mangrove Trees The model of a spiraling skyscraper was inspired from the complex ecosystems formed by the mangrove tree. The city of spiraling skyscrapers is called Mangal City and the main idea is to show the possible architectural future of London. Mangal City represents an urban ecological system. It is made of modular pod capsules that move

according to environmental circumstances. The Mangal City makes use of biomimetic principles that were borrowed from different sources     Butterfly Wings Could Lead to Better Solar PanelsIn 2009, scientists discovered that butterfly wings have scales that act as natural solar collectors, which absorb light in an ultra-efficient way. Using a natural butterfly wing as a template, researchers were able to improve light-harvesting in dye-sensitive solar cells, which have the highest light-conversion efficiencies among all solar cells. Best of all, this method of producing solar collectors is more cost-effective than others that were previously used. The metal and glass wings, directly inspired by the exoskeleton of a dragonfly, house the plant and animal farms. Due to the appropriate sun and wind conditions within these wings, proper soil nutrient levels can be achieved to maximize plant growth. Exterior vertical gardens filter rain water, and once that water is mixed with domestic liquid waste, both are treated organically in order to be reused for farming needs.  ING Group headquarters, AmsterdamDesigned by Roberto Meyer of Meyer en Van Schooten architects, Amsterdam The designers of ING Group's HQ came up with an ingenious and energy saving device for a building which is made up of a lot of glass. A double skin facade reduces the need for air conditioning and provides natural ventilation for the workers inside it as well as saving energy. Plantation Place, LondonDesigned by Arup Associates, London As well as having a double skinned facade, like the ING Bank, Plantation Place has a blind system which responds locally to the sun, keeping it in or out only where and when absolutely necessary. It also has an air filtration system which works rather like our lungs. The polluted air is kept out at ground level and cleaner air is pulled in from higher up and pumped through the building.MunichOlympic Stadium, Munich, GermanyDesigned by Behnisch & Partner, Stuttgart, Germany The Munich Olympic Stadium is notorious for the terrorist attack at the 1972 games but it has also become one of the most iconic Olympic venues. It can be compared to a spider's web in the way it uses strength and grace together and is a perfect example of using the minimum amount of material to cover a vast area. Commerzbank, Frankfurt, GermanyDesigned by Foster & Associates At 300 metres high this is Europe's tallest building. Despite its size, the architects have come up with really ingenious design solutions to get the best out of the 2,500 staff that work here. One third of the building is taken up with gardens. Plants provide enriched oxygenated air which makes the brain work better, resulting in higher performance from staff.  The Eden Project, CornwallOriginal concept by Tim Schmit, Eden Project designed by Grimshaws The Eden Project is biomimetic in all five areas touched upon in the programme. It's aim is to promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people and resources, leading towards a sustainable future for all.SUSTAINABILITY AND BIOMIMICRY What is SustainabilitySustainability is one of the key issues affecting design today. So what is sustainability?Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. For humans, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible planning and management of resources. 

Biomimicry, is the goal of reproducing nature’s solutions to problems. Problems like, how do I stay alive? And how can I live better? How can I take advantage of the Internet (at that time, it was just birds, bees and wind)? Nature has an amazing set of skills when it comes to problem solving and biomimicry is about adapting those natural solutions to our many man-made problems. EndCan YOU look to nature for inspiration?

Environmentally Critical AreasA Critical Environmental Area (CEA) is land that has earned special protection under SEQR regulations. To be designated a CEA, the area must have one or more of the following characteristics:

1. It is a benefit or threat to human health.2.  It is a natural setting. Wildlife habitats, wetlands, forests, and lakes are some examples of a natural setting.3. It has agricultural, social, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or educational values.4. It has an inherent ecological, geological or hydrological sensitivity to change that may be adversely affected by any

change.

 Technical Definitions and Scopes

1. 1.      All Areas Declared by Law as National Parks, Watershed Reserves, Wildlife Preserves and Sanctuaries  

2. 2.      Areas Set Aside as Aesthetic Potential Tourist Spots  3. 3.      Areas which Constitute the Habitat for Any Endangered or Threatened   Species of      

   Indigenous Philippine Wildlife (Flora and Fauna)  

4. 4.      Areas of Unique Historic, Archeological, or Scientific Interests  5. 5.      Areas which are Traditionally Occupied by Cultural Communities or Tribes 6. 6.      Areas Frequently Visited and or Hard-Hit by Natural Calamities (Geologic   

   Hazards, Floods, Typhoons, Volcanic Activity, Etc.)  

7. 7.      Areas with Critical Slope  8. 8.      Areas Classified as Prime Agricultural Lands 9. 9.      Recharged Areas of Aquifers  

10.  Waterbodies  11.  Mangrove Areas  12.  Coral Reefs13. All Areas Declared by Law as National Parks, Watershed Reserves, Wildlife Preserves and Sanctuaries14.  National parks 15.  Watershed Reserves16.  Wildlife preserves 17.  Areas Set Aside as Aesthetic Potential Tourist Spots18.  Aesthetic potential tourist spots shall refer to areas declared and reserved by the Philippine Tourism Authority for tourism development.19.  Areas Which Constitute the Habitat for Any Endangered or Threatened Species of Indigenous Philippine Wildlife (Flora and Fauna); Indeterminate species ; Threatened species; Rare species;Endangered species20.  Areas of Unique Historic, Archeological, or Scientific InterestsAreas of unique historic, archeological or scientific interest shall refer to military and non-military shrines which are of cultural and historical significance to the nation. This classification shall include national historical landmarks and paleontological and anthropological reservations. 21.   Areas Which are Traditionally Occupied by Cultural Communities or TribesThis shall refer to all ancestral lands of National Cultural Communities identified in Sec. 1 of P.D. No. 410 and settlements designed, implemented and maintained by the PANAMIN for national minorities (non-Muslim hill tribes referred to in P.D. No. 719).

22.  Areas Frequently Visited and or Hard-Hit by Natural Calamities (Geologic Hazards, Floods, Typhoons, Volcanic Activity, Etc.)

1. a.      Areas Frequently Visited or Hard-Hit by Typhoons2. b.     Areas Frequently Visited and Hard-Hit by Tsunamis3. c.       Areas Frequently Visited and/or Hard-Hit by Earthquakes4. d.     Storm Surge-Prone Areas5. e.      Flood-Prone Areas

23.  Areas with Critical SlopeThis shall refer to all lands with slope of 40% or more not classified in this listing as environmentally critical. This classification shall cover alienable and disposable forest lands and unclassified forests. 24.  Areas Classified as Prime Agricultural LandsPrime agricultural lands shall refer to lands of capability classes A, B, Ce, De as determined by the land Capability Classification Guide of the Bureau of Soils, but shall not include lands that shall be devoted to non-agricultural purposes or are part of permanent reserves, as designated in the zoning ordinance approved by HSRC.25.  Recharged Areas of AquifersRecharged areas of aquifers shall refer to sources of water replenishment where rainwater or seepage actually enters the aquifers. Areas under this classification shall be limited to all local or non-national watersheds and geothermal reservations. 26.  WaterbodiesWater bodies shall refer to waters which are tapped for domestic purposes, within the controlled and/or protected areas declared by the appropriate authorities and which support wildlife and fishery activities. This classification shall cover all fresh surface water bodies which are Class AA, A, B and C as per NPCC classification. Likewise, this shall include all marine turtle and fish sanctuaries. 27.  Mangrove AreasMangrove areas are tidal areas covered by salt-tolerant, intertidal tree species .This classification shall refer to areas declared as mangrove swamp forest reserves by Proclamation No. 2152 and mangrove forests declared as wilderness areas by Proclamation No. 2151. 28.   Coral ReefsCoral reefs shall refer to areas characterized by the assemblage of different types and organisms belonging to Phylum Coelenterata. This classification shall include all areas identified by local sources such as the Marine Sciences Center or UP-NSRC, MNR, NRMC, etc. to be rich harvest grounds for commercial varieties of corals.   Environmentally Critical ProjectsAn ECP is a project of mankind that causes harm to the environment. Environmental Critical Projects

1. 1.      Heavy Industries2. 2.      Resource Extractive Industries3. 3.      Infrastructure Projects

 

1. 1.      Heavy Industries1. a.      Non-Ferrous Metal Industries2. b.     Iron and Steel Mills3. c.       Petroleum and Petrochemical Industries4. d.     Smelting Plants

 

1. 2.      Resource Extractive Industries1. a.      Major Mining and Quarrying Projects2. b.     Forestry Products3. Logging Projects

4. Major Wood Processing Projects5. Introduction of Fauna in Public/Private Forests6. Forests Occupancy7. Extraction of Mangrove Products.8. h.     Grazing Projects9. Dikes for/and Fishpond Development Projects

 

1. 3.      Infrastructure Projects1. Major Dams2. Major Power Plants3. Major Reclamation Projects4. Major Roads and Bridges

 Case of Rapu Rapu Island The small island of Rapu Rapu is the one of the most resourceful island here in the Philippines before, because of this island resources and its genuine land the island was chosen as the source of mining .  Rapu Rapu Mining causes environmental degradation, pollution and health problems brought about by this mining operation, residents become poorer when government fails to rehabilitate the degraded ecosystems on which the people depend to. Concerns have been raised that the mine has lessened the availability of drinking water.Landslides have increased and following blasting activity at the mine.Impact and damage of the construction to the environmentMining destroyed the major sources of livelihood (fishing and agriculture) of the local communities. It has brought economic difficulties to the people of Rapu-Rapu and Sorsogon. Based on published literature, the effects of cyanide, silt and heavy metals are devastating. Cyanide immediately kills fishes and other aquatic organisms. Silt injures the gills of fishes, eventually suffocating them and finally killing them. Heavy metals in turn are toxic to fishes and other marine life. Elevated levels of copper for instance also cause immediate deaths.Heavy metals also impacted marine and terrestrial plants through the destruction of their cells or the disappearance of starch in the chloroplasts inside the leaves. Examples are the grass bio indicator, Cyperus Kyllingia and Digitaria Ciliaris. Thus, no food is produced consequently affecting health and growth of dependent animals in the process of eating and being eaten along the food chain. Some plants accumulate heavy metals in their bodies, yet the effects are not manifested externally. This is the danger of heavy metal pollution. Without warning, their levels in the body of living organisms can increase dramatically. There are two widely used ways of mining that causes damage and degradation to the environment: strip mining and underground mining.Strip mining (also known as open cast, mountaintop or surface mining) involves scraping away earth and rocks to get to coal buried near the surface. In many cases, mountains are literally blasted apart to reach thin coal seams within, leaving permanent scars on the landscape as a result.     Impact of Strip Mining

Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. This in turn leads to soil erosion and destruction of agricultural land.

When rain washes the loosened top soil into streams, sediments pollute waterways. This can hurt fish and smother plant life downstream, and cause disfiguration of river channels and streams, which leads to flooding.

There is an increased risk of chemical contamination of ground water when minerals in upturned earth seep into the water table, and watersheds are destroyed when disfigured land loses the water it once held.

Strip mining causes dust and noise pollution when top soil is disrupted with heavy machinery and coal dust is created in mines

 Underground MiningThe majority of the world’s coal is obtained through underground mines.  While underground mining, which allows coal companies to extract deeper deposits of coal, is viewed as less destructive than strip mining, it still causes

widespread damage to the environment. In room-and-pillar mines, columns of coal are left to support the ground above during the initial mining process, then they are often taken out and the mine is left to collapse, which is known as subsidence. In long wall mines, mechanical shearers strip the coal from the mines. Support structures that enable the shearers’ access to the mine are eventually removed, and the mine collapses.Impact of Underground Mining

Underground mining causes huge amounts of waste earth and rock to be brought to the surface – waste that often becomes toxic when it comes into contact with air and water.

It causes subsidence as mines collapse and the land above it starts to sink. This causes serious damage to buildings.

It lowers the water table, changing the flow of groundwater and streams. In Germany for example, over 500 million cubic metres of water are pumped out of the ground every year. Only a small percentage of this is used by industry or local towns – the rest is wasted. What’s worse is that removing so much water creates a kind of funnel that drains water from an area much larger than the immediate coal-mining environment.

Coal mining produces also greenhouse gas emissions.

 Solutions to minimize the impact of the damage to the environment 1. Preventing polluted water from affecting the processing plant and creeks by using sandbags to hold back the silt and water;2. Financial compensation and tax incentives to solve economic losses by fishermen and as solution to the environmental problems resulting from the destruction of an island;3. Self-monitoring which is the most ridiculous requirement of the DENR since mining projects are proven to create quite a number of environmental problems. In this requirement, the mining company simply informs the concerned government agencies of leaks, broken pipes and the like during their operations, after which, the same agencies can now respond.For the environment of Rapu Rapu , No amount of taxes, no amount of rehabilitation fund will ever compensate for the damage to a fragile environment because the damage is irreversible and would last for several generations for the rapu rapu island, (2000 years according to National Geographic Magazine).

What is Biomimicry?

Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a new discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example. I think of it as "innovation inspired by nature."

The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. This is the real news of biomimicry: After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.

Like the viceroy butterfly imitating the monarch, we humans are imitating the best adapted organisms in our habitat. We are learning, for instance, how to harness energy like a leaf, grow food like a prairie, build ceramics like an abalone, self-medicate like a chimp, create color like a peacock, compute like a cell, and run a business like a hickory forest.

The conscious emulation of life's genius is a survival strategy for the human race, a path to a sustainable future. The more our world functions like the natural world, the more likely we are to endure on this home that is ours, but not ours alone.

Looking at Nature as Model, Measure, and Mentor

If we want to consciously emulate nature's genius, we need to look at nature differently.  In biomimicry, we look at nature as model, measure, and mentor.  

Nature as model: Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature’s models and then emulates these forms, process, systems, and strategies to solve human problems – sustainably.  The Biomimicry Guild and its collaborators have developed a practical design tool, called the Biomimicry Design Spiral, for using nature as model.

Nature as measure: Biomimicry uses an ecological standard to judge the sustainability of our innovations.  After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has learned what works and what lasts.  Nature as measure is captured in Life's Principles and is embedded in the evalute step of the Biomimicry Design Spiral. 

Nature as mentor: Biomimicry is a new way of viewing and valuing nature.  It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.

WHY BIOMIMICRY NOW?We humans are at a turning point in our evolution. Though we began as a small population in a very large world, we have expanded in number and territory until we are now bursting at the seams. There are too many of us, and our habits are unsustainable. Having reached the limits of nature’s tolerance, we are finally shopping for answers to the question: “How can we live on this home planet without destroying it?”

Just as we are beginning to recognize all there is to learn from the natural world, our models are starting to blink out—not just a few scattered organisms, but entire ecosystems. A new survey by the National Biological Service found that one-half of all native ecosystems in the United States are degraded to the point of endangerment. That makes biomimicry more than just a new way of viewing and valuing nature. It’s also a race to the rescue.

This is an excerpt from an interview with Janine Benyus (read the full interview)

Read the first chapter of her book.

WHAT IS BIOMIMICRY?Biomimicry is an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies---new ways of living---that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul.

The Biomimicry Guild helps innovators learn from and emulate natural models through workshops, research reports, biological consulting, and field excursions.

Our Biomimicry Innovation Method can help your company create products and processes that:

Are sustainable: Biomimicry follows Life’s Principles. Life’s Principles instruct us to: build from the bottom up, self-assemble, optimize rather than maximize, use free energy, cross-pollinate, embrace diversity, adapt and evolve, use life-friendly materials and processes, engage in symbiotic relationships, and enhance the bio-sphere. By following the principles life uses, you can create products and processes that are well adapted to life on earth.

Perform well: In nature, if a design strategy is not effective, its carrier dies. Nature has been vetting strategies for 3.8 billion years. Biomimicry helps you study the successful strategies of the survivors, so you can thrive in your marketplace, just as these strategies have thrived in their habitat.

Save Energy: Energy in the natural world is even more expensive than in the human world. Plants have to trap and convert it from sunlight and predators have to hunt and catch it. As a result of the scarcity of energy, life tends to organize extremely energy efficient designs and systems, optimizing energy use at every turn. Emulating these efficiency strategies can dramatically reduce the energy use of your company. Greater efficiency translates to energy cost savings and greater profitability.

Cut Material Costs: Nature builds to shape, because shape is cheap and material is expensive. By studying the shapes of nature’s strategies and how they are built, biomimicry can help you minimize the amount your company spends on materials while maximizing the effectiveness of your products patterns and forms to achieve their desired functions.

Redefine and Eliminate “Waste”: By mimicking how nature transitions materials and nutrients within a habitat, your company can set up its various units and systems to optimally use resources and eliminate unnecessary redundancies. Organizing your company’s habitat flows more similarly to nature’s, will drive profitability through cost savings and/or the creation of new profit centers focused on selling your waste to companies who desire your “waste” as a feedstock.

Heighten existing product categories: Biomimicry helps you see stale product categories in a radically different light. This new sight creates an opportunity for innovation.

Define new product categories and industries: Biomimicry can help you create disruptive technologies, that transform your industry or help you build entirely new industries.

Drive Revenue: Biomimicry can help you create whole new growth areas, reignite stale product categories and attract both customers who care about innovation and sustainability.

Build Your Brand: Creating biomimetic products and processes will help your company become known as both innovative and proactive about the environment.

To Explore Biomimicry further visit www.biomimicryinstitute.org   and discover:

Case Studies of Biomimicry Concepts Biomimicry Design Methodology Biomimicry Newsletters