More examples of biomimetic design

Habitat 2020, China (image via Webecoist)

Webecoist collected 12 more examples of biomimetic design, this time inspired by the leafs of plants. Many of the examples are related to buildings. But once again, although these nice examples are inspired by nature, this does not mean that they are intrinsically sustainable.

Green lighting: a beginner's guide

Inhabitat presents Green lighting 101: a beginner's guide to eco & energy efficient indoor lighting (made by Philips). It contains basic, but very useful information on energy efficient lighting, with information on some new developments in lighting products.

A flying car: science fiction or reality?

Source: Techniline Sirris / Terrafugia

Science fiction movies and comics often show future cities where cars are flying in the air. Will this become reality once? 
Terrafugia, a company created by engineers from MIT already succeeded in developing a prototype: the Transition. It still looks and makes noises like an airplane, but it can drive you home after landing.

Hard plastic with a soft feel

This is a technique developed by Nissan that has nothing to do with sustainability, but nevertheless intrigues me as an engineer: a hard plastic with a surface that feels soft and moist.
Interesting is also that the article explains what physical process causes our sensation of a moist or soft feel.
This technique might have some interesting opportunities for interior design.

Tree structure for the Qatar National Convention Center

source: www.designbuild-network.com

The new Qatar National Convention Center, QNCC, that will be finished in 2011, aims to be the first convention center with a gold LEED rating according to the standard of the US Green Building Council. The concept of the building is designed by Yamasaki Architects based on a design by Arata Isozaki.
Striking is already the tree structure at the main entrance that supports the canopy of the building. Buro Happold is the design consultant for the tree structure.
Although the building strives for a high sustainability level, it is questionable whether this structure is the most material efficient solution. More details and renderings of the building can be found on Designbuild Network.

Foam based on artificial photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use sunlight to make organic material. Researchers try to copy and apply this process in an artificial way to fix CO2.
An example of a foam based on artificial photosynthesis developed by a research group in Cincinatti can be found on sciencenet.

Design inspired by nature



Lighter and stronger building materials
inspired by bird skulls (source: Webecoist)


Once again Webecoist presents a collection of 14 nice examples of inventions and design inspired by nature and 13 examples of design inspired by the sea

Intelligent building façade

Homeostatic façade system (source: www.fastcodesign.com)

The homeostatic façade system is a very nice example of an intelligent building façade system to control the solar gains in a building (still a prototype), based on the principle of dielectric elastomers. But it is not clear to me if the material of which this prototype is made is so sustainable.

Wildlife bridge or ecoduct

Source: www.weertfm.nl

In one of its items, Webecoist mentions the design of a green wildlife bridge to help wildlife savely crossing a highway that passes through a national park in Colorado.
In the province of Limburg, Belgium they have already since 5 years such a wildlife crossing, the ecoduct Kikbeek. That this bridge is very useful for animals to pass the highway, is shown with these images by night made by TVLimburg of wildlife crossing the ecoduct.
Also in the Netherlands, several examples of wildlife bridges can be found.

Daylight

In all the attention paid to energy efficiency and rational use of energy in buildings, the focus on the benefits of daylight is still limited. The Dutch organisation Stichting Living Daylights promotes the application of daylight in the built environment with a wide range of information on daylight, daylight experts, good examples of daylight application in buildings and the yearly Daylight Award. The website is in Dutch, but some of the publications are in English.

Biomimetic design

10 nice examples of biomimetic design inspired by insects collected by Webecoist, but biomimetic is not necessarily sustainable.

Home renovation with highest LEED score ever

source: Inhabitat

In Chicago a home has been thoroughly renovated and earned the highest LEED score ever. A reportage by Inhabitat.

Interview with architect Steven Holl

Inhabitat interviewed architect Steven Holl on the importance of sustainability in his architectural design.

Interview with architect and C2C author William McDonough

Inhabitat did an interview with the green architect and founder and co-author of Cradle to cradle William McDonough on his approach to sustainable design.