As stated in my introduction, I am very passionate about exploring the interactions between the built world and the natural world. Biomimicry is a fascinating concept that allows for humanity to learn from the the ecosystem that has proven its worth and efficiency long before us.
The first function I thought of was the ability for plants to purify the air as well as filter water in wet environments. The same could be applied for air and water filtration in buildings. could be used. The Covent Garden in Belgium shown below in the photographs actually utilized plants for filtering their water system.
The Covent Garden building includes a large atrium garden with a glass roof. It serves not just as a social space, but also utilizes the plants to process its grey and black water through biological filtering systems, just as these plants do in their natural ecosystems. Through this, the building has integrated natural purification and recycling of water, and in turn is 95% self-sufficient in its water supply. The building is thus utilizing plants in order to purify water as it does in the natural world.
The second example I thought of was within leaves. Leaves have chloroplasts that absorb sunlight. We can think of this as windows that let sunlight into the building.
The third piece I thought of was how delicate flowers and plants regulate their temperature throughout the day, same as HVAC systems. An inspiring example is a facade (called Pho’liage) that mimics a flower’s capability of opening and closing in order to reduce heating demands during the winter, as well as prevent the building from overheating in the summer. It is thermoregulating and the excess solar energy is converted into electricity.
Lastly, as a general example I think about the idea of building cooling. Just as a body react to cold by going into homeostasis in order to regulate the body’s internal temperature, we can do just the same in a building by automating the heating and cooling controls.