Biomimicry and Sustainable Design: Nature as Engineering Marvel
Desert adaptations of cactus.Copyright 2006 Wendy J. Holmgren, Vanderbilt University
Students are introduced to the concepts of biomimicry and sustainable design. Students can use the associated activities to see how engineers gain inspiration from studying nature and its unique properties. Countless examples illustrate the wisdom of nature in how organisms are adapted for survival, such as in body style, physiological processes, water conservation, thermal radiation and mutualistic relationships, to assure species perpetuation. Students learn from articles and videos, building a framework of evidence substantiating the indisputable fact that organisms operate "smarter" and thus provide humans with inspiration in how to improve products, systems and cities. As students focus on applying the ecological principles of the previous lessons to the future design of our human-centered world, they also learn that often our practices are incapable of replicating the precision in which nature completes certain functions, as evidenced by our dependence on bees as pollinators of the human food supply. The message of biomimicry is one of respect: study to improve human practices and ultimately protect natural systems. This heightened appreciation helps students to grasp the value of industry and urban mimetic designs to assure protection of global resources, minimize human impact and conserve nonrenewable resources. All of these issues aid students in creating a viable guest resort in the Sonoran Desert.
Many of nature's adaptations result in the conservation of energy and reduction of waste, which are variables of immeasurable interest to engineers and manufacturers. Aeronautical engineers have long studied the flight capabilities of hovering hummingbird and spiraling steep dives of peregrine falcons. For the 2009 Olympics, Speedo designed Fastskin® body suits to mimic shark scale design that prevents eddies and vortexes from forming and creating drag. Engineers of all types directly benefit from the study of biomimicry and the application of sustainable design. While biomimicry enables humans to imitate, we are incapable of replacing and replicating the studied species, as evidenced by colony collapse disorder and the unexplainable loss of bees as pollinators, which is causing farmers of orchard, berry and vegetable crops tremendous economic hardship.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Define biomimicry and provide examples from the natural world that have been copied for human gain.
- Explain how biomimicry supports sustainable design and why humans cannot simply replace natural systems with human designs.
- Explain how aeronautical design has benefited from biomimicry.
- Explain "Nature's Nine Laws" as stated by Janine Benyus. Defend why these laws should or should not be widely implemented.
- Demonstrate a grasp of how the function of natural systems is dependent upon its endemic species and their unique adaptations.
- Provide a solution for approaching and improving the ways in which we design products, systems and cities by incorporating biomimicry in their individual designs.