BIOMIMICRY PROJECT

Criterion A

Problem Statement and Research.

Modern buildings crowd the grounds of the big cities of the world and are expected to cover more and more of the
world at a more rapid speed as expected before. These buildings most commonly use cement and steel. The
process of construction and manufacturing of cement involves emission of a large amount of greenhouse gases
such as CO2 into the atmosphere. A report from a leading group of metropolitan authorities, “C40”, says that
cement manufacturing accounts for approximately 11% of carbon emissions in the world which is expected to go
up by a significant margin over the next few decades. The figure on the left shows the global percentage of air
pollution sources. Construction counts for up to 45% of total emissions. While
this would have taken account a wide range of sources, it is still a large
percentage.

Modern buildings also take up a large space of land in an area giving very little
room for movement of people. This results in very crowded streets, as evident
from big cities like New York, London, etc. today.

As an example, the picture above shows Dubai is 1991 and 2017. There has been a large scale of construction over
the past 10 – 20 years in not only the UAE, but all around the world. This ground is now covered with very basic
designed buildings and the area very crowded. The earlier landscape, while looking rather empty, had a much
larger space for movement and work and fit the surrounding landscape.

A viewpoint for regular citizens would also give us an idea of the situation. “We have large buildings everywhere
today as compared to the small houses there used to be, yet there is much less space around now”, says my
grandmother. She says that the rate at which urbanization and construction had rapidly increased over the past
few years and is completely different to the small structures earlier. From this, we need to find a solution were
buildings stand out more, are more ecofriendly, and connect more with nature.

Biomimicry

What is a unique way of solving this problem? This answer is Biomimicry. What is Biomimicry? The past few
decades we have strayed away from nature with our designs of products, buildings, houses, etc. The first signs of
development and technology in mankind, involved the use of the gifts
provided by nature. This, although may not have been very
efficient, helped us connect more with nature and was ecofriendly. We
can use biomimicry to redesign buildings and products to not only look
closer to nature, but to also be ecofriendly so that the buildings fit
more with their surroundings.

Office buildings seem be the most distant from nature, having very
generic block designs and mostly being made from concrete or
glass. We can take office buildings in Dubai and redesign them with the help of biomimicry.
 Analyzing Existing Structures

Beijing National Stadium

Cost The production of the Beijing

National stadium is said to have
cost approximately 480million
dollars to construct and 11
million dollars each year just
for its maintenance. The
project went well over its
budget of 218 million however
the profit was made with the
Olympics which took place right
after it was built
Aesthetics The structure of the building is complex and
strays from the standard building design. It is
shaped in the form of a bird’s nest. The
building was designed to be porous and it was
inspired by Chinese ceramics. It consists of
two independent structures, standing 50 feet
apart a red concrete seating bowl and the
outer steel frame around it.
Function The main purpose of the stadium was to hold big sporting events such as the Olympics. It accommodated 80,000
seats. The 2008 Olympics was held at the stadium and its opening and closing ceremonies. It also held many
other football events like the Supercoppa Italiana in 2012
Quality The building has a floor space of 254,600 m2 and can seat as many as 80,000 seats and has a volume of 3
million cubic meters internally. It is around 70 meters tall at its highest point and 42 meters at its
shortest. The stadium is mostly made from steel for the covering, amounting to about 40000 tons of it
and round 11,000 tons of concrete for the base. This style of design, would give it a life span of around
100 years.
Environmental The building obviously uses biomimicry in its design as with its look of a bird’s nest. While it is made of around
Features 11,000 tons of concrete, it is still a step in the right direction as most of it is made of steel. The building also has
some very sophisticated advanced energy and environmental conversation design features like favorable
natural ventilation, maximized use of natural lighting, rainwater harvesting and recycling, solar powered
technology, etc. Makes it connect more with nature by utilizing the natural features for the building.

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The Gherkin

Cost 30 St Mary Axe cost around 138 million pounds to

construct and an additional 90 million pounds for
the land cost. The building is also going up value
every year, especially after it was sold to a Brazilian
billionaire. It is estimated to be now worth over 720
million pounds. This would make up for the big
budget it required to be built.
Aesthetics The design of the building was inspired by the lattice structure
of the Venus flower Basket Sponge. This kind of structure is
unique, and stable at the same time. The sponge’s structure is
known to provide the organism with stability and support
which directly influenced the design of the building. It has
many spiral structures from which some are open, and it is
rounded at the top which also gives it an egg like appearance.
Function The Gherkin is an office building and is the headquarters of many companies such as Swiss Re, Sky news.
Many television shows and radio shows are filmed at the building. While it is usually open to the public,
people may enter it during special occasions like the Open London House.
Quality The structure stands at a height of 590ft and office room usually go up to 550 ft. It has 24 elevator and
40 floors. The swirling striped pattern visible on the exterior has a structural point to it too, the result of
the building's energy system, which allows air to flow up through spiraling wells. The base and standing
structure were mostly made of steel. Around 10,000 tons of steel was used, which spread to about
35km. The building is also covered with 7,500 glass panels which form its spiral appearance.
Environment Apart from its design being inspired by nature, the building also has environmental features. The panels
adjust to the weather giving a more natural environment to the people inside, unlike the complete AC
filled buildings there usually is. The building also has natural ventilation. The building, literarily, adapts
itself to its surroundings just like nature and its organisms.

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Aldar Headquarters

Cost The Aldar Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE cost

around 1 billion dirhams which would equal to
around 270 million dollars. While it was profitable
when it was first built, in 2017 its net profit went
down by 3.8%. However, later investments
relatively improved revenue.
Aesthetics The design of the building was inspired by the clam
shell. The reason for its design, being that UAE has
a sea haring heritage and is known for its pearls
which. There are two large glass facades being
held together vertically as an open shell. Architect
referred to the image of human body in circle that
inscribed pentagram on another circle. The
bottom two points of pentagram were connected
to form a firm base for building to stand upright on
it. The round skyscraper has a curved glass skin
covering area of 4 football fields, which has
triangular designs all around it.
Function As the name implies, the building is the headquarters and office of the Al Dar company. It has 23 floors of
office space giving a large room for work. Their business is conducted there, but the main purpose of the
building was to create and wonder of architecture inspired by nature.
Quality The building spreads over an area of 123,000 sq. meters and stands at 121 meters tall. 12000 cubic meters
of Concrete was used to construct this Raft Foundation, which takes the building weight of about 59000
tons. Two separate pieces of concrete acted as backbone for the building. These concrete cores were
heavily reinforced with steel and were bound together closely. The skin of the building is made of glass
and steel was used to make the triangular designs on it. The clam design added stability to the structure
and with two lays of concrete being compressed on either side.
Environmen Apart from concrete, the building use recyclable materials like glass and steel. It also includes a district
t cooling plant as well as efficient lighting and water systems. The building will also have some
advanced energy and environmental conversation design features like favorable natural ventilation,
maximized use of natural lighting, rainwater harvesting and recycling, solar powered technology, etc.
By Hrishi Francis

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 Works Cited

Landberg, R. and Hogs, J., 2019. Bloomberg - Are you a robot?. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-06-20/what-s-wrong-with-modern-buildings-everything-
starting-with-how-they-re-made

Landberg, R. and Hogs, J., 2019. Bloomberg - Are you a robot?. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at:
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-06-20/what-s-wrong-with-modern-buildings-everything-
starting-with-how-they-re-made>

McFadden, C. and Lang, F., 2019. 7 Solid Facts about the Beijing National Stadium. [online]
Interestingengineering.com. Available at: <https://interestingengineering.com/7-solid-facts-about-the-
beijing-national-stadium>.

n.d. The Gherkin. [online] Available at: <https://fyslondon.weebly.com/the-gherkin.html>.

WikiArquitectura. n.d. ✅ Aldar Headquarters Building - Data, Photos & Plans - WikiArquitectura. [online]
Available at: https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/aldar-headquarters-building/

Gadza, A., Monroe, B., Jacobs, M. and Shauche, P., 2011. Al Dar Headquarters Details.
[online] Faculty.arch.tamu.edu. Available at:
<http://faculty.arch.tamu.edu/anichols/courses/applied-architectural-structures/projects-
631/Files/AldarHQ,.pdf>.

Criterion B

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 Specifications of Design
Specification
Size The building should have a
maximum height of 120-
123m, which is 405ft tall.
The base is 30 – 35 m wide
and the base gets slightly
narrower as the height
increases so that it caps at
25m wide at the top. Glass
panes would be used to
cover the areas without the
honeycomb plate.
A double plate on each side
will surround the building of
width of 20 m ending at 15
m at the top and 100m tall
evenly spaced from the
edges of the building and 5 –
10m thick.
Materials Skeleton would be made of
wood reinforced with steel.
The base of the building
would be made of concrete.
The honeycomb plate
would be made of graphite
fiber.
Aesthetics The building is semi-
cylindrical with one side
being relatively flatter than
the other. This gives it a
slightly irregular shape. The
honeycomb plate would
cover 75% of the flatter
sides. The hexagons on each
of the honeycomb plates will
be hollow to act as windows
and balconies for the
building, with railings made
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Justification Success Criteria
The height and base are as A relatively tall building with
specified as the building a slightly narrow base to
must be tall enough but give the impression of a tree
without being too wide but branch with a honeycomb.
having enough width so that
it gives the impression of
being a tree branch.
The plate attached
surrounding the building is
designed as a honeycomb
and the specification are so
to give the impression of a
beehive against a tree
branch.
Wood is used in the Building should be made
framework as it connects from reliable, cost efficient,
the building with nature and and strong materials that
gives it a natural element are also useful for
and it is reinforced with biomimicry.
steel as steel is cheap, very
strong and supports the
wood giving it a fusion
between modern and
natural style of architecture.
Concrete is used for the
base as most buildings use
concrete and it is reliable,
and some amount is needed
to support the building but
too much will not be used as
the environment is the main
concern.
Graphite fiber gives the
building a nice aesthetic and
creates a blend with
something from nature like
honeycombs with modern
material.
The building has this To design a building that is
somewhat irregular shape to pleasing to look at while also
give the impression of a tree using biomimicry to connect
bench. This is also to show with nature.
that nature is not perfect.
The plates with the
hexagons are made to look
like honey combs and takes
up 75% of the tree to show
the survival aspect of nature
and doing what is needed to
survive. The hexagons being
 of glass on each one. The
honeycomb plates are
slightly thick to give space
for a balcony and to provide
depth to the building.
Function This building is designed as
an office headquarters to
provide a workplace and
working environment.
Health and Safety The building will have.
Compartmentation,
Exits: Fire exits are clearly
marked with an exit sign,
Fire Alarm Systems: Fire
alarm systems provide a
rapid means of notifying all
building occupants of a fire
emergency, Fire
Extinguishers. Clinic and
measures in case of injury
and sickness should also be
there.
Environment The buildings design itself
uses biomimicry to
represent a beehive on a
tree. The buildings panels
will be made to adjust to the
weather. It will also have
natural ventilation through
the hexagons and hollow
framework. The building will
also have some
advanced energy and
environmental
conversation design features
like favorable natural
ventilation, maximized use
of natural lighting, rainwater
harvesting and recycling,
solar powered technology,
etc.
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hollow acting like windows is
to give the impression that
the people inside are bees
and are busy at work as this
is an office building as bees
are workers too.
Office buildings today are in To act as an office
most need of redesigning as headquarters
they stray away from nature
and use a lot of concrete
which pollutes the
environment. This building is
tall enough and has plenty
of room for an office and the
honeycomb design is to give
the impression of a beehive
with many bees which are
the people working there.
Compartmentation is critical To provide sufficient safety
to fire containment and measures.
successful evacuating. Fire
alarm systems provide a
rapid means of notifying all
building occupants of a fire
emergency. Fire safety is
especially important since
wood is used in the
framework.
The use of biomimicry is To provide environmental
used to make the building features that would make
more connected to nature. the building more connect
The current surround is filled to nature and be eco-
by bland designs and this friendly.
once will stand out. The
natural ventilation and
lighting are all things that
happen in nature. The use of
solar panels and rainwater
harvesting would help
conserve elements and
produce energy which is
ecofriendly. The panels
adjusting to the weather
makes the building adapt to
its surroundings just like all
elements of nature.
 Initial Ideas

Square design with

honeycomb features
at the top fading
towards the bottom
with rectangle
windows and wood
like base.

Cylindrical design
with electric
connectivity above.
Honeycomb design
around the cylinder
with rectangle base.

Semi – cylinder base

with honeycomb
plates around the
branch base which
act like windows.

Squarish design with

soft edges with
honeycomb plates
within the base
carving the design on
a thick tree branch.

Rectangular design with large

irregular honeycomb designs
which cover the entire building
acting like large windows.

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 Large office spaces with the honeycomb plate
protrusions which connect with the exterior Cross section of building from
building to act like windows. top
The basic structure has a maximum height of
120-123m, (405ft tall). The base is 30 – 35 m
wide and the base gets slightly narrower as
its height increases so that it caps at 25m
wide at the top.

Glass panes would be used to cover the areas

without the honeycomb plates.

Natural ventilation
through the building
in the hollow centre
which changes with
While the plates are made to
the surroundings.
represent a beehive, the base
structure is made to represent a
tree branch. Line designs on it are
made to enhance the effect.

Close up view of the

Honeycomb
structure.
Skeleton frame which would be made of wood
reinforced with steel.

Wood is used in the framework as it connects

the building with nature and gives it a natural
feel. It is reinforced with steel as steel is
cheap, very strong and supports the wood
creating a fusion between modern and natural
styles of architecture.
The honeycomb plates are edged into the
base structure and act like windows. This is
to give the impression of a beehive and the
Concrete is used for the base as most buildings people inside are the workers as this is an
use concrete and it is reliable, and some office building and bees are workers too.
amount is needed to support the building but
too much will not be used as the environment It is made of Graphite fiber as it gives the building a nice aesthetic and creates
is the main concern. a blend with something from nature like honeycombs with modern material.

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Two sets of honeycomb plates wrapped around
part of the inside structure that blends into whole
building. Each set of honeycomb plates has a width
of 20 m in the middle tapering to 15 m width at
the top with a height of 100m and with 5 – 10m
thickness.

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 Developed Ideas – Design 2

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 Top view cross-section of
the building
Two to three honeycomb plates
wrapping parts of the base structure
around a part going inward to
Protrusions that represent
connect with the basic structure.
the honeycomb structure
width of maximum 20 m, and
that is edged into the base.
minimum 7m at different parts of the
Large offices spaces can be
structure, at the top and 90m tall
supported through this
evenly spaced from the edges of the
design.
building and 5 – 10m thick.

Concrete is used for the base as

most buildings use concrete and
it is reliable, and some amount is Fan with pipes on all edges. Fan
needed to support the building circulates air from outside and
but too much will not be used as the pipes transfer it to different
the environment is the main sections of the building. This
concern. provides natural ventilation tom
the building which adapts to the
surrounding weather.

It is made of Graphite fiber as it

gives the building a nice
Skeleton frame which would be
aesthetic and creates a blend
made of wood reinforced with
with something from nature like
steel.
honeycombs with modern
material. Wood is used in the framework as it
connects the building with nature
and gives it a natural element and it
Darker outlined hexagon is reinforced with steel as steel is
windows show offices cheap, very strong and supports the
spaces of high standard. wood giving it a fusion between
The most prestigious modern and natural style of
companies have their architecture.
office here.
Line design on the base
structure to represent a
Honeycomb structure is edged tree branch as it is a
into the basic structure to turn it beehive on a tree. The base structure has a wider, semi-
into windows. Again, this is to give cylindrical design, and is a maximum height of
the impression of works working 90-95m. The base is 40 – 45 m wide and
in this building like bees in a varies slightly as this shape has a slight
beehive who are also workers. irregularity.

Glass panes would be used to cover the areas

Close – up view of honeycomb without the honeycomb plate.
structure

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 Comparison of Specifications
Specification
Size - The building should have a maximum
height of 120-123m, which is 405ft tall. The
base is 30 – 35 m wide and the base gets
slightly narrower as the height increases so
that it caps at 25m wide at the top. Glass
panes would be used to cover the areas
without the honeycomb plate.
A double plate on each side will surround the
building of width of 20 m ending at 15 m at the
top and 100m tall evenly spaced from the
edges of the building and 5 – 10m thick.
Materials - Skeleton would be made of wood
reinforced with steel.
The base of the building would be made of
concrete.
The honeycomb plate would be made of
graphite fiber.
Aesthetics - The building is semi-cylindrical
with one side being relatively flatter than the
other. This gives it a slightly irregular shape.
The honeycomb plate would cover 75% of the
flatter sides. The hexagons on each of the
honeycomb plates will be hollow to act as
windows and balconies for the building, with
railings made of glass on each one. The
honeycomb plates are slightly thick to give
space for a balcony and to provide depth to
the building.
Function - This building is designed as an office
headquarters to provide a workplace and
working environment.
Health and Safety - The building will have.
Compartmentation,
Exits: Fire exits are clearly marked with an exit
sign,
Fire Alarm Systems: Fire alarm systems provide
a rapid means of notifying all
building occupants of a fire emergency, Fire
Extinguishers. Clinic and measures in case of
injury and sickness should also be there.
Environment - The buildings design itself uses
biomimicry to represent a beehive on a tree.
The buildings panels will be made to adjust to
the weather. It will also have natural
ventilation through the hexagons and hollow
framework. The building will also have some
advanced energy and environmental
conversation design features like favorable
natural ventilation, maximized use of natural
lighting, rainwater harvesting and recycling,
solar powered technology, etc.
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Design 1
The height and width of base
structure is very similar to the
specifications. Glass panes are used
for the places without the
honeycomb plate and the building
gets narrower till the top meeting the
same measurements. Honeycomb
design is the same and no changes
are seen
All specifications are the same and
the same materials are used
The building is mostly sharply edged
and has much more of a blockier
design than the specifications,
however, is somewhat cylindrical.
The hexagons are more irregularly
shaped and not perfect and there are
no railings. The honeycomb plate
specifications are met.
This is an office building and has large
spaces
All health and safety features are
met, however due to the building
being much narrower,
compartmentation may not be
possible.
Biomimicry is used; however, it takes
much more effort to associate the
building with a beehive on a tree as
the hexagons are irregular and there
are more modern features. Building
has all environmental specifications
and there is natural ventilation.
Client Feedback
Design 2
Base is slightly shorter than and
the base is wider. Glass panes are
used. The base does not get
narrower with increase in height
but varies in different areas.
Honeycomb plate is more
irregularly placed and does not
maintain the same width
throughout. However, the height
is the same.
All specifications are the same
and the same materials ae used.
The buildings is more semi-
cylindrical. The honeycomb plate
is, however, not 75% of exposed
but less. There are more defined
and uniform hexagons as is the
same as the specifications. There
are railings and provide more
depth.
This is an office building and has
much wider spaces
All specifications are met.
Biomimicry is used and due to
the building being much broader,
and less complicated design,
makes it more identifiable as an
element of nature. All
environmental features are met,
but there is a fan to circulate air
rather for natural ventilation than
just letting the air in.
 To understand the comprehensiveness of the designs and to determine the final choice moving forward,
client feedback is necessarily to come to a final decision. I have conducted a survey of seven people who
meet the target market of the buildings. The survey includes a scale of 1 to 5 for each design based on
their aesthetics and function as an office building, with biomimicry in mind. It also includes a choice for
the understandability of the designs to better understand how well they were explained and did the
message come across. It then includes a final poll on which design should be the final. Apart from the
survey, I have also received worded feedback from most of the clients on their opinion for each design
and the comprehensiveness of both.

In Figure 1, we see that design 2 had the majority choice for the final design by 71.4%. One of the main
reasons this seemed to be the case, is because most clients said that it had a more simplistic design, and
it was more easily understandable and was more
identifiable as a use of biomimicry. Figure 2 is the
Figure 2 - Results from survey for Understandability of Designs most important one here. 57.1% of clients found it
somewhat understandable and 28.6% found it not
easily understandable. They complained that they
did not fully understand the designs from the
annotations, especially, and that they only
understood from further explanation from me. This
is an important problem, and I must improve in
making future projects easily comprehensible by people. The table below gives more detailed feedback
on each design.

Design 1
Some clients who chose this to be the final
design, said that it was more identifiable as a
building, rather than a use of biomimicry. The tall
and thin design seemed more appealing to them.
Another statement was that the honey com
structure seemed to have more depth and looked
as if it was separate to the basic structure. A
complaint for this building from the clients who
chose design 2, was that it seemed more
complicated and features on the building were
hard to make out from the overwhelming
number of visual features of the building. The
environmental features were mostly well
received. 14.3% gave this a score pf 2/5. 3, 4, and
5/5 had a percentage of 28.6% each.
Design 2
The clients who chose this design over design 1,
stated that this design looked more simplistic and
was not too overly complicated. This building was
more identifiable as a beehive on a tree branch
than the other one. Clients also like the fan
system of natural ventilation in building. People
who chose the other design over this, complained
that this did not look much like a building and its
height was not complimented by its width.
Clients liked the idea of darker outlined hexagons
to show higher positions in the office. From the
survey, 3/5 and 4/5 had percentages of 42.9%
each and 14.3% gave this design a score of 5/5.
This design was the majority choice to be the
final design, and hence I will be going forwards
with this.

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