International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction

Vol 4, No 1, March 2015, 53-63

Biomimicry Design and Construction Practices

for Luxury Tourism Facilities
Stephen Sewalk1,∗ , Hazem Elzarka2 , Charles Hellwig3 and Amrik Singh4

1
Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, Daniels College of Business,
University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, United States
2
Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering & Construction Management,
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, United States
3
Real Estate and Construction Management, Charlemagne, Denver, CO 80209, United States
4
Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, Daniels College of Business,
University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, United States

Abstract: As luxury tourism grows in popularity, travelers seek unique, diverse, exotic and environmen-
tally friendly destinations. Architects, engineers and constructors committed to increasing energy efficiency
while raising the qualitative human experience of eco-tourism are using biomimicry to achieve their objectives.
Biomimicy, the art of mimicking the best of nature to achieve designs pleasing to the eye, high-energy efficiency
and minimum impact to the natural environment, allows the industry to create unique, aesthetically pleasing,
sustainable travel destinations of super quality. This research paper identifies the characteristics of biomimicry
and luxury tourism, how biomimicry design can significantly contribute to the development of attractive travel
destinations that provide eco-luxury, comfort, and unique traveler’s experience, and presents several cases to
demonstrate these concepts. The research concluded that biomimicry design and construction practices can
improve both the performance and attractiveness of facilities in an environmentally friendly manner. Under-
standing and implementing biomimicry adds value to owner’s facilities.
Keywords: Biomimicry, sustainable design, luxury tourism, hotel construction, energy efficiency
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7492/IJAEC.2015.006

1 INTRODUCTION fecting humans and world ecology. The same process

There are many reasons why various innovative strate-
gies are undertaken by different industries, including:
a motivation to stay ahead, keeping up with trends,
being true to values such as quality, service to cus-
tomers, and consideration of all stakeholders’ needs.
As concerns for the environment have increased, there
has been an increased interest in mitigate the dete-
riorating natural environment in order to reduce the
detrimental and catastrophic effects such deterioration
may cause.
Today, it is not surprising that all industries look to
sustainability as inspiration in their efforts to reduce
their impact on climate change, rising temperatures,
flooding, uncontrolled pollution, and other harms af-
is happening in the design, construction, and hospi-
tality industries. While these industries collaborate
on building tourism facilities, they can potentially im-
prove both the performance and attractiveness of those
facilities by utilizing biomimicry design and construc-
tion practices. This paper will explore the possibilities
of embracing bio-mimicry in said industries with a fo-
cus on luxury tourism.
2 BIOMIMCRY
Architectural design inspired and modeled from na-
ture is gaining significantly in importance and recog-
nition. This new practical approach is referred to as

*Corresponding author. Email: Stephen.Sewalk@du.edu

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 Sewalk et al./International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction 4(1) (2015) 53-63

biomimicry. With the ever-increasing population of
the world, perhaps this approach is the perfect solu-
tion to existing problems of the built environment com-
bined with fast depleting natural resources and climate
change among other human induced challenges.
Biomimicry, as its name suggests, is derived from the
word “bios”, meaning life, and “mimesis”, meaning to
imitate. For the purpose of this paper, biomimicry is
defined as the imitation or taking inspiration from na-
ture’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to solve human
problems (Klein 2009). Similar terms for biomimicry
also include biomimetics, bioinspiration, bionics and
biognosis. In fact, the principle of biomimicry is three-
fold: to use nature as a model, to use nature as stan-
dard measure, and to use nature as a mentor. This is
explained in greater depth in the subsections.
2.1 Levels of Biomimicry
building designers study the organisms living in the
natural environment in order to understand their rela-
tionships with the environment they live in and with
other inhabitants. This level of biomimicry aims to
achieve a design that is self-sustaining.
Examples of natural-ecosystem-inspired designs in-
clude the Altamont Pass Wind Energy Project in San
Francisco, California and the Windjammer wind tur-
bine. Both projects have integrated the unique charac-
teristics and wholeness of the natural ecosystem as well
as the relationships among nature, people and tech-
nology in their designs (Klein 2009). Other examples
include the vertical farm in New York City, concep-
tualized to imitate a real farmland, and whose struc-
tural form is similar to the wings of a giant dragonfly
(Kain 2011). The Kepos Eco Hotel in Florida and the
Songjiang Hotel in China, are yet other examples of
natural-ecosystem inspired designs.

In the study conducted by Klein (Klein 2009), he pro- 2.1.3 Natural Processes-Inspired Design
posed that to fully emulate nature, especially in the de-
sign of the built environment, architects and designers In the third level/type of biomimicry, the designers in-
should consider three levels/types of biomimicry. This corporate natural/biological processes in the design of
includes the form, the ecosystem, and the processes of the built environment. The design of the built environ-
the natural world. ment is conceptualized to be similar to the processes
that take place in the natural world.
2.1.1 Natural Form-Inspired Design Examples natural-processes-inspired designs include
the Pearce Eastgate Project inspired from termite
The environmental designers first conceptualized mounds that have the ability to produce natural heat-
biomimicry from nature’s forms. The building design- ing and cooling and the William McDonough’s Green
ers seek inspiration and ideas from the natural world Tower inspired from the natural functions of a tree.
then interpret and apply it in the realm of design. The
objective of the natural-form-inspired design is to mim- 2.2 Principles of Biomimicry
ic or copy the appearance or feature of the natural envi-
ronment in the physical design. However, this concept Biomimicry significantly changes the current views on
lacks and does not incorporate nature’s processes and built environment designs. It makes physical built en-
ecosystem. Hence, researchers in this field proposed vironment closer to nature through using nature it-
to refer to this as “biomorphic” instead of biomimicry. self as a design. The application of biomimicry in the
Some examples of this natural-form-inspired design in- design of buildings significantly benefits the architects
clude the Herb Greene’s Prairie Chicken in Norman, and sustainable designers. By integrating the princi-
Oklahoma that was inspired from grassland natural ap- ples emulated and inherited from the natural world,
pearance, and the Beijing National Stadium landscape they can create a physical built environment that is
that was inspired from the shape of a giant upturned self-sustaining. The design can incorporate sustain-
bird’s nest. Other examples include the Cactus build- able systems for energy use, water consumptions and
ing of Qatar and the vertical farm in New York City recycling of resources. Biomimicry includes three prin-
modeled in the form of a dragonfly’s giant wings. ciples: to use nature as a model, to use nature as stan-
dard measure, and to use nature as a mentor.
2.1.2 Natural-ecosystem-inspired design
2.2.1 Use of Nature as a Model
In the second level/type of biomimicry, building design-
ers are inspired by and mimic the natural ecosystem. The biomimicry principle of using nature as a model
In this case, the designers incorporate in the design means that building designers emulate nature’s pro-
the principle of “ecology”. This approach not only em- cesses, systems, materials, aesthetics, structures and
ulates the appearance of natural dwelling places when element to solve design problems more efficient and
designing a building but also tries to imitate and ap- sustainable. The architects and building designers take
ply the activities that take place in the natural world. ideas through studying and investigating the levels of
This includes the nature’s interaction and relationship nature such as the form, the ecosystem and the pro-
between the habitants and the environment. To draw cesses, discussed earlier in the paper. After such inves-
inspiration and idea from nature, the architects and tigation, the architects, abstract the design concepts

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they learn from the natural world and then apply those those solutions for human use and advantage. The ul-
concepts in the realm of building designs. The purpose timate objective is to create a built environment that is
is to create replicas of their natural models and most capable of balancing its own processes, systems and/or
importantly to create self-sustaining buildings (Reed resources (Reed 2004).
2004).
Some examples of using nature as a model include
the Beijing National Stadium and the Eastgate Center 3 LUXURY TOURISM
in Zimbabwe. The Beijing National Stadium modeled
from a giant bird’s nest not only for creating an aes- Over the past few decades, luxury tourism has been
thetically pleasing design but also for improving the growing in popularity. At the same time, the landscape
sustainability of the design. As inspired from nature, and trend of the industry has been changing. Luxu-
the design has less wasted material. The key sustain- ry travelers are now considering a more diverse travel
able attributes of the stadium include allowing sunlight and vacation experience. It has been observed that
to filter through to feed the natural grass field, naturalmore and more luxury travelers choose destinations
ventilation, and the stadium’s panels are self-cleaning that are environmentally appealing. Owners noticing
and durable (Rogers et al. 2008). The Eastgate Center, this might be why designers and architects are working
modeled after African termite mounds, uses a natural to integrate biomimicry in the physical built environ-
air-conditioning process similar to that used in termite ment.
mounds and is able to maintain consistent tempera- For attracting more travelers, there is a need to cre-
ture (Reed 2004). Another example of the application ate unique aesthetic travel destinations that offer high
of using nature as a model is the Cactus Building in accommodation quality, relaxation and comfort. With
Qatar, which was inspired from the ability of cacti to the aim to provide sustainable solutions to the emerg-
survive in desert conditions. ing demands in luxury tourism, the people involved
are beginning to look at the natural world for inspira-
2.2.2 Use of Nature as a Standard Measure tions. Hence, biomimicry has been gaining momentum
in the luxury tourism to provide the aesthetic design
The biomimicry principle of using nature as measure and comfort that the clients are looking for in their
means that modern building designers use nature and travel destinations while reducing the impact of the
its ecological standards as a benchmark to assess and industry on the environment.
evaluate their designs. This enables designers to deter-
mine what works. This principle’s ultimate objective 3.1 Luxury Destinations
is to create a built environment that is closely simi-
lar to the natural environment; a built environment One of the best examples of luxury tourism destina-
that can sustain and balance its available resources in tions that incorporate biomimicry is the Mandarin Ori-
order to address human caused problems such as pollu- ental Hotel and Resort in Tokyo, Japan. This tourist
tion, global warming, energy and water shortage, etc. accommodation and destination was originally inspired
In fact, this principle is standard in industrial ecology from a forest ecosystem. In fact, the hotel was designed
where one firm’s waste products are another firm’s raw to function as a large living tree, which serves as shel-
materials (Reed 2004) thereby minimizing waste and ter; provides comfort and is a venue for gatherings.
improving recycling. The hotel offers a unique and exciting experience for
The biomimicry principle of using nature as a stan- luxury travelers because it makes the customers feel
dard measure was applied in the design of the William like taking a journey in the woods and water. Each
McDonough’s Green Tower. The design and model- of the hotel floors was designed and decorated to look
ing of this high-rise green building was inspired from like one of the many the elements found in the for-
the function of a tree. The design included the ability est. The nature-inspired-design of the hotel did not
of the building to distill its water, to produce its own merely focus on the physical aesthetics only. Rather,
energy and oxygen, and to adapt to seasonal changes it attempted to create a high performing, healthy and
(Basantani 2008). energy efficient built environment inspired from sus-
tainable natural processes (MOHG 2011).
2.2.3 Nature As Mentor
3.2 Luxury Hospitality
When applying the biomimicry principle of using na-
ture as mentor, modern architects consult the natural The new luxury tourism industry longer focuses on the
world to seek efficient and sustainable advice. It is aesthetic beauty of the travel destination only. It also
a completely different attitude towards nature where pays attention to the accommodation, services, ameni-
architects view and value nature based on what they ties and accessories that deliver customer satisfaction.
learn from it and not based on what they can ex- To meet the high-end needs and demands of hospitality
ploit/extract from it. The architects look closely at industry, building designers are continuously conceptu-
the design solutions offered by nature and try to adapt alizing new styles and designs of their facilities.

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Currently, hospitality facilities such as hotels, restau-
rants, casinos, and resorts are in many cases consid-
ered as tourist destinations themselves because of the
unique features that are integrated in their designs.
The purpose of which is to provide another attraction
while providing the comfort and luxury that the cus-
tomers are looking for in their travel experience. The
future of the luxury accommodation facilities and de-
signs are gradually changing, from traditional to sus-
tainable. Hence, buildings are designed in a way that
make them function like a living organism in a natural
environment that has the ability to supply and balance
its resources.
An example of a project that function like a living
organism while offering luxury accommodations is the
proposed urban/vertical farm in New York City. The
project is inspired and modeled after the wings of a gi-
ant dragonfly. The building is going to house offices, re-
search laboratories, housing, and communal areas that
will be located between the orchards, farms, and pro-
duction rooms. The design of the project will emulate
the form, processes and ecosystem of a real farmland.
This gives travelers a unique experience of living and
working in a real agricultural area/farm while being in
a big urban city (Kain 2011).
Another example is the Kepos Eco Hotel, which
draws inspiration from the ability of a living environ-
ment to support life, produce energy, recycle and re-
cover resources and materials. The best feature of this
biomimic architecture is its ability to absorb solar and
wind energy through open pores (Jolly 2010).
3.3 Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable tourism has come a long way in the last
decade. One of the driving factors of the gradual
change in the industry was the growing awareness of
the environmental problems that e world is facing and
the desire of many people, including luxury travelers to
reduce these problems. It is pointed out by the World
Tourism Organization (1998) that sustainable tourism
is development that meets the needs of present tourists
and host regions while protecting and enhancing oppor-
tunities for the future. The aim, to provide guidance
so that natural resources are ecologically, economical-
ly, socially and physically maintained and preserved.
Sustainable tourism promotes biological diversity and
maintains standards of ethics, social justice and equity.
It should be noted that sustainability in many
projects is a long-term goal. The great challenge for
many architects and developers is to provide a desti-
nation that has high standard of quality without com-
promising the ecological balance of the project. The
science and art of biomimicry can solve this challenge.
Department of the Environment and Heritage of the
Australian Government (2004) recommended ten (10)
steps towards sustainable tourism. These ten steps can
serve as guide to building designers and facilities op-
56
erators as they provide long-term solutions to emerg-
ing challenges in tourism industry while conserving and
preserving the natural environment. The 10 steps are
guided by the following questions:
(1) What is our objective?
(2) Whose needs need to be considered?
(3) What is known in this field?
(4) What makes this place unique?
(5) What are the issues?
(6) Analyze these issues.
(7) Principles or objectives to guide action.
(8) What are your ideas and concerns?
(9) How to do we complete it?
(10) Lastly, a statement of directions and goals to com-
plete these questions concerning the project under
consideration is developed.
The first step helps the hospitality developers and de-
signers to both define their short term and long-term
aim. It would then encourage them to develop a plan
or a design that most likely contribute to the protec-
tion and conservation of the sites’ natural and unique
features. This step also considers the context of the
project or the place. It includes the economic condi-
tion, social setting, current political climate, natural
environment setting and cultural considerations.
The second step helps in identifying the stakeholders
involved in planning, managing, implementing of sus-
tainable activities. The third step is used to determine
the existing studies relevant to the project for the pur-
pose of acquiring information. This information would
be used as a basis to identify the current trends in
sustainable tourism. The function of the fourth step is
threefold: It identifies the special or unusual character-
istic/feature of the place or environment that attracts
travelers and tourists (i.e. natural value, cultural val-
ue, etc.); it also establishes how well its special values
are recognized and communicated and establishes in-
terpretation of the future use of special/unique values
in tourism.
The fifth step helps in determining and understand-
ing the key issues affecting the place or the sustainabil-
ity of the destination. The sixth step further analyzes,
clarifies and prioritizes those issues. One of the best
tools that can be utilized in analyzing is the SWOT an-
alytical method. This method analyzes the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats in achieving sus-
tainable tourism. The goal of the seventh step is to set
objectives/principles to guide the actions to be taken.
The eighth step draws ideas and recommends options
that would most likely enhance tourism in a sustain-
able way. The ideas could include changing the struc-
tural design of the facility to cater to and provide for
the demands of tourists. The ninth step includes the
development of actions in order to implement the iden-
tified ideas, proposals and/or options. The tenth and
final step develops the statement of the project direc-
tion, which includes the identified key tourism assets,
issue and actions, and the future plan.
 Sewalk et al./International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction 4(1) (2015) 53-63

4 CASE STUDIES 4.1 Kepos Eco Hotel

As the trends in tourism and hospitality are changing
rapidly, the designs of tourist facilities such as hotels,
resorts and restaurants have to also change. Recently,
the design of these luxury facilities has extended be-
yond the physical structure. The new concept in design
is integrating nature’s forms, processes and ecosystems.
Such integration allows the designers to create a built
environment that is physically aesthetically appealing,
efficient and has the ability to sustain itself.
In the integrated process, the building designers are
now consulting and taking ideas and inspirations from
the natural world to meet the customer’s needs while
conserving and protecting the natural resources. In
fact, there are already tourist accommodation facili-
ties and destinations that were built from the concept
of the elements and processes of nature. Aside from
their physical aesthetic appeal, these destinations al-
so offer and provide eco-luxury, comfort, and unique
traveler and vacation experience.
Some of the best example of hospitality facilities
that were emulated from nature includes the follow-
ing: Kepos Eco Hotel, Songjiang Hotel in China, Bella
Vista in Trafoi, Italy, Proximity Hotel in Greensboro,
North Carolina, and the New Burger King Restaurant
in Waghäusel, Germany. These accommodation and
tourist facilities do not only emulate the natural form
of eco-elements but also integrates the natural process-
es and ecosystems in order to achieve the triple bottom
line: environmental sustainability, economic feasibility
and social equity.
John Naranjo designed the eco-hotel located in Florida
shown in Figures 1 and 2. The purpose of design con-
cept was to integrate natural elements while providing
the needs of the hotel’s customers. The designer was
inspired by nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies
to create an innovative sustainable hotel. The prima-
ry eco feature of this hotel was its ability to absorb
solar and wind energy through an open skin. To be a
self-sustaining environment, the eco-hotel was designed
after taking idea from various types of natural plant ar-
chitectural elements. This includes the decomposition
of tree components, the biological type, structure and
the physical relation of one with another. The physi-
cal architectural design of the hotel was modeled after
these components, which also provided support to its
sustainability and efficiency.
The hotel is composed of four buildings that were
designed with a root base, a trunk/stem column sup-
port and branch canopy of leaves for the dwell spaces.
The root base of each building served as the main body.
This provides the horizontal topological landscape park
for the hotel guest. Likewise, the area where the lob-
bies, commercial, retail and other hospitality compo-
nents comprised the internal base of the buildings. The
internal base also provides the building the support
components of parking and energy storage systems.
The trunk support of the hotel is where the exposed
access elevators and open sculptures stairs are locat-
ed. This area provides the tourists and guests the op-
portunity to view the hanging vines from the canopy

Figure 1. Kepos Eco Hotel

(http://www.ecofriend.com/mra-design-s-kepos-eco-hotel-embraces-natural-environment.html)
Note: Kepos Eco Hotel designed by John Naranjo of MRA Design, Miami, Florida. The Kepos Eco Hotel provides a
sustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an open skin. Ecofriend.
These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

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 Sewalk et al./International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction 4(1) (2015) 53-63

Figure 2. Interior View of Kepos Eco Hotel (Source: Same as Figure 1)

and the open landscaped topography park. The hotel 380-bed resort hotel is constructed in a 100-meter-deep
rooms were designed with a double-layer building en- quarry.
velopes which were emulated from the plants canopy The hotel design was inspired from natural water and
that is made of voxel cells. The hotel rooms represent the quarry setting with cascading green hill down the
the branches and leaf of trees. Each room as shown in natural rock face. Since, it is located in quarry itself; it
Figure 2 is exposed to open landscaped terraces, which has many sustainable features. The main eco-factor of
can be compared to nature that exposes plants in their this hotel is the use of natural geothermal energy for its
microenvironments. electrical supply and hot water supply from the quarry.
Further, the design of the floor plates on the bridge The design of the hotel considered and took advantage
and roof levels that connect the spa, meeting rooms, of the natural terrain of the area as another feature
restaurants, bars, lounges and work out areas is mod- to attract tourist. The quarry setting of the hotel will
eled after the the biological patterns and decomposi- not only provide physical attraction to the travelers
tion of a real leaf. The design also emulate ability but will also provide protection from the weather. In
of the natural world to support and balance life, to addition, the quarry will be used to reduce the ener-
produce its own energy, and to recycle and renew its gy needs of the hotel. Photovoltaic cells on the roofs
own resources and materials. To functionally attain will also be used to generate additional electric energy.
its main eco-factor (absorbing solar and wind ener- The hotel would house restaurants, cafes, conference
gy), photovoltaic and piezoelectric technologies were and sport facilities. Additional attractions also include
installed. Another unique feature of the hotel is the two underwater public areas and ten-meters deep un-
exterior canopy that was constructed using a special derwater aquariums (Nithya 2008). Figure 4 shows a
layer called “grow skin”. This system is an open grid, bird eye view of the building and location.
which is made up of individual small leaf-like pane l-
s. It reflects and moves on the hotel exterior canopy 4.3 Bella Vista Eco Hotel
so that it would be able to support the natural vegeta-
The Bella Vista eco-hotel as shown in Figures 5 and
tion in the open terraces and to provide passive cooling
6 is a proposed design to be located in Trafoi, Italy.
system. Additionally, the natural vegetation provides
Architect Matteo Thun designed it. The hotel, which
fresh food for the restaurant of the hotel. The hotel has
is composed of 11 separate lodgings, was inspired from
also internal open space to allow small crops to grow
through hydroponics or aerophonics. nature’s ability to totally adapt to the surrounding en-
vironment. It is considered a sustainable built envi-
The water system of the eco-hotel was also inspired
from the natural water cycle. The consumed water isronment because the design integrates the concept of
nature, life (socio-cultural aspect) and economy (trans-
recycled and collected in open ponds and is used to ir-
parency). Figure 5 shows a day time view of hotel site.
rigate the hotel vegetations. The gray water is treated
so that it would be used again (Jolly 2010). Construction of the hotel began in 2009 with a
planned completion date and occupancy in 2011. The
4.2 Songjiang Hotel hotel will be built in the hillside and is partly under-
ground. The hotel will use green grass roofs similar
The British firm Atkins Group conceptualized the to Hobbit dwellings. Geothermal energy would be uti-
Songjiang Hotel in China as shown in Figure 3. The lized for heating and cooling. In addition to its physical

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Figure 3. Songjiang Hotel in China

(http://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-GB/media-centre/multimedia-library/image-gallery)
Note: Songjiang Hotel designed by Atkins Global, a British engineering firm. The Shanghai Shimao Property Group
developed this project for $555 million, the 380 room hotel was built is built in a 100 meter deep quarry. The Kepos Eco
Hotel provides a sustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an open
skin. Atkins Global. These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

Figure 4. (Bird View of Songjiang Hotel in China (Source: Same as Figure 3)

beauty and environmental sustainability, local and in- Quaintance opened in 2007. The hotel design includes
digenous resources and materials will be utilized. In a 7,000 square feet private event space, spacious fitness
this project, the accommodation facility is also consid- studio, outdoor swimming pool and guest living rooms
ered an attraction itself because of its unique appear- on each floor. Sustainable practices were integrated in
ance and processes drawn from nature (Sweet 2010). the built environment design with the ultimate objec-
Figure 6 shows an evening view of the landscape. tive of using 40% less energy and 30% less water. The
hotel has solar panels on the roof that absorb the heat
4.4 Proximity Hotel from the sun and generate heat for the water system
of the entire hotel.
The Proximity Hotel located in Greensboro, North
Carolina, as shown in Figure 7, is considered one of The hotel also uses state-of-the-art technologies to
the most environmentally sustainable luxury hotels in improve its efficiency and sustainability. This includes
United States to date. The hotel designed by Dennis the installation of Otis’ Gen2 elevator to reduce elec-

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Figure 5. Bella Vista Eco-Hotel in Trafoi, Italy

(http://www.ecofriend.com/bella-vista-underground-hotel-focuses-on-sustainability.html)
Note: Bella Vista Eco-Hotel designed by Matteo Thun of Milan. The Bella Vista consists of 11 units with green roofs
using geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Ecofriend. These materials are included under the fair use exemption
and are restricted from further use.

Figure 6. Evening View of Bella Vista Eco-Hotel (Source: Same as Figure 5)

tricity consumption. The elevators only use energy
while going up. The reason is that the system has the
ability to capture the energy generated as the elevator
goes down and feeds it back by to the internal electrical
grid of the building. The hotel also uses a geothermal
cooling system for refrigeration. High-efficiency Kohler
plumbing fixtures were also installed to reduce water
consumption. Drip irrigation system is also used in
watering the landscape and the vegetation.
Aside from its aesthetic contribution, the building
was also designed with oversized windows and the gue-
strooms are designed with 10 foot ceiling. The func-
tional purpose is to allow and provide abundant natu-
ral light and large amounts of fresh air in the rooms.
The materials used for the interior decoration of the
guestrooms were local and recycled materials. For ex-
ample, shelves and tabletops were made from walnut
veneer and a recycled wood pulp. Green vegetation at
the rooftop was integrated in the design to provide food
supply for the hotel restaurant and to reduce the ur-

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Figure 7. Proximity Hotel, Greensboro, North Carolina

(http://www.proximityhotel.com/)
Note: Proximity Hotel located in Greensboro, North Carolina is considered the greenest hotel in America and is rated
Leed Platinum. Songjiang Hotel designed by Atkins Global, a British engineering firm. The hotel uses approximately
40% less energy than a typical hotel and has 100 solar panels on the roof.

ban heat island effects. Native plants were used in the
landscape of the hotel, reduces its water consumption
because the plants can easily adapt to the local rainfall
without needing additional water for irrigation.
Sustainable practices in the restaurants include the
use of sensor-controlled ventilation for the kitchen that
can detect heat and smoke and can adjust its fan speed
to accommodate the load. The hotel also use recycled
and local materials for its furniture, (e.g. tabletops
were made from recycled walnut). The hotel also pro-
vides plenty of outdoor terrace dining areas to provide
natural light and fresh air (Wright 2010).
4.5 New Burger King Restaurant (Ger-
many)
The New Burger King Restaurant is located in
Waghäusel, Germany is shown in Figures 8 and 9. The
design of the restaurant both considers environmental
and economic sustainability. To reduce energy use and
cost, several features were incorporated in the design
such as wind and solar renewable energy, daylighting,
and efficient heating and cooling systems. One third
of the restaurant’s electricity needs are supplied by the
wind and solar renewable energy system. A roadside

Figure 8. Burger King Restaurant, Germany (http://www.businesswire.com/)

Note: Burger King Corp opened a new energy efficient Burger King restaurant in Waghäusel, Germany. This eco-friendly
restaurant reduces energy costs by 45 percent using state of the art technologies including a solar paneled roof. These
materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

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 Sewalk et al./International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and Construction 4(1) (2015) 53-63
Figure 9. Roof of Burger King Restaurant (Source: Same as Figure 8)
view of the new energy efficient Burger King is present-
ed in Figure 8.
The renewable energy system was designed by Wirsol
Solar AG with the aim to reduce 45%of carbon dioxide
emissions and at least 120 metric tons every year. The
restaurant installed more than 720 solar photovoltaic
modules to provide over 53,500 kWh of electricity per
year. In addition, the wind renewable energy system
generates at least 2,500 kWh per year. Figure 9, a
rooftop view, allows one to see all of the solar panels.
The restaurant has also incorporated other sustain-
able practices such as the installation of interior heat-
recovery ventilation system that can save up to 73% of
the energy required for ventilation. The restaurant also
saves up to 50% of domestic hot water energy because
it uses waste heat to generate hot water. LEDs bulbs
were also used in the interior and exterior of the restau-
rant. At least 55% less lighting energy is consumed
compared to using standard bulbs. The restaurant has
also its own technology to conserve water. A rainwa-
ter reclamation system was installed in order to supply
irrigation for the restaurant landscape. Further, the
restaurant has also its own charging station for hybrid
cars (GreenerBuilding Staff 2010).
5 CONCLUSION
Use of biomimicry concepts in the design of touristic
facilities have already led to the development of many
fascinating projects that are aesthetically pleasing, sus-
tainable, and provides the luxury travelers with the
unique and high quality experiences they are demand-
ing. The paper discussed several cases of luxury travel
projects where biomimicry concepts were used. The re-
search concluded that biomimicry design and construc-
tion practices can improve both the performance and
attractiveness of luxury travel facilities. It is important
that architects, engineers, and construction profession-
als understand and implement biomimicry practices as
62
discussed in this paper to add more value to the owners
of luxury travel facilities.
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