Read the rest of Studio Olafur Eliasson’s Crystalline Harpa Concert Hall Wins the 2013 Mies van der Rohe Award

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Post tags: Batteriid Architects, biomimicry, concert hall, eco design, green design, Harpa Concert Hall, henning larsen architects, Iceland, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Icelandic Opera, LED, natural light, Olafur Eliasson, Reykjavik, Reykjavik Culture Night, sustainable design

Last week we reported on the groundbreaking new media platform Earth 2 Hub which aims to create a space for the world’s most creative artists, designers, scientists, and storytellers to explore and share their solutions to the numerous problems facing earth and its inhabitants. To shed more light on Earth 2.0 and the newly-unveiled hub, we talked to Melissa Sterry, who is one of the most well-known futurists on the planet. A design scientist and transformational change strategist for the built environment, utilities, manufacturing, design, publishing, media and communications industries, Melissa is also a PhD researcher at AVATAR – the Advanced Virtual and Technological Architecture Research group, where she is developing The Bionic City – a sustainable smart city that transfers knowledge from earth’s ecosystems to create a mega-city blueprint that can withstand extreme meteorological and geological events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, eruptions and earthquakes. Step on in for a fascinating glimpse of what the future of design and architecture might hold.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: We Talk to Futurist Melissa Sterry About Earth 2.0 and the Bionic City

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Post tags: biomimicry, Bionic City, Earth 2 Hub, Earth 2.0, eco design, Futurist, green design, Melissa Sterry, social media, sustainable design, Technology

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Post tags: akihisa hirata, Akihisa Hirata Panasonic installation, akihisa hirata photosynthesis, biomimicry, Energetic Energies Installation, exhibition solar power, Japanese Designer, Milan Design Week, Milan Design Week 2013, Panasonic Installation Milan, solar art, solar panels, Solar Power, solar-powered installation

Read the rest of Roskilde Plywood Dome is a Large Geodesic Structure Inspired by a C240 Molecule

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Post tags: Benny Jepsen, biomimicry, Buckminster Fuller, buckminster fuller dome, CNC machines, digital fabrication, geodesic domes, Kristoffer Tejlgaard, music festivals Denmark, plywood, plywood architecture, plywood dome Roskilde, reduced energy consumption, Roskilde geodesic dome, Roskilde music festival, structural geodesics, Ultragrøn

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Post tags: Biomimetic Design, biomimicry, green design, Invisible Works London, london green spaces, London treehouses, outdoor exhibitions, Sustainable buildings, technology and nature, the invisible city london, urban green spaces

MIT has unveiled plans to 3D print a pavilion inspired by the technique that silkworms use to build their cocoons. Data that tracks the movement of a silkworm as it makes its pupal casing will be fed into a robotic arm, which will weave a cocoon-like 3D structure that is tough on the outside but softer on the inside.

Read the rest of MIT Researchers to 3D Print a Silkworm-Inspired Pavilion Using a Robotic Arm

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Post tags: 3d printed pavilion, 3D printers, biomimicry, building material research, composite materials, computational design, digital fabrication, Mediated Matter Group, MIT 3D printing, MIT Media Lab, MIT silkworm pavilion, silkworm cocoons, WYSS Institute Harvard

An upgrade to the high-tech BeBionic3 prosthetic hand is enabling one man to perform incredibly sophisticated operations such as dealing cards, tying his own shoelaces and touch typing on a computer keyboard. Nigel Ackland’s Terminator-like mechanical limb, designed by RSL Steeper, has been reinforced with stainless steel and titanium, and it’s now equipped with insulating pads that avoid picking up heat or static electricity.

Read the rest of The BeBionic3 Prosthetic Hand Can Now Tie Shoelaces, Peel Vegetables and Even Touch Type

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Post tags: amputees, BeBionic3, BeBionic3 Prosthetic Hand, biomimicry, bionic limbs, Design for Health, high-tech hand, Interactive Objects, Nigel Ackland bionic hand, prosthetic hand, prosthetic limbs, prosthetic technology, RSL Steeper prosthetic device, Terminator hand

Honey bee populations around the world are in decline due to causes ranging from ‘super mites‘ to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and even cell phones – and if the insects disappear completely the planet’s ecosystems would be in peril. The issue has become so dire that now a team of Harvard and Northeastern University scientists are working on a swarm of miniature Robobee robots that could pollinate flowers and do the job of real bees if required.

Read the rest of Scientists Develop Flying Robobees to Pollinate Flowers as Bee Populations Decline

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Post tags: bee loss, bees, biomimicry, harvard, miniature robots, Northeastern University, robert wood, robobees, robot bees, robot swarm

Dutch designer Tim Van Cromvoirt wanted to create a wall application that would look organic and act like living organism. So he used his final year at the ST. Joost Academy, in Breda to experiment with materials and reactions. What he developed was Thermophores, a spiky, sensitive and surreal piece of wall-art that reacts to changing temperatures.

Read the rest of Tim Van Cromvoirt’s Trippy Thermophores Change Color with Heat

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Post tags: Art, biomimicry, Decorative Objects, Design Aacdemy of Eindhoven, dutch design, heat, sensitive, Spiky organism, Thermophores, thermosensitive, Tim van Cromvoirt

Feeding seven billion hungry humans is no easy task – especially when crop-killing insects are competing for first dibs on agriculture. Deadly chemical pesticides have been the go-to fix for the conventional agricultural industry, but new research suggests that biopesticides made from fungi, insects, or other plants could be a safer, more planet-friendly alternative. One particular variety of biopesticide, a mushroom derivative called “Green Muscle”, has been used to ward off locust invasions in Africa, preventing famine for thousands.

Read the rest of Biopesticides Grown From Mushrooms Offer Non-Toxic Way to Protect Crops From Unwanted Guests

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Post tags: agriculture, biomimicry, biopesticides, crops, food, fungus, global population, Green Muscle, locusts, mushrooms, non-toxic, pesticides, pests

Scientists at Newcastle University have discovered a way of capturing carbon dioxide inspired by the technique sea urchins use to grow their shell. The creatures absorb carbon dioxide and combine it with the high concentrations of nickel in their exoskeletons to create calcium carbonate. The research reveals a potential model for an an alternative, more effective carbon capture and storage system than currently used methods.

Read the rest of Sea Urchins’ Nickel Nanoparticles Could Hold the Key to Carbon Capture

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Post tags: biomimicry, carbon capture and storage systems, carbon emissions, carbon into chalk, environmental destruction, green research, green technology, nanotechnology, Newcastle University study, nickel nano-particles, scientific studies, sea urchin carbon capture

Read the rest of Maison Escalier is a Tree-Like Parisian Home Wrapped With a Leafy Sun Shade

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Post tags: biomimicry, black locust wood, concrete, Daylighting, electronic shutters, Jacques Moussafir, Maison Escalier, Moussafir Architectes, Paris, stairway, steel, Tree

We love objects that are interactive, move and change shape as if they were alive. An expert on the matter, designer Tim van Cromvoirt created a mesmerizing series of lamps called Lungplants. These glowing, billowing forms appear to breathe, simply by pumping air in and out their “mouths”.

Read the rest of Tim Van Cromvoirt’s Lungplant Lamps Breathe Just Like Living Organisms

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Post tags: biomimicry, breathing light, green lighting, interactive, Lungplants, sustainable light, Tim van Cromvoirt

LAST DAY to win this FREE Intro to Biomimicry course to shake up your design career!

It’s no secret that design and architecture are highly competitive fields, and those in the industry often pay thousands on R&D, not to mention the money spent on all of the educational degrees they needed to get a job in the first place. But for many successful designers, the answers and inspiration that led to their breakthroughs were found not in a school textbook or through a research and development firm, but right within their own natural surroundings. Biomimicry, or the application of solutions found in nature to man-made technologies, has been responsible for many innovations such as velcro, airplanes and passive cooling, and has inspired numerous designers to connect the dots and come up with world-changing concepts. If you’re interested in learning how this relatively new methodology can give you a competitive edge, Biomimicry 3.8 is giving away its online Introduction to Biomimicry course to four lucky winners. Read on to see how you can get this $99 course for free.

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

1. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE >
(If you are not already a subscriber.) We’ll be announcing the winner in our weekly newsletter, so if you want to find out who won, you’ll need to receive it in order to claim your prize!

2. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW >
Tell us why you want to win this introduction to biomimicry course. Maybe you want to use it to gain an advantage over your competition or to simply become a better designer — let us know in the comments below. The deadline for this giveaway is TODAY December 31st. We’ll pick the comment we like best and announce the winner in our newsletter, so make sure you’re signed up!

4 CHANCES TO WIN! DEADLINE IS TODAY DECEMBER 31ST

Read the rest of LAST CHANCE: Get a Competitive Design Edge with This FREE Intro to Biomimicry Online Course ($99 Value)

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Post tags: ask nature, asknature, biomimicry, biomimicry.net, design ideas, design inspiration, design tools, eco design, green design, inspiration from nature, inspiration in nature, sustainable design

Read the rest of How Biomimicry Can Help Designers and Architects Find Inspiration To Solve Problems

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Post tags: ask nature, asknature, biology and technology, biomimicry, biomimicry.net, design ideas, design inspiration, design tools, eco design, green design, inspiration from nature, inspiration in nature, Steve Jobs, sustainable design

Studio DRIFT’s interactive Shylights gracefully move up and down, opening and closing, similar to the way flowers attract and repel pollinating bees. Made from stainless steel, recyclable aluminum, sheer silk, and hi-bright LED lights, these gorgeous “living lights” react to sunshine and music to create a beautiful spectacle inspired by nature.

Read the rest of Studio DRIFT’s Interactive Shylights Mimic How Flowers Attract and Repel Bees

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Post tags: bees, biomimicry, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, flowers, green lighting, green products, interactive design, Shylights, silk, studio drift, sustainable light

A team of experts led by the University of Liverpool and the South China University of Technology is exploring the possibility of storing gas in vegetables. Their research was inspired by a biomimetic approach to heavy metal storage and the ability of organic structures to facilitate gas transport.

Read the rest of Mushrooms and Eggplants Could be Used to Store Gas, Research Shows

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", bioclathrates, biomass energy, biomimicry, China University of Technology, Clathate hydrates, gas storing, green gas transport, Professor Andrew Cooper, scientific research, sustainable gas storages, University of Liverpool, Weixing Wang

Read the rest of Coral Reef-Inspired ColoniaTecne Pavilion Spies on Visitors With an LED Display

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Post tags: biomimicry, BIOS Design Collective, coloniatecne, coral reef, eco lighting, environmental monitors, green design, green lighting, LED lighting, LED lights, nature inspired design, pavilion, san jose, spy network, sustainable design, temporary pavilion

Biomimicry’s Cool Alternative: Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe
The Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, typifies the best of green architecture and ecologically sensitive adaptation. The country’s largest office and shopping complex is an architectural marvel in its use of biomimicry principles. The mid-rise building, designed by architect Mick Pearce in conjunction with engineers at Arup Associates, has no conventional air-conditioning or heating, yet stays regulated year round with dramatically less energy consumption using design methods inspired by indigenous Zimbabwean masonry and the self-cooling mounds of African termites!

Read the rest of BIOMIMETIC ARCHITECTURE: Green Building in Zimbabwe Modeled After Termite Mounds

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Africa, african termites, arup engineering, biomimetic architecture, Biomimetic Design, biomimicry, biomimicry in architecture, Biomimicry of Termite Mounds, building modelled after termite mounds, construction, Eastgate Center, Eastgate Centre, eco building, green building modelled on termites, Green Building With Termites, Harare, Mick Pearce, natural cooling, natural ventilation, sustainable design, termite mound, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe green building

Mammals have the unique ability to moderate their body temperature through perspiration— evaporation on the surface of our skin that helps to keep us from overheating. But if sweating works so well for humans, why couldn’t it work for buildings, too? A team of Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich has developed a new type of synthetic roofing material that holds water and sweats when it heats up, effectively cooling down the building without the use of electricity.

Read the rest of Swiss Researchers Develop a Roof that “Sweats” to Passively Cool Buildings

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Post tags: biomimicry, building construction, ETH Zurich, green building materials, green technology, passive cooling, passive design, Sustainable Building, sweating buildings, sweating roof, Sweating rooftops, Thermoresponsive Polymer