With awareness of carbon footprints, emissions and green technologies growing, forward-thinking architects are adding biology to an already lengthy list of disciplines for consideration when designing buildings.
Through the integration of natural and man-made elements, many modern buildings are seeing a number of benefits ranging from decreased environmental impact to innovative aesthetics to lower ongoing costs due to increased sustainability.
Recent developments incorporating biology into architecture include Supertrees, a key feature of the Gardens by the Bay venture in Singapore and initiatives being undertaken by Mitchell Joachim’s Terreform ONE group. The Australian firm Soma has raised the bar in terms of biologically-informed architecture.
The firm’s ‘Multiple Nature – Fibrous Tower’ design was named runner-up at the prestigious Taiwan Tower Complex Competition for its adherence to natural forms.
The skyscraper’s design resembles a living tree, with Soma basing their plans on natural algorithms. The structure was designed in such a way that it would be supported by eight tower legs designed to mimic a tree’s root system.
Adding to the natural feel, the building’s exterior would feature biomimetic lamellas that would open and close to provide shade and protection from the elements as needed.
The Fibrous Tower design also calls for photovoltaic cells to be installed on the roof to provide power. Further solar panels would be dispersed across the building’s exterior, which would be semi-transparent to allow for natural light.
Combined with added features such as pavilions with water curtains and the planting of shade trees throughout the building would help the building achieve Soma’s goal of creating a structure that produces zero carbon output.
With a simple, yet amazingly effective design, the Multiple Nature – Fibrous Tower design is a shining example of the ways in which architecture and biology can not only coexist but actually complement one another. With the thought and consideration that went into the design, Soma has created a blueprint for a building that could very well be the vanguard of the growing trend of biologically-informed building design
