A review on the applications of biomimetic principles for sustainable construction

Abstract

Abstract Biomimetics is an applied science that offers reasonable solutions to various issues of mankind by deriving inspirations from nature by studying the natural designs, processes and systems and imitating the same, thereby achieving maximum construction benefits, even post construction, in a sustainable manner. This paper is a state-of-art review on biomimetics, the different levels of biomimetics, the various approaches of biomimetics, and applications of biomimetics in the construction industry. A case study on East Gate Centre, Harare, is presented to show how the biomimetic approach can be incorporated into the design of new buildings, to function like living organisms, thereby meeting the necessary requirements of making them adaptable to the climatic conditions, and also being able to provide most of its energy requirements from the surrounding nature. The design of the building is on the basis of the ideas and strategies inherited from termites and termite mound. The termites are effectively capable of maintaining a regular uniform internal temperature of 30°C, despite a fluctuation of the daily temperature from less than 0°C to higher than 40°C. This building with an approximate area of 32000 square meters was built with just 10 percentage of the costs of ventilation normally required for the region, 35 percent less costs for energy requirements, and also about 10 percent lesser typical capital costs, thus resulting in savings of about $3.5 million for the $36 million building. Various findings from the study reveal that biomimetic approaches have considerable potential in energy and resource management and utilization, and achieving sustainable development in the construction sector.