Biomimetic Materials: Innovations in Construction Inspired by Nature

Have you ever wondered how a lotus leaf stays clean or how termites keep their homes cool? Our Mother Nature has endless wonders, and they're sparking big changes in how we build things. This is called biomimicry—getting inspired by nature to make better designs and materials. Using biomimetic design and materials, we're learning from the best teacher available: nature itself. This approach is helping us create buildings that are not just greener but smarter, too.

Let’s dive into a few recent wonders of biomimicry, making tomorrow's buildings more efficient, and in harmony with nature.

The Inspiration

Nature has long been hailed as the ultimate architect, with its intricate and efficient designs serving as a blueprint for innovation. The beauty is its functionality– every organism and structure serves a purpose, optimised for maximum efficiency and sustainability.?

Biomimetic materials mimic the processes and patterns in nature and explore unconventional yet sustainable methods for construction. These materials are designed to be sustainable, efficient, and resilient, taking cues from the intricate patterns and structures found in the natural world.

Consider the structure of a spider's web: optimizing strength and flexibility; or the way a cactus retains water. By studying natural systems, scientists and designers are creating materials and systems that replicate these ingenious solutions of nature.

Advancements in materials science, nanotechnology, and 3D printing pave the way for new biomimetic materials with enhanced properties, offering innovative solutions for sustainable architecture.

The Innovations

The Silk Pavilion

Imagine a world where building design and construction is not solely a human endeavour, but assisted by thousands of tiny architects: silkworms! Researchers from Oxman at MIT Labs created a dome-shaped frame and then invited 6,500 silkworms to do what they do best—spin silk.?

By analyzing the silkworm's spinning activities about space and environmental influences, they were directed to produce two-dimensional layers instead of three-dimensional cocoons. Over three weeks, these little creatures covered the dome with a beautiful, natural silk weave, creating a stunning and sustainable structure. It's like a collaborative art project between humans and nature, showing us a new way to think about building.

Microbial Concrete

Cracks in concrete aren't just unsightly; they can be a sign of deeper structural issues. Microbial concrete is a kind of concrete with a superpower: it can heal its own cracks! Researchers at MIT, Harvard and TU Delft have been wondering about the mysterious durability of ancient Roman structures for a long time. They now claim to have cracked the mystery i.e. “self-healing” properties of those structures and aim to bring a modern version of the recipe to the market. They found the ancient Romans made their concrete with quicklime, which is lime in its pure state, rather than the more typical slaked lime, making it special.?

Furthermore, infused with special microbes that spring to action when cracks form, this concrete repairs itself by producing limestone to fill in the gaps. It's like having tiny construction workers living in the concrete, constantly on the lookout for repairs. This innovation can make buildings safer and last longer, all thanks to the power of microorganisms!

Seashell Terrazzo

The seafood industry leaves behind mountains of seashell waste each year. But what if these shells could have a second life? Sea Stone is a concrete-like material that takes on this vision by mixing crushed seashells with bits of kombu (a type of seaweed) to create a stunning and sustainable building material. It's like the beach meeting modern design.?

Hyein Choi and Jihee Moon, a London-based design duo first introduced Newtab-22 during the VDF x Ventura Projects collaboration. This terrazzo isn't just beautiful; it's also a way to reduce waste and use resources more wisely. Sea Stone is an environmentally friendly alternative to concrete as well for small projects because they have similar characteristics.?

This is possible because seashells, which are rich in calcium carbonate (also known as limestone), are used in making cement, a main part of concrete. To make Sea Stone, the shells are crushed, mixed with natural binders, and then put into a mould to harden into pieces similar to concrete. It is now in the commercial development stage and has been utilized to manufacture items like ornamental tiles, tabletops, plinths, and vases.?

Mushroom Mycelium

Mushrooms are not just for eating—they're also for building! The Growing Pavilion is a splendid example of how mushroom roots, or mycelium, can be used to grow building panels. A temporary structure at Dutch Design Week, it is designed by set designer and artist Pascal Leboucq in collaboration with Erik Klarenbeek's studio Krown Design at Amsterdam studio Biobased Creations.??

Supported by a timber frame, these panels are strong, lightweight, and completely biodegradable. The structure, which is 95% circular and absorbs 10 tons of CO2, is constructed from five primary organic materials: wood, mycelium, agricultural by-products, bulrush, and cotton. It's as if the building sprouts from the ground, serves its purpose, and then gracefully returns to nature. This approach could redefine how we think about temporary structures, making them truly part of the natural cycle.

Algae and Clay Structures

Next up we have a group of students from the Bartlett School of Architecture. They have proposed a visionary eco-village where homes are made from algae and clay for a site in Ningbo, China. The project plans to use a type of algae called green macroalgae. Even though this algae is found naturally, it threatens nature and sea creatures.?

To solve this problem, the team turned this algae into a light, stiff material. These algae bricks, when pressed together with clay, create a sustainable and sturdy building material. Residents can even shape and customize their homes, much like playing with giant, eco-friendly building blocks. It's a glimpse into a future where buildings not only blend into the natural landscape but also contribute positively to the environment. These structures demonstrate how embracing natural materials can lead to innovative, sustainable living solutions.

Into the Future

Each of these innovations tells a story of harmony between human ingenuity and the wisdom of nature. By looking to the natural world for inspiration, we're finding new ways to build that are not only more sustainable but also more in tune with the environment around us. These stories of silkworms, microbes, seashells, mushrooms, and algae show us that the future of the building is not just about creating structures but about fostering a deep connection with the world we live in.

As technology advances and sustainability goals become more urgent, architects and designers must take a stand for fresh innovations by bringing them into practice. Emerging technologies, urban development initiatives, and a growing focus on sustainability point towards a world where biomimicry plays a central role in shaping our built environment.