We must look to Nature to Design Communities of the Future

Due to popular demand for more information on Nature-Inspired Design, we are delving deeper into the urgent need for sustainable solutions in the face of a housing crisis. Let’s explore the critical questions surrounding ambitious construction targets and why embracing biomimicry might just be the key to a harmonious future for our communities.?

Caught in the throes of a deepening housing crisis, there have been many questions posed about whether or not the ambitious Federal and Provincial construction targets can be reached.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has estimated that 5.8 million new units of housing must be built by 2031, with at least 2 million of these being rental units. Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford is aiming at constructing 1.5 million new units in Ontario alone, encouraging municipalities to sign on to housing pledges that accelerate construction. Waterloo, Cambridge, and Kitchener have pledged to build 70,000 homes combined.

This raises a question, however. Even if reaching these aggressive targets is possible, are they environmentally sustainable? In an attempt to build more faster, are we digging ourselves into a dangerous hole?

According to the Government of Canada, the housing sector emits 23 per cent of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation. If housing is built quickly but without the proper foresight and green infrastructure in place, units risk significant energy loss and wear that places greater burdens on energy supplies and materials, exacerbating the climate crisis by burning more fuel.?

We don’t want to trade an improved? housing supply for an unlivable world.??

We arrived in this precarious position by treating Nature as a raw material for our use. Since the dawn industrial revolution, when the power of coal was harnessed to release energy beneficial to the growth of Western societies, the Earth has been misinterpreted as an endless fuel for economic, social, and technological growth – as a resource, or material for consumption.

Today, the long history of the abuse of Nature is recognized as a tragic mistake. From human-induced climate change, to biodiversity loss, to ocean acidification, the scars that previous generations have made upon our planet has taught us a valuable lesson: Nature, the Earth, must be used as a source of inspiration for the flourishing of all life, rather than misconceived as a bottomless pit of resources or energy. Nature must be integrated into our lives, rather than excluded and dominated.?

The solution? We must return to designs that are inspired by Nature so our buildings and communities intertwine and grow with the natural environment, rather than work against it.

Embracing the concept of biomimicry, Nature-inspired design integrates designs found in Nature that have formed over millions of years of evolution into modern construction and design practices today. Biology and building practices are merged into one, providing the sustainability needed for our society if we are to continue growing and expanding our population and economy.

Phototropism, for example, is generally defined as the way in which a plant orients or ‘bends’ itself to respond to light. Taken into a design context, it is a perfect model for how new buildings and towers may be strategically and intentionally oriented to maximize light exposure for residents at all times. Screens for units can be placed to accentuate phototropic effects in line with Nature’s systems. Even the podiums of towers can be designed to mimic the roots of a growing plant. Foundations in the earth meet the sky in a way that provides stability but allows for flows of people and open air amenity spaces such as gardens, parks, and playgrounds.

Canada’s goal is to become net-zero for carbon emissions by 2050. The construction and form of new developments and homes therefore plays an essential role in meeting this critical target. Not only does Nature have lessons for us, but it is also our role and responsibility – even if newly understood in our lifetimes – to safeguard and protect it, so future generations may enjoy its beauty and gifts, inside and outside of their homes.

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Let us borrow and mimic designs handed to us over millions of years. We owe it to the Earth, and to the future of our communities.