[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAMrtHC2Ev0&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Rachael Armstrong explains at TED how shes trying to establish a system based bottom up architecture made from living materials in conversation with the environment rather than the traditional model that takes natural materials in a dead and static …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyBR3PDPa-c&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Amazing new concept: concrete that’s embedded with bacterial and nutrient spheres alongside traditional aggregate that once exposed to distress or cracks in the concrete expand to fill it up with calcium carbonate, much like the way bones constantly self-heal …
Sir Norman Foster’s Gherkin Tower is a very well known building on its own, but many fail to realize its famous hexagonal skin was inspired by the Venus Flower Basket Sponge. This special sponge hosts a lattice-like exoskeleton that appears …
Chimera design team has designed a spiraling skyscraper solution for New York City inspired by the Mangrove Tree habitat. SuckerPUNCH did a profile of their project named Mangalcity here as well as Inhabitat here. Both great posts with lots of …
ARTEKS architecture from Andorra have recently designed an outdoor shading system inspired by the local trees observed on site. Inhabitat did an excellent post about their project here with plenty of detail. ARTEKS took a very sculputral approach to the …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNI37ncgdXQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0] Its a well known fact that world renowned architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava‘s formost teacher in design has been nature. Granted his approach isn’t very systematic like other examples we’ve seen in more progressive naturally-inspired projects, its still worth …
Inspired by the grooves of rain collecting plants, polish students Ryszard Rychlicki and Agnieszka Nowak of H3AR received recognition for their proposal in the 2010 skyscraper challenge, designboom also did a full post on the details of their project here. …
Dennis Dollens (a professor teaching biodigital architecure at ESAQ, Barcelona) recently released an iphone app in comic book form dealing with generative structures from bio-algorithmic software. Treehugger wrote a spot about it here and it’s currently available at the iphone app …
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq336TAJb9A&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0] The Biomimicry Guild and HOK Architects have begun various projects looking to nature for inspiration. This video shows thier developments as told by HOK associate Mary Ann Lazarus.
There’s a new green development trend of naturally purified and filtered residential pools that work much like a lake habitat. No need for nasty chemicals and chlorine since part of the the pool is dedicated to filtering and recycling the …
