Biomimicry Presentation by Mr. Jayesh Hariyani, BurtHill Stantec at India Interior Summit 2012, Kempinski Ambience Hotel, Delhi, India

1. November 2, 2012
New Delhi, India
Presented by
JAYESH HARIYANI
M. Arch, MBA, AIA, COA, LEED AP
Burt Hill - Stantec
BIOMIMICRY

2. STANTEC SNAPSHOTS
 Founded in 1954
 Multidisciplinary global design firm
 Recognized as a world-class leader and innovator in the delivery of
sustainable solutions.
 Diverse range of markets at all stages of development
 Trades on the TSX and NYSE (STN)
Stantec. One Team. Integrated Solutions.

3. STANTEC SNAPSHOTS
 13500+ staff across 190 locations globally
 56 years of uninterrupted profitability
 18 practice areas
 “Full-service” Buildings, Environment, Industrial, Transportation, Urban Land and
Construction Administration Services
 Cutting-Edge Technology
 Award Winning Projects
 500,000 projects, 50,000 clients, in 80 different countries
 ISO 9001:2008 Registered
Stantec. One Team. Integrated Solutions.

4. PRACTICE AREA GROUPS
Building Design Environmental Industrial Transportation Planning & Landscape
& Interior Infrastructure Buildings & Infrastructure Architecture
Design Facilities
Environmental Transportation Urban Land Engineering
Buildings Management Power Planning & Traffic
Survey &
Engineering Engineering
Resources & Geomatics
Chemicals Infrastructure
Management &
Pavement
Engineering

5. GLOBAL LEDERASHIP IN
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND
LEED

6. Design Positioning Statement
INTEGRATION OF SYSTEMS
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
ARCHITECTURE
THE ENVIRONMENT
Performance Based Design + INNOVATION
HUMANISM
EXPERIENTAL DESIGN

7. “From my designer’s
perspective, I ask: Why
can’t I design a building
like a tree?
A building that makes oxygen, fixes
nitrogen, sequesters carbon, distils
water, builds soil, accrues solar
energy as fuel, makes complex
sugars and food, creates
microclimates, changes colours with
the seasons and self replicates.
This is using nature as a model and a
mentor, not as an inconvenience.
It’s a delightful prospect…’
(McDonough and Braungart,)

8. What is “Biomimicry”
It is the examination of nature, its models,
systems, processes, and elements to
emulate or take inspiration from in order to
solve human problems.
From the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate.

9. What is “Biomimicry”
Over the last 3.6 billion years, nature has gone
through a process to refine the living organisms,
processes, and materials on planet Earth.
It is not a new idea.
Humans have been looking at nature for
answers to both complex and simple problems
throughout our existence. Nature has solved
many of today's engineering problems.

10. BIOMIMETIC APPROACHES
• Biomimicry, where flora, fauna or
entire ecosystems are emulated as a
basis for design
• It is a growing area of research in the
fields of architecture and engineering.
WHY :
• an inspirational source of possible
new innovation
• The potential it offers as a way to
create a more sustainable and
even regenerative built
environment.
The widespread and practical application of biomimicry as a design method
remains however largely unrealised.

11. WHY :
• Biomimetic approach to
architectural design that
incorporates an
understanding of ecosystems
could become a vehicle for
creating a built environment
that goes beyond simply
sustaining current conditions
to a restorative practice
where the built environment
becomes a vital component in
the integration with and
regeneration of natural
ecosystems.
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA – LEED Platinum
Mafraq Dialysis Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE

12. DESIGN APPROACHES TO
BIOMIMICRY:
1:
DESIGN LOOKING INTO
BIOLOGY:
Defining a human need or design
problem and looking to the ways
other organisms or ecosystems to
solve this,
Identifying a particular
characteristic, behaviour or function
in an organism or ecosystem and
translating that into human designs,
referred to as biology influencing
design
Cartilege or Semi-rigid Car, by Tom Wiscombe Design
(Biomimicry Guild,)

13. DESIGN LOOKING INTO BIOLOGY
Designer looks to the living
world for solutions, requires
designer to identify problems
and biologists to then match
these to organisms that have
solved similar issues.
This approach is effectively
led by designer identifying
initial goals and parameters
for the design.

14. DESIGN APPROACHES TO
BIOMIMICRY:
2:
BIOLOGY INFLUENCING
DESIGN
When biological knowledge
influences human design, the
collaborative design process is
initially dependant on people
having knowledge of relevant
biological or ecological research
rather than on determined human
design problems. An examples is
the scientific analysis of the lotus
flower emerging clean from
swampy waters which lead to
many design innovations.
Thematic Pavilion, South Korea

15. LEVEL OF BIOMIMICRY
Organism Level
( Mimicry of a specific organism)
Behaviour Level
(Mimicry of how an organism behaves
or relates to its larger context)
Ecosystem Level
(Mimicry of an ecosystem) :
o Form
o Material
o Construction
o Process
o Function

16. ORGANISM LEVEL
Special feature, rather than a
whole ecosystem
Humans have an extensive pool of
examples to draw on to solve
problems experienced by society
that organisms may have already
addressed, usually in energy and
materials effective ways
Dragonfly at Sci Arc by Tom Wiscombe Design

17. ECOSYSTEM LEVEL
Where objective is the wellbeing of ecosystems, rather
than ‘power, prestige or profit’.
On a functional level,
ecosystem mimicry could
mean that an in-depth
understanding of ecology
drives the design of a built
environment that is able to
participate in the major
biogeochemical material
cycles of the planet.

18. BIOMIMICRY TO INCREASE
SUSTAINABILITY
Biomimicry to be conceived
as a way to increase
sustainability of an
architectural project…..
Mimicking of general
ecosystem principles should
be incorporated into the
design at the earliest stage
and used as an evaluative
tool throughout the design
process.

19. BIOMIMICRY: GREEN BY DEFAULT?
Environmental assessment of
existing biomimetic products
reveals some practical
consequences of the
reductive mindset.
Simple imitation vs Green
design
Imitation of the living world
is not by default
environmentally superior.

20. Life’s Characteristics and Relation to
Engineering
•Life builds form from the bottom-up
•Life fits form to function Behavior Level
•Life depends on Water
•Life is cyclic (processes) and recycles (material resources)
•Life is locally attuned and resourceful
•Life adapts and evolves
•Life coexists within a cooperative framework

21. BIOMIMICRY =
RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

22. 10 Metrics for Evaluation of Design
Agreed upon criteria for design assessment and evaluation
Basis for internal design audit
1 The Story -narrative, theme, metaphor
2 Innovation -research, information, synergistic whole
3 Integration -all disciplines, concept through delivery
4 Sustainability -quantitative, beyond leed
5 Context -social, economic, physical, environmental
6 Aesthetics -composition, language, expression, taste
7 Humanism –emotional connection to physical space
8 Content -research, benchmarking, understanding client
9 Performance -technical response, project feasibility
10 Representation -communication of ideas

23. DESIGN METRICS
• HUMANISUM
• STORY
• INNOVATION
• INTEGRATION
• SUSTAINABILTY
• ASTHETICS
• PERFORMANCE

24. CLOSING REMARKS

25. PROCESS CYCLE
• VISIONING
• PLANNING & PROGRAMING
• DESIGN
• EXICUTION
• OCUPATION & DATA COLLECTION
• ANALYSIS - RESEARCH &
SYNTHESIS
• VISIONING….

26. CHANGING THE METAPHOR
• To emulate nature, our first challenge is to describe her in her terms.
• The collaborative team's ability to create a strong sense of
community, clear goals, and their interest in searching for integrated
designs that are inspired by nature will dramatically improve the
results.
• Establishing and maintaining this forum for discovery requires more
preparation, research and participation by more people (all
stakeholders). More participation means more time and money.
Fortunately there is a growing body of evidence that the additional
investment delivers long term benefits including increases in flexibility,
durability, and human health and productivity, with decreases in
energy consumption, pollution and operating costs.

27. CLOSING

28. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA – LEED Platinum

31. Mafraq Dialysis Center, Abu Dhabi, UAE
7407 SM

34. “Nature supports right actions”
“Nature works in parallel ways”
“The nature of life is to more and more”
“If a man is able to submit himself to nature, then nature
will react to his needs. Almighty nature is powerful
and all loving, for the laws of nature are for the
creation and evolution of all beings and creatures
throughout cosmos. There is no greater kindness
than the kindness of nature.”
Quotes from Maharishi Yogi