Bionic Science As a Tool for Innovation in Mega-Cities
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Bionic Science as a Tool for Innovation in Mega-Cities Rosa Cervera and Javier Pioz Abstract The conquest of vertical space in the context of architecture and con- struction appears to be one of the smartest solutions in the quest to balance the current overpopulation and energy consumption rationale of our mega-cities. However, actual structural models of vertical construction are exceedingly restricted. Upon reaching the 500/650-m high frontier, considerably large amounts of construction material are necessary to complete just below 30% of the built up area. Bionic Architecture contains a myriad of innovative tools that enable the development of groundbreaking designs for vertical engineering. Nature provides us with countless examples from which we draw ideas. When we observe a tree and how its structure works, we see a complex system of veins and fibres, which have an amazing capacity to resist strong winds and also to conduct fluids. This self-regulated natural system is an ideal model to “imitate” when designing high-rise skyscrapers, which, similarly, fight against the wind and hold shifting masses of people. The application of bionics ranges from improving the aerody- namics of aircraft and creating water-resistant surfaces, to designing and building pioneering high rise ecological skyscrapers and revolutionary Vertical Cities that are capable of sourcing the energy and accommodating up to 100,000 people. The Be-Bionic City Tower is a pioneering architectural design of a Vertical City, and the first high-rise structure to reach 1228 m. high. It is also the first fully self-sustainable vertical construction, which means that it can fully satisfy its energy needs drawing from natural resources such as sunlight, wind and rainwater. Experimenting with Biological Structures and their application to new construction models in the Be-Bionic City Tower is the starting point to create a new area of practice-based research in architecture, that of Bionic Architecture. R. Cervera (&) Alcalá University, Madrid, Spain e-mail: [email protected] R. Cervera Á J. Pioz Principal of Cervera & Pioz Architects, Madrid, Spain J. Pioz Madrid Polytechnic University, Madrid, Spain © Springer International Publishing AG 2018 193 Q.M. Zaman and I. Troiani (eds.), Transdisciplinary Urbanism and Culture, The Urban Book Series, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55855-4_16 194 R. Cervera and J. Pioz Keywords Bionic architecture Á Vertical city Á Self-sufficient urbanism Bionic Science: Living in and Through the Teachings of Nature Bionic Science analyses biological species and natural systems to benefit human life. The majority of living species in our planet are but the result of two billion years of evolution and researchers study these living forms and use this knowledge to develop valuable, innovative systems. These systems aid our development as a society as findings can be applied to nearly anything from construction to health, design, architecture, and engineering. When we look at nature, we realise it is a superbly developed high-tech organism where we encounter astonishing finely tuned mechanisms of coexistence, energy efficiency and immaculate equilibrium fully capable of adapting to a changing environment. These are all qualities we crave when we create a design. We firmly believe that by extracting, conceptualising and applying nature’s knowledge and laws into our designs we can achieve the kind of sustainability the modern world so desperately needs (Gerardin 1968; Litinetski 1975; Otto 1987; Benyus and Barberis 1998). We as Cervera & Pioz Architects investigate the growing patterns of organic forms and the flexibility and adaptability laws in nature to develop a novel “theory & practice” for an innovative connection between “nature and architecture” (Cervera and Pioz 2001). We aim to mimic nature’s staggering efficiency by observing its geometric patterns and by studying the coherence between form and structure. Then we transport these concepts into our architectural work and develop sustainable and constructive techniques for our green buildings. To study bionics and “learn from nature to build our future” for us means to contribute to building a future that can meet the pressing demands made of the environment in a wholly sustainable manner. Why Bionic Science?: Over-Consumption and Ecological Consciousness The development model that modern society has used as the basis of progress is one of “steady growth”, a model that is identified with the concept of “goodness” and that signals as negative any question that does not imply steady increase. This philosophy of unlimited expansion that lies at the base of the industrial and post-industrial society shamelessly shapes the unquenchable consumption of resources and the magnitude of human settlements. The astounding rise in demo- graphics, the welfare of society and growth of urban settlements run parallel with some resources abused. Nature simply cannot produce at the same rate as human beings can plunder the environment. Bionic Science as a Tool for Innovation in Mega-Cities 195 The widespread awareness that humanity is throwing away at a vertiginous speed the heritage the Earth needed millions of years to accumulate is something relatively new. The barbarous attack on the environment has been relentless as exemplified here: phosphates of laundry products and fertilizers; the quicksilver of fuels and lead of the oil industry that pollute sea waters; both oxides of carbon, CO2 and CO, coming out of exhaust pipes, chimneys, heaters and oil refineries have been spun into the atmosphere; oil spilled into the sea damaging the marine plankton; the gases in spray bottles and of freezers damaging the ozone layer; nuclear radiation and nuclear waste; all of them new challenges for the environ- ment. Moreover, the global warming has only just started. Nevertheless, all these side effects were diligently ignored as the advanced society reached degrees of comfort and welfare unknown until then. It is only now in the first few decades of the 21st century when the ecological attention extends to all levels/the whole, making us aware that cities have emerged as major culprits of unsustainable energy consumption, land occupation and are responsible for the highest polluting emissions. This requires the revision of all urban and architectural theories and practices to limit the waste of natural resources and the continued massive pollution of the planet. Nature as High Biotech: From Research into Architecture Practice Cervera and Pioz have been long conducting research around forms in nature aiming to find a path towards efficiency in constructive building technology. To get more for less could sum up our objective; in other words, to minimise material and energy expenses without renouncing to a variety or formal exploration. In nature structure and form fully depend on each other and have an inherent relationship. It is clear that a vital need to optimise resources form a tight bond between the two. All the essential ingredients are integrally generated to be, and unlike artificial systems, they cannot be separated. We are convinced we must take the opportunity offered by nature to see it as a biotechnological process and elaborately engineered structure. Moreover, we believe that the ideal form can be coherently achieved starting off from here. Here we put forward a few of the projects in place that are working towards investigating the formal and structural organisation of vegetables and animals (Sane 2003; Wang 2005). We follow a methodology that consists of identifying those elements that could be compared to their architectonic equivalents and draw our conclusions. Once the models have been determined, we analyse their formal, geometrical and structural configurations. From there onwards we study their behaviour and usually come across some strikingly innovative results. Using cur- rent calculus programs we can compare the different behaviours that occur in various settings. For instance, we observe a cantilever first in a context with structural elements displayed according to the original model previously identified; 196 R. Cervera and J. Pioz and second, we observe it in a context faithful to the standards commonly used in construction. The analysis that follows observes the differing factors and studies optimum dispositions. We use this methodology to study all kinds of elements in nature like the slender shapes of trees or reeds; cantilevered forms like those of leaves or insects and birds’ wings; the centrally supported forms of water lilies; the bends on cactus and shells; containing forms able to save energy like fruits and flowers; and dynamic forms like those of the manta ray (Figs. 1 and 2). During analysis, we also study structures at the microscopic level that provide us with new layers of information. One example includes the investigation of the structural-formal organisation of water lilies by using parametric programs that enable the study of variations (Fig. 3). Here the structural model is similar to a cantilevered circular slab that relies on a central support. The shear and bending or flexors are studied and later compared to those of slab that has used a conventional reticular framework. The results speak for themselves; a much more efficient structure is that of the water lilies and their “radial-arboreal” organisation. Cervera & Pioz Architects apply some of the outcomes of their research into their professional architecture designs. Several works have been developed and built by translating this research into practice resulting in structural and energy savings of 30% compared to more conventional models. The Twin Towers of Shristi in Kolkata, India (Fig. 4) base their structure on a triangular shaped superstructure similar to the skeleton of fishes that are capable of absorbing all torsion effects. Three built volumes hang from this primary structure creating a “building of buildings”. Here the structural innovation has also resulted in a novelty typological height that considerably improves in structural savings and cross ven- tilation, a highly unusual characteristic in conventional skyscrapers but very well suited to the extreme climate in Kolkata.