Showing posts with label biomimicry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biomimicry. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Dragonfly, A Metabolic Farm for Urban Agriculture



http://www.tuvie.com/dragonfly-a-metabolic-farm-for-new-york-city-in-the-future/

by Vincent Callebaut
http://vincent.callebaut.org/

Dragonfly vertical farm is a concept urban farm specially designed for the Roosevelt Island of New York City which will reduce the problems associated with food shortage, mileage and connection between the producers and consumers. Because of the densely packed city civilization, this farm has been designed vertically, spanning 132 floors and 28 different agricultural fields for accommodating dragonflies aiming to produce fruit, grains, vegetables, meat and dairy. This Dragonfly wing shaped superstructure features wind and solar power producing capability and includes housing, offices, research labs and communal areas separated from farms, orchards and production rooms. Throughout the glass and steel set of wings, animal and plant farming is arranged as well as soil nutrient levels are maintained properly.



These very light wings in glass and steel retake the loads of the building and are directly inspired from the structure of the dragonfly wings coming from the family of “Odonata Anisoptera” whose transparent membrane is very finely nervured. Two inhabited rings buttress around these wings. Their organically chiselled exo-structure accommodates the inter-climatic spaces that receive the agrarian cultures. They buttress.

The whole set forms «double layer» architecture in bee nest mesh that exploits the solar passive energy at its maximum level, by accumulating the warm air in the winter in the thickness of the exo-structure, and by cooling the atmosphere by natural ventilation and by evapo-perpiration of the plants in the summer. Protecting thus the cultures from climatic changes in New York (from -25.5°C in the winter to +41°C in the summer), these plug spaces are useful to reflect on the agriculture not anymore in terms of surface area but really in terms of volume.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Biomimicry

I learned a new w0rd today, Biomimicry, which I thought was uber cool:

Biomimicry is an innovation method that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies, e.g., a solar cell inspired by a leaf. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies---new ways of living---that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul.

Taken from: http://www.biomimicryguild.com/guild_biomimicry.html

15 Cool cases applied today:
http://brainz.org/15-coolest-cases-biomimicry/

Content:
1. Velcro
2. Passive Cooling
3. Gecko Tape
4. Whalepower wind terbine
5. Lotus effect hydrophobia
6. self-healing plastics
7. The golden streamlining principle
8. Artificial Photosynthesis
9. Bionic Car
10. Morphing aircraft wings
11. Friction reducing sharkfin
12. Diatomaceous nanotech
13. Glo-fish
14. Insect inspired autonomous robots
15. Butterfly inspired displays

Ecotransology

Video Link
http://www.newmedia.ufm.edu/gsm/index.php?title=Ecotransology

Content Of Video:
Initial credits
Description of Terreform
Ecotransology: City Ecology Mobility
Ideation
Eco
Trans
Ecotrans
Short Film: What would it be like to live aet the North Pole in 100 years?
Questions, answers and comment period
Final Words
Final Credits

About Mitchell Joachim:
Mitchell Joachim speaks about Ecotransology. It is a field of design concerned with the interrelationship of mobility and the environmental context for which it serves; it combines ideas from urban design architecture, engineering technology, logistic planning, and services consultation. Joachim presents the components of this discipline: ideation, eco, trans, and ecotrans by showing relevant examples and projects in fauna bridges, future car designs, ecological housing, building design and clustering. His most relevant projects are the Nasa Rover vehicle, SOFT cars, the Pneu Tube, and Peristal City.