Saturday 19 February 2011

MATERIALS - Can they be both stimulating and natural to the eye?

Biomimetic Materials

Biomimetics is the use of designs and traits from nature to solve real and potential problems in other branches of science, such as engineering and medicine. In practice, a scientist might study one specific unique quality of an animal, like a spiders ability to build super-strong webs or how a gecko can grip onto a sheer wall. This step alone takes years of intense work, as the scientist must figure out the fundamental building blocks of how an adaptation is produced. Once a scientist determines how an animal produces an adaptation, they can begin to duplicate the result for the good of humanity. In the two examples above possible biometic outcomes could be cables that are thinner yet stronger than others, or non-slip tires that literally can grip onto the road.




Velcro is the most well known and widely used biomimetic material of the present day. It perfectly mimics the gripping actions found in abundance with our natural world.


The French structural designer, Gustave Eiffel, was given the task of designing a structure for the World Trade Fair in 1889 that was to be held in Paris.  His ideas that lead him to this marvellous structure, the Eiffel tower, came from biomimetics.


Hermann Von Meyer, who was an anatomist, in the 1850’s, had been conducting research on the femur (thigh bone).  The femur was of interest to Hermann due to its horizontal extension into the hip socket so the load carried by the joint is off centre.  It was found that the load could be supported due to a tiny lattice arrangement of bones on the head of the femur called trabeculae.




Using nylon fabric and wooden dowels as form-work, the weight of the liquid plaster slurry causes the fabric to sag, expand, and wrinkle.




The Honeycomb Morphologies Project is based on the desire to form an integrated and generative design strategy using a biomimetic approach to architectural design and fabrication





Thursday 17 February 2011

2 Cool Designers - Le Corbousier and Frank Gehry


Le Corbousier - Notre Dame Du Haut - Ronchamp



Le Corbusier - Villa Savoye - Poissy - France



Frank Gehry - Gugenheim Museum - Bilbao - Spain




Frank Gehry - Rogers Building - Prague

My kind of Architecture


Durian building in Singapore - just don't try a Durian or you'll smell the town out! The fruit is banned in public places/buildings in Singapore, but this building looks the glimmering space-age design which cannot be compared to its intrusive pong!


The intrinsically designed interior funnel of the Reichstag dome, designed by old wobbly (Norman Foster).



The organically designed Allianz Arena in Munich where the locals call this structure the gigantic life buoy - cool!




The Helix hotel by Leeser - looking like extra microscopic lenses attached to your microscope - Yet a little fancier, like the white apple MAC version!


Going green in an entirely rainforest like way - the ACROS Fukuoka building - making living greener!



Cool multi-purpose living building by Murhtino - Chile - energy efficient and a colourful spectacle!



Although on first appearances the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona looks like a giant termite hill.  It is arguably the most famous piece of working architecture, which is still under construction in the world.  Its flowing, yet irregularly formed morphology is expert architecture at its best.  Who'd have thought by hanging 1K sand bags from a ceiling full of pulleys and hooks, something that would resemble a modern day bondage room, would have been the basis for a family church. Marvellous!! 

Love of Lichens - Biomimetic Architecture

Lichens

The Primary lifeforms, which act as the basic colour palette of nature itself.


Autumnal colours.


The alternative dwellings of the Elven of Ivengard.


Camp and neon, like nature intended.


Cold like ice and as intricate as an icicle.


Coming to a dry-stone wall near you!


Structure like lords and ladies in bloom.



Intricate microscopic lichen structures.


Lichen Centriole internal structure.


Mars Lichen architecture.


Mars structural architecture, using lichens dense hatching of hexagonal plates (Fractals) and simbiotic forms for future Mars habitation.

Cool Inspiration - The CLINIC - Singapore

The Clinic - Cafe, Restaurant, Bar - Singapore


"Syringe sir? Or maybe a Drip?"


"A little light surgery, before your mains madame?"


"We assure you that we have the best surgeons, this side of Chicago - Slicing and dicing is our speciality!"


"So, before we go through with this! Are you allergic to anything?"


"And a splash of iodine, to add that little kick to your system!"


"Once you are all inebriated, I shall take you to see Dr Chan for your deserts in the surgery!"


People - Scale - Perspective

People are essential when explaining scale and mood within completed interior / exterior building designs.

 



A selection of people with differing postures enhance the nature of designs.


People of all shapes and sizes are used to create the theme.


People - old and new - contemporary mix.


Helping to keep objects within perspective of their relative scale with the aid of people - although made from plastic - "That's one hell of a pole Peter"!


Real people and their toys - get the scale?


Can you use a pencil / pen? Get in the picture and sort out what the viewer needs to see!




People add perspective and complete a drawing which otherwise could have been mis-interperated.