From leaves to liquids, caves to crystal formations, nature has always been a major source of inspiration for architects. This book examines how nature can act as a precedent for design solutions through twelve case studies. Packed with computer drawings, sketches, models, and photographs, this will be an ideal resource of ideas for students in their studio work, as well as for practicing architects.
Nature's design magic is found in its perfect ratios. This illustrated drawing book focuses on four natural designs--Star, Branch, Spiral, and Fan--and why they work.
When searching for genuinely sustainable building design and technology - designs that go beyond conventional sustainability to be truly restorative - we often find that nature got there first. Over 3.5 billion years of natural history have evolved innumerable examples of forms, systems, and processes that can be applied to modern green design. For architects, urban designers and product designers, this new edition of Biomimicry in Architecture looks to the natural world to achieve radical increases in resource efficiency. Packed with case studies predicting future trends, this edition also contains updated and expanded chapters on structures, materials, waste, water, thermal control and energy, as well as an all-new chapter on light. An amazing sourcebook of extraordinary design solutions, Biomimicry in Architecture is a must-read for anyone preparing for the challenges of building a sustainable and restorative future.
Deployable structures can expand and contract due to their geometrical, material and mechanical properties – offering the potential to create truly transforming environments. This book looks at the cutting edge of the subject, examining the different types of deployable structures and numerous design approaches. Filled with photographs, models, drawings and diagrams, Deployable Structures is packed with inspirational ideas for architecture students and practitioners.
Always received with a mix of fascination and awe, blob architecture is conquering the metropolises of the world. With their futuristic look - softly rounded at times, boldly curved at others - the buildings stand out from the bulk of urban structures. Whether a classic computer-generated blob, an experiment with new mould-breaking shapes, or in combination with de-constructive elements - the applied cutting-edge technologies and materials are fertile grounds for unlimited creativity. Blob ! Round Shapes, Fluid Forms presents the best contemporary projects from around the world, giving a comprehensive overview of current developments. The projects that were carefully selected for this book are as unique as they are versatile and vivid proof that the fascination of the blob remains as strong as ever.
This book presents 50 selected peer-reviewed contributions from the 10th Anniversary International Conference on “Physics and Mechanics of New Materials and Their Applications”, PHENMA 2021-2022 (23-27 May, 2022, Divnomorsk, Russia), focusing on processing techniques, physics, mechanics, and applications of advanced materials. The book describes a broad spectrum of promising nanostructures, crystal structures, materials, and composites with unique properties. It presents nanotechnological design approaches, environmental-friendly processing techniques, and physicochemical as well as mechanical studies of advanced materials. The selected contributions describe recent progress in computational materials science methods and algorithms (in particular, finite-element and finite-difference modelling) applied to various technological, mechanical, and physical problems. The presented results are important for ongoing efforts concerning the theory, modelling, and testing of advanced materials. Other results are devoted to promising devices with higher accuracy, increased longevity, and greater potential to work effectively under critical temperatures, high pressure, and in aggressive environments.
Presenting the state-of-the-art in sustainable retrofits in post war residential towers, this book captures and re-informs the current intense refurbishing process that is taking place in Britain, which is part of a global phenomenon happening all over the world, as cities upgrade their building stock in an attempt to comply with governmental emission reduction targets. The authors present inspections of 20 sustainably retrofitted social housing towers, analysing their aesthetic and technical modifications, as well as the shifts occurring in their social structure. The authors use over 200 full colour plans, elevations, photographs, maps and illustrations to beautifully support the statistical and analytical information collected. Finally they include interviews with some of the architects who designed the retrofits, residents and key stakeholders to inform the conclusions.
This book summarizes many of the recent advances in the design and application of thin-walled composite protective structures. The past few decades have seen outstanding advances in the use of composite materials in structural applications. Composites have revolutionized traditional design concepts and made possible an unparalleled range of new and exciting possibilities as viable materials for construction. This book presents an extensive survey on recent improvements in the research and development of composites and biocomposites that are used to make structures in various applications. This book deals with design, research and development studies, experimental investigations, theoretical analysis, and fabrication techniques relevant to the application of composites in load-bearing components for assemblies, ranging from individual components such as plates and shells to complete composite structures. This book also focuses the recent advances in biocomposite materials from renewable resources and introduces a potential application of this material. The content is this book benefits the academics, researchers, scientists, engineers, and students in the field of epoxy blends for application as lightweight advanced composite structures.
Throughout history, nature has served as an inspiration for architecture and designers have tried to incorporate the harmonies and patterns of nature into architectural form. Alberti, Charles Renee Macintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Le Courbusier are just a few of the well- known figures who have taken this approach and written on this theme. With the development of fractal geometry--the study of intricate and interesting self- similar mathematical patterns--in the last part of the twentieth century, the quest to replicate nature's creative code took a stunning new turn. Using computers, it is now possible to model and create the organic, self-similar forms of nature in a way never previously realized. In Fractal Architecture, architect James Harris presents a definitive, lavishly illustrated guide that explains both the "how" and "why" of incorporating fractal geometry into architectural design.
