Biomimicry: Nature and Architecture
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
How can a building be patterned after a sea sponge?
When is a bridge like an eyelid or a building like a sea sponge? When designers use biomimicry.
Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Biomimicry: Nature and Architecture
Clip: Special | 1m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
When is a bridge like an eyelid or a building like a sea sponge? When designers use biomimicry.
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Science Trek
Science Trek is a place where parents, kids, and educators can watch short, educational videos on a variety of science topics. Every Monday Science Trek releases a new video that introduces children to math, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) career potentials in a fun, informative way.(MUSIC) JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN, HOST: Nature has had millions of years to figure out how to solve problems.
So, people are answering human problems by looking at nature's solutions.
That's biomimicry.
Let's look at ways architects and engineers use nature's toolbox to create things.
The Beijing national stadium used for the 2008 Olympics was called the bird's nest.
Designers built it that way so people would feel safe and nurtured inside.
The design for the Gateshead Millennium bridge was based on an eyelid.
When the lid is closed, people can walk across it.
When the lid is open, ships can pass underneath.
The Gherkin, a building in London, features an air ventilation system based on a sea sponge.
The outside or exoskeleton of the Venus' Flower Basket sea sponge helps direct water so it's easier to filter out food.
Using a similar design, the Gherkin spiral is shaped outside to direct the wind.
And that shape helps cool the building and saves energy.
For more information about biomimicry, check out the Science Trek website.
You'll find it at ScienceTrek.org.
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Science Trek is a local public television program presented by IdahoPTV
Major Funding by the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and the Idaho National Laboratory. Additional Funding by the Friends of Idaho Public Television and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.