Bio-Logic Driven Architecture

"Buildings are living organisms" - Moshe Safdie

"A building functions like an organism therefore it could be organised to comply with similar laws to those that regulate living systems." - Marcos Cruz on Le Corbusier

Issue

Buildings are filled with incompatible systems that entwine and scale the horizontal and vertical surfaces, usually quite visible and unattractive. The building envelope, structural members, electrical systems and mechanical ducting are all various parts that form the organs of the building, yet are completely different and separate entities.

Thesis

Architecture can benefit from being thought of as living organisms whose functions and behaviors are determined by the relationship between the parts within a whole. The process of adding a bio-logic to both the make up of the "intestines" and the "skin" to deal with energy transfers and maintaining the internal quality resonates with the efficiency and self sustenance that is abundantly evident in nature.

Strategies

1. Regulate Homeostasis (Regulation of the internal environment)

Using the envelope of the building to transport air to various locations of the building thus removing the need for separate duct work that would be typically required in contemporary buildings.

2. Self Organization through Inherent Intelligence (Dynamic shifting of the architectural spaces due to internal stimuli.)

Intelligence allows for the structure to morph the spaces within depending on the internal requirements of the occupants. The numerous the individuals residing in the space, the larger the volume of air for comfort is required. This can also change during the seasons as in the winter, smaller spaces will be conducive to less energy required to heat the spaces. While during the summer, the larger spaces allow for heat to rise easily.

3. Passive methods for generating energy

Passive strategies which utilize external sources for energy generation that support the architecture so that it is less reliant on the grid and largely self sustaining.

Architectural Precedents

Radiant Hydronic House - Tom Wiscombe Architects


This precedent project is an example of how an architect is trying to integrate various building services to function in new ways. This is a theoretical building that illustrates the ability to combine services in such a way that allows for greater expression of the interior spaces while providing the necessary services in a combined manner.

Khan Shatyr (Kazakhstan)

I am interested in how ETFE panels work at extremes and this project is sited in a region that experiences 80 degrees of temperature changes, from -40 degrees celcius to +40 degress celcius.