Problem

40% of our combined energy use stems from buildings. That makes it the single largest consumption sector in the USA. Despite the increasing implementation of green building design, most buildings continue to use an excess amount of energy and resources. 
Construction and repairs make up embodied energy. Heating, cooling, and lighting fall under operational energy. Both need to be reduced to lower a building’s energy footprint.
Buildings are known as the “built environment” because they are a part of the natural world. Integrating them to function with our planet, instead of against it, is the best way to adapt to our changing climate and growing cities

Approach

Nature is the world’s best designer. She uses what she has on hand to come up with elegant and efficient solutions, many of which are still a mystery to mankind. How does a dragonfly outmaneuver our best drones? How does an ant carry hundreds of times its body weight? By asking and answering questions like these, we can solve humanity’s most pressing concerns.

Biomimicry is the process of mimicking nature and applying the appearances, functions, and systems that she has perfected after years of evolution. 

In order to mimic nature, we need to understand it. Our team has conducted extensive research from cross-disciplinary sources to gain an understanding of the use of biology in design. We brainstormed, iterated, and analyzed many solutions to create a viable way to apply biomimicry to the built environment. Our final proposal utilizes bioinspired techniques and technologies to make buildings more sustainable in four key areas: site, energy, water, and materials