Ecosystem Biomimicry: A way to achieve thermal comfort in architecture

Abaeian, H.; Madani, R.; Bahramian, A.

doi:10.22034/ijhcum.2016.04.004

Ecosystem Biomimicry: A way to achieve thermal comfort in architecture

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijhcum.2016.04.004

Volume 1, Issue 4
Autumn 2016

Pages 267-278

International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management

Document Type : ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Authors

H. Abaeian

R. Madani

A. Bahramian

Department of Architecture, University of Isfahan Art, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

The strategies to reduce the consumption of non-renewable energies in buildings are becoming increasingly important. In the meantime, nature-inspired approaches have emerged as a new strategy to achieve thermal comfort in the interiors. However, the use of these approaches in architecture and buildings requires a proper understanding regarding the features of ecosystems. Although acquiring this knowledge requires a high degree of familiarity with the fields such as biology and environmental science, review of achievements made by the use of these features could facilitate the understanding of ecomimicry processes and thereby contribute to environmental sustainability in buildings. In other words, this paper concerns the relationship between these features and the thermal comfort inside the building. Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The objective of this paper is to use such review to provide an approach to the use of natural features for achieving thermal comfort in the buildings of hot and dry climates. In this review, the successful examples are analyzed to identify and examine the principles that influence the thermal comfort in both building and urban levels. The results show that the three elements of water, wind, sun are the effective natural resources that must be utilized in the design in a way proportional and consistent with the natural features. In addition, functional features of ecosystem can be of value only in the presence of a processual relationship between them.

Keywords

Biomimicry

Environmental sustainability

Natural ecosystems, Sustainable architecture, Thermal comfort

Subjects

Urban architecture, design, development and planning

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