The Restorative Effects of Nature: Using Biomimicry to make us happier, healthier and more productive. BMY 530 Christopher Novotny Fall 2018 1 Introduction...........................................................3 Scoping..................................................................4 Discovering...........................................................8 Creating................................................................13 Evaluating.............................................................18 Conclusion...........................................................19 References..........................................................2 0 Appendix .............................................................21 2 Introduction What is Biomimicry? When you face a complex challenge, who do you go to for advice? Your parents? A friend? What type of answers are we seeking and why are we asking these people, and not just anyone? When we seek advice, the logical solution is to consult those with experience. Those that have wisdom and have been around longer. Biomimicry does this with nature. Biomimicry asks, “how would nature solve my challenge?” and develops a solution based upon the biological strategies that emerges from the in-depth research. As put so eloquently by the Biomimicry Institute; “Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies—new ways of living—that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul. Biomimicry Thinking Design Lens. Biomimicry.net 3 Scoping Summary According to a 2018 survey by YouGov, North Americans and Europeans spend an average of 90% of the day indoors (YouGov, 2018), with another study showing an average of eleven hours per day spent in front of a computer, television, or phone screen (Richter, 2015). This disproportional time spent indoors means little or no exposure to daylight or fresh air- essentials to our overall mental and physical well-being. To make matters worse, many people are not aware of the true severity of negative effects that come with this disproportional time spent indoors: “ ...struggle with coughs, colds and other respiratory illnesses, bad sleep, lack of energy, moodiness, poor concentration and other ailments ”. Lack of exposure to direct sunlight alone can cause “...issues such as vitamin D deficiency, which can contribute to feelings of tiredness, fatigue and low mood.” ( Srivastava, 2009) Studies have shown a direct connection between increased time spent outside in nature and improved mental and physical well-being, including improved short-term memory, restored mental energy, stress relief, reduced inflammation, improved concentration, immune system boost, and sharper thinking and creativity (Srivastava. 2009) . City dwellers in particular have an even further increased need for nature’s restorative effects as the built environment has displaced much of the surrounding natural environment, and urbanization has increased stressors from factors such as overcrowded and polluted environment, high levels of violence, and reduced social support (Srivastava. 2009). In addition, a 2018 United Nations report finds that 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, with that number estimated to rise to 68% by 2050 globally. In North America, 82% of the population lives in urban areas. As urbanization spreads and urban populations continue to grow, the public’s need for reconnecting to nature and an “urban retreat” will become increasingly necessary. seattletimes.com 4 Scoping Challenge Statement This project seeks to reconnect city dwellers to nature through tactile engagement and refocusing attention by framing and or filtering sights and sounds. By doing this we will help to decrease user stress and increase happiness, productivity, creativity, and overall user mental and physical well-being. Scoping Context Musts/Non-negotiables: ● Solution utilizes sustainable, up-cycled, or cradle-to-cradle materials and components. ● Solution is “off-grid” utilizing local, readily available, renewable energy and low-energy processes. ● Solution is multi-functional, modular and adaptable. ● Solution is locally attuned and responsive. ● Solution acts as a retreat, providing a feeling of escape from the urban environment. Wants : ● Solution frames external views to visually remove urban environment and focuses the user’s attention to nature. ● Solution filters, dampens or cancels external noise to sonically remove urban environment and focuses the user’s attention to nature ● Solution filters, cleans or masks city odors (and ideally air pollution) to further disconnect the user from the urban environment while providing external functionality. ● Solution provides tactile interactions with nature to further remove the user from the urban environment ● Solution discourages use of devices such as phones and computers. Nice-to-haves: ● Solution provides extra opportunities to learn about local species and habitat to deepen the user’s appreciation and connection to nature ● Solution provides extra opportunities to learn about biomimicry and nature’s genius 5 Scoping What are Life’s Principles (LPs)? Life’s Principles are design lessons from nature. Based on the recognition that Life on Earth is interconnected and interdependent, and subject to the same set of operating conditions. Life has evolved a set of strategies that have sustained over 3.8 billion years. Life’s Principles represent these overarching patterns found amongst the species surviving and thriving on Earth. Life integrates and optimizes these strategies to create conditions conducive to life. By learning from these deep design lessons, we can model innovative strategies, measure our designs against these sustainable benchmarks, and allow ourselves to be mentored by nature’s genius using Life’s Principles as our aspirational ideals. Life’s Principles Diagram: Biomimicry.net 6 Scoping Life’s Principles (LPs) to Integrate Evolve to Survive Replicate strategies that work - the solution should use biomimicry as a means to enhance and build upon existing biophilic techniques/strategies Integrate the unexpected - the solution should utilize the unexpected to facilitate a deeper tactile, visual, or sonic connection to nature or disconnection from the urban environment Be locally attuned and responsive Leverage cyclic processes - the solution should take advantage of natural daylighting and prevailing seasonal winds Use readily available materials and energy - the solution should utilize locally up-cycled or sustainable materials as well as energy Use feedback loops - the solution should incorporate feedback loops to tailor and enhance functionality for the users Integrate Development with Growth Combine modular and nested components - the solution should use modular and or nested components to simplify the form and construction and to reduce waste Be Resource Efficient (Material and Energy) Use low energy processes - the solution should use little or no energy inputs or create its own energy Use multifunctional design - the solution should perform a secondary external task, ideally with an environmental or educational impacts Fit form to function - the solution should perfectly fit form to function in order to simplify the design and reduce materials and embodied energy 7 Discovering Summary How does nature focus? How does nature create ideal conditions for development? These are the type of questions that were asked while researching possible organisms and biological strategies for this challenge (see Appendix D) During research, additional relevant terms emerged, in particular, incubation. Incubation is the act of providing ideal conditions (temperature) to develop eggs, cells, bacteria, embryos, etc. After including incubation as a research term, bird nests emerged as a strategy that not only aided in providing ideal climatic conditions, but protection from the outside world. For “How does nature focus?”, the Decapod crustacean compound eye emerged as a champion strategy for focusing in low light. Discovering Natural Models Decapod crustaceans: Compound eye focuses and reflects light Decapod crustaceans make up more than eight thousand species of crustaceans (phylum Arthropoda) that include shrimp, lobsters, crayfish , hermit crabs, and crabs. Decapods (meaning ten-footed) are primarily scavenging marine animals and are most abundant in warm, shallow tropical waters, but are also distributed throughout the world. Lobsters, and other Decapod crustaceans, utilize a specialized compound eye shape that allows for increased optical efficiency in their low-light aquatic habitats. American Lobster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_lobster 8 Function: Focus and reflect light Strategy: multiple tapered, square-shaped “ommatidia” increase optical sensitivity, acuity to motion and field of view to locate food and predators. Description: Aquatic scavengers and bottom-feeders like shrimps, lobsters, and other Decapod crustaceans have a specialized eye structure to locate food and predators in the low-light conditions of their habitats. Reflecting superposition compound eyes are comprised of thousands of square-faceted eye units known as ommatidia. A reflective surface in the upper part of the eye reflect light collected from the numerous ommatidia onto the photosensitive portions of the retina while a second reflector, the tapetum, underlying the retina, back-scatters dispersed light onto the retina. The superposition of light rays from multiple eye units (ommatidia) effectively increases the pupil size, making this an extremely light-sensitive device, which is well adapted for dim-light habitats Organism Mechanism Image 1: The reflecting superposition compound eye. ( A ) X-ray microCT scan of a whole crayfish eye ( Procambarus clarkii ). ( B ) Light microscopy image of the cornea looking down the eye axis. ( C ) Schematic of the compound eye viewed perpendicular to the eye axis Reflecting superposition eyes: (A) eye of the decapod shrimp, (B) tapered mirror box in a shrimp drawn by Grenacher in 1979, (C) cross-sectional schematic of reflecting superposition eyes. Abstracted Design Principle 9 Multiple tapered box-shaped facets allow for increased amount of reflected light to focus on desired point. Lobster eye illustration. Artist: Emily Harrington. Copyright: All rights reserved. See gallery for details. 10 Discovering Natural Models Passerines: cupped nest creates conditions ideal for incubation Nests are structures built by animals to hold, protect, and incubate their eggs and offspring. Birds are among the most talented nest builders, however there are a number of other vertebrates and invertebrates that build nests as well. Nest construction techniques, shapes, and materials are highly diverse depending on the species, however, most nests are constructed by weaving organic materials such as grasses, twigs, branches, and leaves, though man-made materials such as cloth and paper have also been observed. Cupped shaped nests are the most common avian nest shape worldwide with most of them built by song birds or Passerines. Bullfinch./www.rspb.org.uk Function: Create conditions ideal for incubation Strategy: Elevated cup shaped basket is ideal for incubation providing protection from environment and predation, and easy access for parents. Description Text : The Bullfinch and other Passerines construct woven cupped nests to protect and incubate their eggs and offspring. Constructed of primarily organic material, these cup-shaped nests serve to provide an ideal microclimate for incubation as well as protection from predators through isolated and elevated location placement and camouflage. The Bullfinch constructs a nest consisting of two cups, and outer courser cup and an inner more delicate cup. The combination of these strategies allow for ideal conditions for the eggs to successfully develop and hatch and for the young offspring to survive and grow. While domed nests constructed by other species may provide more protection, cupped nests allow for easier access for parents. The Bullfinch nest, consisting of an inner and outer woven cup, provides an ideal microclimate and thermal regulation for incubation while still allowing direct access from the parent. The nesting site is elevated, isolated, and camouflaged to protect from predation. 11 Organism Mechanism Image 1: Figure 1 (A) Bullfinch nest deconstruction regions. Grey, Cup wall; White, Outer nest top; Black, Outer nest base. (B) A Bullfinch nest with the upper outer nest removed to reveal the cup in situ and base of the nest. (C) A Bullfinch nest deconstructed into the cup and outer nest components. Abstracted Design Principle An isolated and elevated location for a roofless woven bowl-shaped structure provides ideal conditions for incubation and protection. Discovering Abstract Biological Strategies The research summarized above uncovered two unique biological strategies. These strategies were then abstracted for use in the creating phase. 1. An isolated and elevated location for a roofless woven bowl-shaped structure provides ideal conditions for incubation and protection. 2. Multiple tapered box-shaped facets allow for increased amount of reflected light to focus on desired point. 12 Creating Brainstorming Following the abstracted biological strategies that were generated in the discovering phase, the team brainstormed possible bio-inspired solutions. The generated ideas were then analyzed and consideration was taken for feasibility and degree of biological emulation. User experience and degree of success was also carefully considered. Throughout the brainstorming process, Life’s Principles (LPs) were considered to ensure maximum positive impact for the user as well as the environment. Creating Emulating The basis of the design solution carefully combines and emulates the two abstracted biological strategies generated from the research phase. The form and strategy is a metaphoric hybrid of a cupped bird nest and the tapered box-shaped facet of the compound eye. Design Similar Structures With these biological strategies in mind, the design team wanted to identify similar built structures to identify how they were built and how well they were functioning. In particular, the design team were looking for structures of similar form, utilizing similar elements, and or functioning in a similar capacity. During research, the design team came across the book XS: Big Ideas Small buildings , and identified two existing small structures with functionality that was partially similar to our own. 13 “Full Circle” & “Tea for Three” The “Full Circle” project (see appendix C), is an open-roofed structure that partially obstructs surrounding views, in particular, the nearby parking lot. Primarily used a story telling pavillion for the local school children, this structure is set next to a riverbank on a small island accessed only by a small footbridge. This structure focuses user attention, while still allowing a connection to nature. The “Tea for Three” project (see appendix C), is an enclosed structure with woven, perforated walls which partially obstructed external views. Inspired by the intimate rooms used for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies, this structure’s purpose is to help focus the mind on the ceremony and not divert from it. Form With these projects and biological strategies in mind, the design team began to generate concepts for the “urban retreat”. Conceptual Diagram #3-(with faceted roof) 14 Conceptual Diagram #2 (without faceted roof) Conceptual Diagram #3 (without faceted roof) 15 Balsa Wood Model Photo 1 (without faceted roof) Balsa Wood Model Photo #2 (without faceted roof) 16 Material Considerations The design team also carefully considered materials to align with Life’s Principles (LPs). Renewable and cradle-to-cradle materials were researched and two were identified from the book Materials Matter IV (see Appendix B). Biotex Developed by Composites Evolution, Biotex flax-PLA is a high performance composite made from renewable resources. This composite is made of flax fibers and polyactic acid (PLA, a biodegradable plastic derived from renewable plants such as corn) and a unique “twistless technology” manufacturing process. The resulting product is a biodegradable biocomposite with superior processability, performance, and sustainability. Biotex flax-PLA can also be sculpted in similar way to standar composites and can be used for 17 semi-structural and decorative components. Further, not only is Biotex flax-PLA is inherently vibration dampening, it also has a wonderful natural aesthetic. ECOR ECOR is an environmental structural panel (ESP) made from up to 100% recycled content with no added toxins and VOCs. It is 100% biobased, and can counts towards BREEAM and LEED certification and Cradle-to-Cradle product certification. ECOR is comprised of water, fiber, pressure and heat. There is now toxic additives in the manufacturing process and 99% of our water is recovered and reused. ECOR has 3-4 times the strength-to -weight ratio of conventional materials and can be easily curved and formed into limitless variety of shapes and geometries. Evaluating Life’s Principles (LPs) Evolve to Survive Replicate strategies that work - the solution should use biomimicry as a means to enhance and build upon existing biophilic techniques/strategies Integrate the unexpected - the solution should utilize the unexpected to facilitate a deeper tactile, visual, or sonic connection to nature or disconnection from the urban environment Be locally attuned and responsive Leverage cyclic processes - the solution should take advantage of natural daylighting and prevailing seasonal winds Use readily available materials and energy - the solution utilizes renewable and cradle-to-cradle materials. Ideally energy to build and run the structure would also be from renewable sources. Use feedback loops - the solution should incorporate feedback loops to tailor and enhance functionality for the users Integrate Development with Growth Combine modular and nested components - the solution should use modular and or nested components to simplify the form and construction and to reduce waste 18 Be Resource Efficient (Material and Energy) Use low energy processes - the structure is designed to be off-grid and has a single electrical component (speakers) Use multifunctional design - the structure has integrated nooks and cubby holes for birds to nest, performs a secondary task of providing Fit form to function - the solution should perfectly fit form to function in order to simplify the design and reduce materials and embodied energy Conclusion Next Steps So where do we go from here? Hopefully this report has not only demonstrated why there is a need for us to reconnect with nature, but also provided a means to do so. Though many people already recognize the positive effects of nature, we need to continue spreading awareness while providing a solution for urban communities that have displaced nature. Next steps include identifying and partnering with urban communities that are at high-risk and selecting locations where “urban retreats” would be most useful. Conclusion Special Thanks A special thanks to David Shilling, Lex Amore, Michelle Fehler, Kenneth Mullinix, and Todd Hogan for their dedication, support, and thoughtful input during each phase of scoping, research, and design. In addition, I’d like to recognize Nature's genius and all the spectacular organisms that inspire us. 19 References ● Srivastava, K. (2009). Urbanization and mental health. Industrial Psychiatry Journal , 18 (2), 75–76. http://doi.org/10.4103/0972-6748.64028 ● Richter, Felix. (2015). Americans Use Electronic Media 11+ Hours A Da y https://www.statista.com/chart/1971/electronic-media-use ● YouGov for Velux. (2018, May 15). 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