Biomimicry in Architecture

Esplanade: Theatres on the way

Project: Public – Arts Centre 

Designed by: DP Architects in partnership with Michael Wilford

Inspired by: Durian (a fruit) – The hard thorn exterior

The Esplanade Theatre is a prominent performing arts venue in Singapore’s Marina Bay that serves as a showcase for innovative architecture.

 Officially opened in 2002, this iconic biomimicry structure is situated on reclaimed land, and its distinctive design features twin shells that have earned it the colloquial nickname “the big durians” due to their resemblance to the spiky tropical fruit.

Designed by DP Architects and Michael Wilford & Partners, the Esplanade Theatre comprises a 1,600-seat Concert Hall, a 2,000-seat Theatre, and various smaller performing arts venues. 

Its interior and performance rooms were designed with the help of professionals to ensure that they could hold a variety of Asian and Western arts acts. 

The Concert Hall now has exceptional acoustics thanks to Russell Johnson of Artec Consultants Inc.

National Aquatics Centre: The Water cube

Project: Aquatics Centre

Designed by: PTW Architects

Inspired by: the natural formation of soap bubbles

The Beijing National Aquatics Centre, famously known as the Water Cube, was a key aquatic biomimicry inspired venue during the 2008 Summer Olympics. Designed by PTW Architects and Ove Arup, its unique biomimicry structure draws inspiration from soap bubbles’ arrangement in a 12- or 14-sided cell structure.

Situated on Beijing’s north-south axis within the Olympic Green precinct, the Water Cube covers an area of approximately 80,000 square meters. It boasts 6,000 permanent seats, expandable to 17,000 for Olympic spectators.

This biomimicry project cost a total of about $140 million, and construction started in December 2003 and ended in January 2008. The building’s distinguishing feature is its transparent ETFE cladding, which lets in a lot of light while using 30% less energy.

The Water Cube’s design creatively marries traditional Chinese philosophy, where heaven is represented as a round shape and earth as square. This concept complements the neighbouring Bird’s Nest stadium, embodying the idea of “天圆地方” (Tian yuan di fang), or heaven round, earth square.

Remarkably, this architectural gem’s steel-framed structure resembles soap bubbles and serves as a durable and earthquake-resistant design. Its interior spaces prioritize climate control, ensuring optimal comfort for swimmers and visitors alike.

Moreover, sustainability measures include harnessing solar energy, recycling rainwater, and employing advanced insulation techniques. As a testament to innovation, this iconic Water Cube has transitioned to host curling events during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, showcasing its versatility and enduring legacy.

Beijing National Stadium: Bird’s Nest

Project: National Stadium

Designed by: Architecture firm – Herzog & Pierre de Meuron

Inspired by: resembles a Birds nest

The Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, stands as a symbol of architectural marvel and achievement. Designed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics by architects Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, and Li Xing gang, this colossal structure covers an impressive 258,000 square meters and can accommodate 80,000 spectators.

The construction of the Bird’s Nest was a monumental undertaking, beginning in 2003 and concluding in 2008, with an expenditure of around $33 million. It possesses a unique elliptical steel frame that supports its iconic roof, which appears like a twisting bird’s nest, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

A 91,000-seat concrete bowl is surrounded by a distinctive steel framework in Stadium’s design, which blends modernity with Chinese cultural aspects. 

This piece of art serves as a memorial to China’s creativity and architectural power as well as an image of the 2008 Olympics.

Tao Zhu Yin Yuan: DNA Replication 

Project: Apartment Building 

Designed by: Vincent Callebaut Architectures

Inspired by: Double helix DNA structure and nature’s carbon-absorbing mechanisms

Situated in Taipei, Taiwan, Tao Zhu Yin Yuan is a remarkable biomimicry building that shows the integration of sustainability, art, and humanistic principles.

Tao Zhu Yin Yuan, after 11 years of construction, has become a symbol of sustainable biomimicry architecture. It incorporates innovative green energy solutions, such as wind power generation and solar panels, along with advanced construction techniques to create a vertical forest art building. Approximately 23,000 trees, shrubs, and plants adorn its balconies and terraces, absorbing carbon at a rate nearly five times higher than local regulations. This urban forest park helps combat air pollution and enhances the environment.

Panorama views of Taipei, including the well-known Taipei 101 tower, are provided by the tower’s distinctive DNA-inspired twisting structure.

It promotes carbon-absorbing biomimicry architecture, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.

Featuring an earthquake-resistant design, Tao Zhu Yin Yuan exceeds seismic standards and features column-free interior spaces for flexibility. This sustainable structure represents a harmonious blend of eco-design, technology, and art, setting new standards for future architecture.

Olympic Fish Pavilion, Barcelona

Project: Stadium for Olympic Games

Designed by: Frank Gehry

Inspired by: Organic forms of fish.

The Olympic Fish Pavilion, a biomimicry inspired building created by Frank Gehry for the Barcelona Olympics, was on display. The pavilion’s ecological design and environmental awareness initiatives were inspired by the elegant motion of swimming fish. El Peix, a golden fish sculpture that spans 52 meters and is located on Barcelona’s coastline, changes appearance with the sun’s angle and the weather. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics inspired the construction of the fish statue, which now covers the casino and dining establishments. Near the Hotel Arts and Mapfre office towers in the Olympic Port neighbourhood is where you can find the Golden Fish sculpture.

BIQ Building in Hamburg, Germany

Project: Residential Project

Designed by: Arup

Inspired by: Microalgae

The Bio Intelligent Quotient building, commonly referred to as the Algae House is a structure that uses microalgae as solar panels to renovate energy. These panels maximize the number of algae exposed to the biomimicry building and perform photosynthesis by absorbing outdoor natural light. The building’s “bio-skin” has reduced expenses and shown several approaches to sustainable architecture.

Microalgae are grown in glass components that regulate light and offer shade on the bioreactor façade of the BIQ, the first structure of its kind in the world. Until they can be collected, separated from the other algae, and transported as a thick pulp to the technical room of the BIQ, the algae grow and proliferate in a predictable cycle. They might be fermented in an outside biogas facility.

They can be fermented and utilized again for energy production in a separate biogas plant.

The BIQ’s holistic energy concept uses only renewable resources to produce all the energy required to produce heat and power, with no fossil fuels used at all. By capturing light that the algae aren’t using and producing heat, like solar thermal systems or borehole heat exchangers, the façade gathers energy. Using the bio-reactor façade, this sustainable energy design develops a cycle of solar thermal energy, geothermal energy, a condensing boiler, local heat, and biomass capture.

The BIQ illustrates how future facades will perform a variety of tasks, such as wrapping the structure with aesthetic appeal, providing insulation against sound, heat, and cold, and shading the interior spaces during the hot summer months. With its adaptable residential floor layouts, the building also shows how living on demand will be feasible.

Flor de Venezuela en Barquisimeto, Venezuela

Project: Cultural › Gallery Hall/Theatre Cultural Centre Museum

Designed by: Fruto Vivas

Inspired by: the tepuis, or table-top mountains

Fruto Vivas, a Venezuelan architect, created the “La Flor de Venezuela- A Flower to the World” pavilion, which was constructed for the Expo 2000 World’s Fair in Hanover, Germany. The biomimicry inspired pavilion has sixteen centralized petals that open and close based on the weather, and it was designed in the style of the national flower, the orchid.

An iconic piece of Venezuelan architecture, the pavilion is situated in Barquisimeto. A “Culture” level, ecological exhibition installations, and sustainable design principles are all part of the interior installation. Thousands of plants and flowers, hundreds of fish in tanks, and various architectural components for the display of ecological and artistic work surround the structure. 

The pavilion was formally opened in 2008 as a state-owned building in Venezuela. In 2013, the Ministerio de Turismo gained direct administration of the monument and declared it to be part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

Kunsthaus Graz in Graz, Austria

Project: Art Museum

Designed by: Colin Fournier and Sir Peter Cook

Inspired by: microscopic sea creatures

The “Friendly Alien,” a distinctive biomorphic structure at the Kunsthaus Graz in Graz, Austria, is well-known for its architectural significance. The museum was created by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, but its design draws inspiration from rather than imitates natural forms. In contrast to the surrounding baroque roof environment, the blob architecture amid the historical setting of the Murvorstadt, a part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations, stands out.

The biomimicry inspired museum unites under one roof the fields of architecture, design, new media, online art, film, and photography. A hybrid of architecture and new media, the BIX Facade serves as a large urban screen for cultural productions. To facilitate communication between media and location, the “communicating outer skin” provides a drilling platform for artistic endeavors. 

930 40Watt fluorescent rings that are implanted in the 900 m2 outer skin act as pixels for the development of roughly screened signs, messages, and movie sequences.

Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

Project: Resort

Designed by: Moshe Safdie

Inspired by: great Roman cities

AN opulent resort, Marina Bay Sands has 2,560 exquisite rooms spread across three towers with a combined area of 265,683 square meters. A 9,941 square meter park with a public observatory, jogging pathways, gardens, restaurants, bars, and an infinity pool connects the hotel towers. The resort also has theatres, Crystal Pavilions, Event Plaza, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, and the Museum of Art Science.

The Crystal Pavilions, the first glass and steel buildings to be built in Marina Bay, house stores and nightclubs. Up to 11,000 people can be accommodated at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre thanks to its versatile 121,000 square meters of convention and exposition space. Additionally, the resort features seven site-specific pieces by artists that Moshe personally selected.

Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, United States

Project: Art Museum

Designed by: Santiago Calatrava

Inspired by: the wings of a bird, the shape of a sailboat, and a wave

The architecture of the biomimicry inspired museum piques the public’s interest and urges them to explore its architectural marvels. The building’s design by Santiago Calatrava was inspired by Lake Michigan’s observational process; it combines aspects of the local culture that are urban and nature. Because of this, Santiago Calatrava created a large wing that shields the structure and gives the museum’s interior rooms some shade. When the museum opens and closes, the Panels mimic a bird’s wings by adapting to the architectural design and creating a dynamic between the sun routes and the museum itself.