Wild Buildings and Bridges: Architecture Inspired by Nature
Wild Buildings and Bridges: Architecture Inspired by Nature
When architects were asked to design the world’s largest greenhouse, they were also instructed to use as few construction materials as possible so that there would be a minimum of waste. Impossible? Not if you use the hexagonal shape of honeycomb cells as a model.
The Eden Project building is made up of eight giant bubbles called biomes that are made mostly out of steel hexagons. The largest hexagon is 11 m (36 ft.) across – the height of a telephone pole. And amazingly, the steel structure weights only slightly more than the air inside! By using hexagons, the architects were able to design strong structures using a minimum of materials with lots of spaces inside for plants.
Etta Kaner is a science educator and award-winning author of several engaging books for middle graders, including Animals Do, Too! How They Behave Just Like You.(https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol23/no30/animalsdotoo.html) and Friend or Foe: The Whole Truth About Animals That People Love to Hate (www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol22/no13/friendorfoe.html). In Wild Buildings and Bridges: Architecture Inspired by Nature, she thoughtfully examines how nature can influence and enhance architectural design.
Early chapters, such as “Learning from Nature” and “Nature had it First”, introduce a biomimetic approach to architecture and provide clearly written, relatable examples of how specific building challenges around the world are solved by following nature’s engineering design. In one case, architects from Phoenix, Arizona, visited the Sonoran Desert to study cactuses. Taking a cue from the vertical ridges that shade the plant’s stem, they built a pleated copper covering on their Health Sciences Education Building that similarly reduces the direct sunlight.
Insects also brilliantly adapt to their climate. The Namibian fog-basking beetle has no trouble staying hydrated in its arid, African home; it drinks the condensation that conveniently drips down its back after emerging from its cool, underground burrow. Ingenious Seawater Greenhouse designers use this same principle to produce fresh water in the desert. A full-page, step-by-step, illustrated experiment allows readers a chance to “Mimic a Beetle!” and see how fog-basking works, using simple, household objects like drinking glasses, ice cubes and hot tap water.
With a focus on sustainability and recycling, “The Nature of Nature” chapter looks at how cost-effective building materials are being used in clever ways. For example, Container City II in London, England, uses sturdy shipping containers to create “giant Lego set” apartments. The walls in a Guatemalan school are made out of used car and truck tires packed with dirt.
Organic architecture considers how the structure will blend in with the natural surroundings, and the work of Frank Lloyd Wright is highlighted in the chapter “In Harmony with Nature”. Other influential creators are profiled in conversational “Meet the Architect” sidebars, including Koen Olthuis (an aquatect – an architect who builds on water), and Frank Gehry (Toronto-born architect famous for his curved buildings).
After readers learn about the science behind earthquake-proof bridges, floating houses, and energy-efficient buildings, they are invited to take a turn at creating their own designs in the final chapter, “Design Time”. A list of reference sources at the end of this well-researched book will prompt further discussion. A glossary and index are also included.
Expertly designed, engaging and interactive, Wild Buildings and Bridges: Architecture Inspired by Nature is custom built for STEM exploration and inspiration.
Linda Ludke is a librarian in London, Ontario.