commentBiomimicry Institute Launches Public Domain Database of Nature- Inspired Design
Officially announced by Biomimicry Institute founder Janine Benyus during the closing keynote of the 2008 Greenbuild conference in Boston, AskNature.org offers a new collaborative resource to designers with an extensive online database of biomemetic (based on biological adaptations) solutions to sustainable design problems. The Biomimicry Institute was created to develop and encourage design solutions that are based on direct observations of natural biological mechanisms. (They recently teamed with HOK to design “rooted” buildings for a new development in a monsoon susceptible hillside development in India.)
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AskNature.org is a major new push to forward biomemetic architecture, and is a result of a collaboration with AutoDesk, a worldwide consortium of some 9 million architects, designers, and engineers dedicated to design innovation. They’ve invested in biomimicry as a major new component of future sustainable design, and AutoDesk’s sponsorship has helped make the extensive public domain database available to the public and professionals alike. The online library is fully searchable and is organized by broad topics are narrowed down to specific natural designs with illustrations, technical descriptions, and suggested avenues of applications. For instance, hitting browse from the home page brings you to a drop down list of strategy categories; clicking on ‘Get, Store, or Distribute Resources’ brings up a sub list, where “Capture, Absorb, or Filter” brings up another set of subcategories; clicking on “Tongue gathers nectar and pollen: fruit bats” brings you a detailed profile of this biological process, along with species information, and potential practical applications, like “Improved tools to clean up oil spills or scrub pipes.”
Beyond the database aspects of AskNature.org, the Biomimicry Institute also hopes to facilitate collaboration among architects, designers, and engineers around the world. Ideally they will use the site to meet, exchange ideas, and work on co-designing projects and proposals. The site also features a “Thank a Genius” section that encourages industrial entities to donate a percentage of their profits derived from biomemetic designs toward preserving the animals and ecosystems that inspired their innovations.
AskNature.org will update frequently as time passes and collaborators add their own inputs, connections, and discoveries, keeping pace with the rapidly developing biomemetic and sustainability movements.
