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b i o m i m i c r y in
architecture
second edition

Michael Pawlyn
For Umi and Sol

Michael Pawlyn BS c, BA rch, RIBA, is an architect, the

founding director of Exploration Architecture Ltd and has
a well-earned reputation as a pioneer of biomimicry. Before
setting up his own practice, he worked with Grimshaw for ten
years and was central to the team that radically re-invented
horticultural architecture for the Eden Project. He lectures
widely on the subject of sustainable design and his talk on
TED.com has been viewed over 1.5 million times.

© Michael Pawlyn, 2016 British Library Cataloguing in Publications Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the
Published by RIBA Publishing, British Library.
part of RIBA Enterprises Ltd, The Old Post Office,
St Nicholas Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RH Commissioning Editor: Fay Gibbons
Project Editor: Kate Mackillop
ISBN: 978 1 85946 628 5 (pbk) Designed and typeset by Alex Lazarou
ISBN: 978 1 85946 738 1 (pdf) Printed and bound by W&G Baird Limited in Great Britain

2nd edition 2016; First edition 2011, While every effort has been made to check the accuracy
reprinted 2012, 2013, 2014 and quality of the information given in this publication,
neither the Author nor the Publisher accept any
The right of Michael Pawlyn to be identified as the Author responsibility for the subsequent use of this information,
of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the for any errors or omissions that it may contain, or for any
Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988. misunderstandings arising from it.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be www.ribaenterprises.com

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior
permission of the copyright owner.
Contents

Foreword: Dame Ellen MacArthur v

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: How can we build more efficient structures? 9

Chapter 2: How will we manufacture materials? 45

Chapter 3: How will we create zero-waste systems? 67

Chapter 4: How will we manage water? 81

Chapter 5: How will we control our thermal environment? 93

Chapter 6: What can biology teach us about light? 107

Chapter 7: How will we power our buildings? 115

Chapter 8: Synthesis 125

Conclusions: What does biomimicry mean for people? 141

Applying biomimicry: practice guide for architects 144

Acknowledgements 147

Further reading 148

Notes 150

Index 159

Image credits 164

Foreword: Dame Ellen MacArthur

In this remarkable book, Michael Pawlyn makes the This century will surely go down as marking the
case for placing buildings and architecture at the heart transition not just of the built environment but of
of a bio-inspired and biomimetic future. It’s more the entire economy. If we are to meet the needs of a
than this, however. A book of principles and action population of nine billion elegantly and effectively, then
for the twenty-first century, it’s an example of a new we need a different operating system for our entire
lens: a systemic way of seeing which has the potential economy. The circular economy, an economic model
to enable transition to a world that is regenerative, which I am passionate about, is another version or
accessible to all and abundant. expression of the same energising transition Michael
identifies: from the take–make–dispose thinking
Michael quotes Buckminster Fuller’s ambition ‘to of the original industrial era, an era of mechanistic
make the world work for a hundred percent of thinking, to one where the opportunities increasingly
humanity, in the shortest possible time, through lie with closed-loop, feedback-rich systems. And most
spontaneous cooperation, without ecological importantly one where we can anticipate new forms
offense or the disadvantage of anyone’. This is a bold of prosperity, while decoupling from materials and
ambition and a question of design and intention, energy constraints. The new edition of Biomimicry
but these alone do not describe a course of action. in Architecture is essential reading on our journey
Biomimicry in Architecture is replete with examples of together.
the manifestation of changes in the use of materials,
structure, energy, function and form which take their dame ellen macarthur
cues from living systems to provide real benefits.

We are entering an age in which knowledge is the

prime substitute for matter. Biology, to give just a few
more intriguing examples from the text, also contrasts
‘hierarchical structure with monolithic structure’;
stresses ‘environmentally influenced self-assembly’
against ‘externally imposed form’; and uses a ‘limited
subset of non-toxic elements’ against our use of every
element in the periodic table!

This sense of exhilaration and possibility pervades

the book as the text covers more than the subjects of
materials, spaces and connection. Michael puts people
at its heart: ‘The biological paradigm, translated into
architecture, means putting people at the centre;
employing their ingenuity during design, involving
them in the richly rewarding act of building and the
enjoyment of beauty.’ In this breadth of vision he
is surely an heir to the likes of such well-regarded
pioneers as Christopher Alexander and Victor
Papenek.

v
vi Biomimicry in Architecture
Introduction
What do we need to do to achieve true sustainability? For me, there is no better mission statement than
Will incremental efficiency improvements and Buckminster Fuller’s: ‘To make the world work for a
mitigation of negative impacts be enough? Or do we hundred percent of humanity, in the shortest possible
need to set more ambitious aims for the grand project time, through spontaneous cooperation, without
of humanity? What I will argue in this book is that ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.’1 How
biomimicry – design inspired by the way functional do we achieve this? There are, I believe, three major
challenges have been solved in biology – is one of the changes that we need to bring about: achieving radical
best sources of solutions that will allow us to create a increases in resource efficiency,2 shifting from a fossil-
positive future and make the shift from the industrial fuel economy to a solar economy and transforming
age to the ecological age of humankind. The latter, in from a linear, wasteful way of using resources to a
my view, is not only eminently possible; we already completely closed-loop model in which all resources
have nearly all the solutions we need to achieve it. are stewarded in cycles and nothing is lost as waste.
Challenging goals, but if we choose to embark on these
If biomimicry increasingly shapes the built linked journeys then there is, in my opinion, no better
environment – and I feel it must – then, over the next discipline than biomimicry to help reveal many of the
few decades, we can create cities that are healthy for solutions that we need.
their occupants and regenerative to their hinterlands,
buildings that use a fraction of the resources and are Biomimicry in Architecture is a book all about that rich
a pleasure to work or live in, and infrastructure that source of solutions, and this new edition reflects the
becomes integrated with natural systems. Thousands changing state of the art. Biomimicry involves learning
of years of human culture can continue to flourish from a source of ideas that has benefitted from a
only if we can learn to live in balance with the 3.8-billion-year research and development period. That
biosphere. This is not a romantic allusion to some source is the vast array of species that inhabit the earth
intangible Arcadia; what I describe in this book is and represent evolutionary success stories. Biological
a route map based on scientific rigour that can be organisms can be seen as embodying technologies
translated by the human imagination into a tangible that are equivalent to those invented by humans, and
reality. in many cases have solved the same problems with a
far greater economy of means. Humans have achieved
some truly remarkable things, such as modern
medicine and the digital revolution, but when one
1. Coccolithophores (marine micro-organisms) make their sees some of the extraordinary adaptations that have
skeletons from calcium carbonate using elements in seawater evolved in natural organisms, it is hard not to feel a
and are thought to be part of the planet’s long-term carbon sense of humility about how much we still have to
cycle. In geological periods when carbon dioxide levels in the learn.
atmosphere rose, coccolithophores bloomed and, when they
died, fell to the ocean floor to form layers of limestone, so
Why is now the right moment for biomimicry?
transferring carbon from the atmosphere to the lithosphere.
While fascination with nature undoubtedly goes
The challenge facing humanity now is that the rate of carbon
back as long as human existence itself, now we can
dioxide increase is far in excess of anything that has previously
occurred in the history of the planet and beyond a level
revisit the advances in biology with the massive
that can be controlled by correcting mechanisms such as advantages of expanding scientific knowledge,
coccolithophores previously unimaginable digital design tools and

1
aesthetic sensibilities that are less constrained by Professor of Biology Steven Vogel and Professor of
stylistic convention. Designers have never had Biomimetics Julian Vincent. Julian Vincent defines the
such an opportunity to rethink and contribute to discipline as ‘the implementation of good design based
people’s quality of life, while simultaneously restoring on nature’,9 while for Janine Benyus it is ‘the conscious
our relationship with our home – the home that emulation of nature’s genius’.10 The only significant
Buckminster Fuller called ‘spaceship earth’.3 difference between ‘biomimetics’ and ‘biomimicry’ is
that many users of the latter intend it to be specifically
It is true to say that biology proceeds by tinkering (to focused on developing sustainable solutions, whereas
use Francois Jacob’s term4) with what already exists, the former is often applied to fields of endeavour such
consequently producing some undeniably suboptimal as military technology. I will be using biomimicry and
solutions,5 whereas human invention is capable of biomimetics as essentially synonymous.
completely original creation. The great asset that
biology offers is aeons of evolutionary refinement. Since the publication of the first edition of this book,
Biomimicry is neither thesis nor antithesis. At its best, definitions in this field have moved on considerably,
biomimicry is a synthesis of the human potential for including the use of ‘bio-inspired design’ or
innovation coupled with the best that biology can ‘biodesign’ rather than ‘biomimicry’ or ‘biomimetics’.
offer.6 This synthesis exceeds the power of either alone. ‘Biodesign’ emerged as a term partly in the medical
world (inventing and implementing new biomedical
This book describes the extent of solutions available in technologies), partly in robotics, and partly as a broad
biomimicry, how architects are currently implementing definition (which formed the title of a book and an
those solutions, and the breadth of scale over which exhibition by William Myers11) encompassing a range
biomimicry is applicable. The book closes with a of design disciplines based on biology. The point
guide to working effectively with biomimicry and being asserted in adopting a new term is that both
how to deliver the buildings and cities we need for the ‘biomimicry’ and ‘biomimetic’ imply copying, whereas
ecological age. ‘bio-inspired’ is intended to include the potential for
developing something beyond what exists in biology.
I adopt the term ‘biomimicry’ because ‘bio-inspired
What is biomimicry? architecture’ suggests a very broad definition –
including everything from superficial mimicking of
Throughout history, architects have looked to nature form all the way through to a scientific understanding
for inspiration for building forms and approaches of function and how that can inspire innovation. I find
to decoration: nature is used mainly as an aesthetic ‘bio-inspired engineering’ less problematic because
sourcebook. Biomimicry is concerned with functional ‘engineering’ implies functional rigour. No term will
solutions, and is not necessarily an aesthetic position. perfectly capture what we are doing and, as with any
The intention of this book is to study ways of translating negotiations, it is more important to agree on common
adaptations in biology into solutions in architecture. ground that unites the disciplines – being trans-
disciplinary, evidence-based, focused on function and
The term ‘biomimicry’ first appeared in scientific directed towards delivering transformative change12
literature in 1962,7 and grew in usage particularly – rather than battling over fine distinctions that divide
among materials scientists in the 1980s. The term them. Biomimicry and biomimetics are now widely
‘biomimicry’ was preceded by ‘biomimetics’, which was understood as functionally based approaches. I’m not
first used by Otto Schmitt in the 1950s, and by ‘bionics’, aware of anyone in the field who restricts themselves
which was coined by Jack Steele in 1960.8 There has to only those solutions that exist in nature, so I am not
been an enormous surge of interest during the past 15 particularly troubled by the asserted associations of
years, driven by influential and extensively published ‘mimicry’. Time will tell which proves to be the most
figures like biological sciences writer Janine Benyus, widely accepted term in an architectural design context.

2 Biomimicry in Architecture
2

There are some other terms that are worth clarifying: distinction between biomimicry and synthetic biology
‘biophilia’, ‘biomorphic’, ‘bio-utilisation’ and ‘synthetic is that the former is not currently trying to create living
biology’. ‘Biophilia’ was a term popularised by the components.
biologist E. O. Wilson13 and refers to a hypothesis that
there is an instinctive bond between human beings From an architectural perspective, there is an
and other living organisms. ‘Biomorphic’ is generally important distinction to be made between ‘biomimicry’
understood to mean design based on biological forms. and ‘biomorphism’. Twentieth-century architects have
‘Bio-utilisation’ refers to the direct use of nature for frequently used nature as a source for unconventional
beneficial purposes, such as incorporating planting in forms and for symbolic association. Biomorphism
and around buildings to produce evaporative cooling. has produced majestic works of architectural form,
We will see later in Chapter 3 that this approach has such as Eero Saarinen’s TWA terminal (fig. 2), and
a major role to play in biomimetic systems thinking.
‘Synthetic biology’ refers to the design and fabrication 2. The TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport, New York,
of living components and systems that do not in which Eero Saarinen used biomorphic forms to capture
already exist in the natural world and the redesign the poetry of flight
and fabrication of existing living systems. The key Image © Ezra Stoller/Esto

Introduction 3
 The word ‘natural’ is used in many contexts to imply
inherent virtue or ‘rightness’, and it would be easy to
misconstrue biomimicry as the pursuit of solutions
that are ‘more natural’. This is not the aim. There are
certain aspects of nature that we definitely do not want
to emulate: voracious parasitism to name just one.
There is also a danger in romanticising nature. What
I believe nature does hold that is of enormous value
is a vast array of products (for want of a better word)
that have benefitted from a long and ruthless process
of refinement. Evolution could be summarised as a
process based on genetic variability, from which the
fittest are selected over time. The pressures of survival
have driven organisms into some almost unbelievably
specific ecological niches and into developing
astonishing adaptations to resource-constrained
environments. The relevance of this to the constraints
that humans will face in the decades ahead is obvious.
3
What about sceptics who regard human achievements
as superior to nature? There are no combustion engines
in biology, plants are less efficient at converting solar
was used to great symbolic effect by Le Corbusier (fig. energy than modern photovoltaics and there are no
3). But, in contrast, biomimicry is concerned with high-speed rotating axles in nature either. All true –
the way in which functions are delivered in biology. but no one is suggesting that what exists in biology
The distinction is important because we require a should be the limit of what we should consider
functional revolution of sorts, and I firmly believe that exploring in technology. In many cases, biology has
it will be biomimicry rather than biomorphism that solved equivalent challenges with greater economy of
will deliver the transformations described above. means. As a case in point: without a rotating axle, how
can you drill into wood? The wood wasp’s solution
There is still a role for biomorphic architecture.
Biomorphism’s use of forms from nature, and its use
of associative symbolism, can be deeply compelling.
The two approaches can co-exist in one building, and
biomorphism can add further meaning than would be
achieved from a purely technical use of biomimicry.
Biomorphism is a formal and aesthetic expression;
biomimicry is a functional discipline. It is also worth
considering the limitations of biomimicry. Just as
with any design discipline, it will not automatically
produce architecture, and we should be wary of trying
to become purely scientific about design. Architecture
always has a humane dimension – it should touch the
spirit, it should be uplifting, and it should express the
age in which it was created.
4

4 Biomimicry in Architecture
5

is a reciprocating drill, made of two shafts that are wasp ovipositor principles, offering advantages that
semi-circular in cross-section, each with a barb at the rotating axles cannot match: it can drill around bends.14
pointed lower end (fig. 4). The two halves can slide In summary, biomimicry is a powerful innovation tool
back and forth relative to each other so that, when a that can allow architects to go beyond conventional
barb on one side latches into a shallow groove in a tree, approaches to sustainable design and deliver the
the wasp can pull against that side to push the other transformative solutions we need.
half of the drill further into the wood. The result is a
zero net pushing force drill, which prevents breaking
and buckling, and which is the perfect solution for very Origins
human applications, such as delicate neurosurgery. A
neurosurgical probe has been developed based on the We know from Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchbooks that
he closely studied the forms of skulls and birds’ wings:
he was, in many ways, a pioneer of biomimicry. We
also know that Filippo Brunelleschi referred to the
3. Le Corbusier, possibly the greatest symbolist architect of
forms of eggshells when designing the Duomo in
all time, appears to have made deliberate reference to the
Florence and it is quite likely that deriving design
cleansing function of kidneys in the design of the washrooms
for the unbuilt Olivetti Headquarters project
inspiration from nature goes back even further.
4. The wood wasp shows how biology has solved the problem of
drilling into wood without a rotating axle More recently, there are some well-documented
5. Highly magnified view of a burdock burr, which inspired one of examples, such as the invention of Velcro (fig. 5)
the best-known examples of biomimicry – Velcro around 1948. In the past decade there has been a

Introduction 5
 The state of the art
Since the publication of the first edition of this book,
the discipline of biomimicry has grown substantially.
According to academic Dr Nathan Lepora,17 fewer than
100 papers per year were written on biomimicry in the
1990s; this figure has increased to several thousand
papers per year in the first decade of this century. Much
of this activity has been in the fields of robotics and
materials science (fig. 7). The opportunity now exists
for architects to fully embrace a source of innovation
that has transformed other fields of design. The
Mediated Matter design research group, founded by
Neri Oxman at MIT, is showing the potential for using
biologically derived materials combined with additive
manufacturing (often referred to as 3D printing).
Achim Menges and his colleagues at the University
of Stuttgart are showing, in compelling built form,
what can be achieved from a deep understanding of
biological structures combined with new digital design
and fabrication tools.

The projects featured in this book follow a fairly

typical pattern for innovation: starting at a conceptual
level, then realised as small-scale experiments and
subsequently as large-scale but relatively simple
enclosures. The first examples of more complex
and integrated approaches to biomimicry are just
emerging, as indicators of progress towards wider
6 market acceptance. While the pace of innovation
can be painfully slow, I believe that biomimicry has
the potential to accelerate this, by identifying a truly
phenomenal flourishing of biomimicry, as more and sustainable end-goal and through its wealth of source
more designers respond to the demand for sustainable material.
products. The Daimler Chrysler biomimetic concept
car, inspired by the surprisingly streamlined and roomy Biomimetic projects completed to date offer a tiny
boxfish, surgical glue developed from an understanding glimpse of the potential that could be created from a
of sandcastle worms15 (fig. 6) and even ice cream that sourcebook we are just beginning to explore. High-
embodies lessons from arctic fish16 have all delivered strength polymers and super-efficient structures, fire
a superior product by learning from adaptations in detectors and fire retardants, materials made from
natural organisms. atmospheric carbon, zero-waste systems: all of these
exist in biology as a resource of ideas from which
architects can learn to create buildings and cities
better tuned to the demands of our age. While much
sustainable design has been based on mitigating
negatives, biomimicry points the way to a new

6 Biomimicry in Architecture
7

paradigm based on optimising positives and delivering 6. A colony of sandcastle worms, assembled with the
regenerative solutions. biological equivalent of two-part epoxy adhesive
7. Festo robotic jellyfish. Robotics is the field in which
there has been the greatest surge of interest in
One of the key questions is how we can accelerate
biomimicry over the past decade
the pace of innovation in the construction industry
and in design for solutions that deliver substantial
improvements in performance and contribute to
people’s well-being. I believe that increasing knowledge
and new biomimetic projects help to drive the high-
level discussion and action that can help to bring about
a step-change in the speed of uptake of biomimicry in
architecture.

You never change things by fighting the existing reality.

To change something, build a new model that makes
the existing model obsolete.
richard buckminster fuller 18

Introduction 7
8 Biomimicry in Architecture
chapter one

How can we build

more efficient structures?
In nature, materials are expensive and shape is cheap.
professor julian vincent 19

This observation captures the essence of biological among many other factors – have, over aeons, ruthlessly
structures. In technology, it is generally the shape refined the structures and other adaptations that
that is expensive instead.20 Nature makes extremely genetic mutation and recombination has created. The
economical use of materials, often achieved through process continues, of course, but what we can observe
evolved ingenuity of form. Using folding, vaulting, in nature today is many of the best structures, evolved
ribs, inflation and other means, natural organisms have throughout the history of life on earth. The principle
created effective forms that demonstrate astonishing for architecture that emerges from observing is: less
efficiency. The many manifestations of this in natural materials, more design. Exploring this paradigm, we
organisms provide a rich sourcebook of ideas for will see an array of examples showing how minimum
structures that could be radically more efficient than materials can be used to maximum effect.
those found in conventional architecture.

Why is nature this way? The pressures of survival Hollow tubes

in all its varied aspects – finding sustenance,
thermoregulating, mating and avoiding predation, Nature builds simply and economically, often meeting
both goals simultaneously by making hollow tubes.
Nature is abundant in examples that demonstrate this
structural principle, such as human bones, plant stems
and feather quills. If one takes a square cross-section of
solid material with a side dimension 24 mm (fig. 9), it
will have the same bending resistance as a circular solid

8. X-ray image of an Amazon water lily leaf showing an example

of how robust structures are created in nature with a minimum
of materials. The network of ribs stiffens the large area of leaf
without adding excessive thickness
9. Sketch showing how four equally stiff structural elements can
be made with varying degrees of efficiency. By using shape and
putting the material where it needs to be, it is possible to use
only 14 per cent of the material of a solid square section (after
work by Adriaan Beukers and Ed van Hinte in Lightness: The
Inevitable Renaissance of Minimum Energy Structures)
9

9
section of diameter 25 mm with only 81.7 per cent of Trees: solid forms
the material. Similarly, a hollow tube with only 20 per
cent of the material of the solid square can achieve the Our understanding of trees and how lessons from
same stiffness. In engineering terms, material has been them can be applied to engineering has developed
removed from areas close to the neutral axis and placed enormously in recent years, particularly with the
where it can deliver much greater resistance to bending work of Claus Mattheck.21 In nature, biological forms
– achieving the same result but with a fraction of the follow a simple rule, which he describes as the axiom
material. of uniform stress. In locations of stress concentration,
material is built up until there is enough to evenly
One plant in particular shows how hollow tubes can be distribute the forces; in unloaded areas, there is no
applied at larger scales in nature. Bamboo species can material. Trees also demonstrate the idea of optimised
reach 40 m in height. How do they maintain strength junction shapes that avoid stress concentrations and
over this length? One of the ways in which a tubular can adapt over time. The result approaches optimal
element can fail under loading is through one side of efficiency, in which there is no waste material and all
the tube collapsing in towards the central axis, leading the material that exists is carrying its fair share of the
to overall buckling. Bamboo solves this by interrupting load. By contrast, many steel and concrete structures
smooth tubular growth with regular nodes, which are designed so that the most onerous load conditions
act like bulkheads (fig. 10). The nodes provide great (which only occur in specific locations) determine the
resistance to structural failure, and are part of what has size of the whole beam or column.
facilitated bamboo’s lofty accomplishments. Bamboo is,
by strict taxonomy, actually a species of grass which has With his team at Karlsruhe Research Centre,
achieved such wild success that it resembles the scale Mattheck developed a design method that utilises
of a tree. This plant’s solution seems to apply so widely two software processes (fig. 11) to create forms of
that it begs the question: why aren’t more trees hollow biological design that are effectively identical to the
tubes? The answer derives from the different forms that refinements found in nature. The program allows
they strive to grow into: trees generally create a canopy designers to subject a rough structural computer
of cantilevering branches, rather than the multiplicity model to the kind of forces that would be experienced
of stems characteristic of grasses. Bamboo offers in reality. These include snow, wind and seismic
solutions to tubular structural elements, while trees loading, as well as loads imposed by the building’s
offer a biomimic further solutions to holistic structural use. The first stage uses ‘Soft Kill Option’ (SKO)
issues, since they face different pressures than grasses. software to eliminate material in zones where there
is little, or no, stress. Then a ‘Computer Aided
Optimisation’ (CAO) program refines the shapes and,
where necessary, builds up material at the junctions
to minimise stress concentrations that could lead to
failure. The designer is free to decide whether they
like the output and find alternative ways to achieve
structural integrity. Mattheck likens this process to
starting with a roughly axed piece of timber, which
is then carved to the near-final shape (the SKO
stage) before being sanded and polished (CAO). The
results can be surprisingly organic in form, and far
more efficient than conventional structures.22 The
designer Joris Larman used this to develop a number
of elegant pieces of furniture and a bridge that is to
be 3D printed and will span over a canal (fig. 12). We
10

10 Biomimicry in Architecture
is plenty of extravagance to be found in biology, often like structure (fig. 34) that is porous, lightweight and
associated with various forms of sexual display. But the stiff due to its increased effective thickness.32
interesting question to ask is: do the more decorative Sea urchin skeletons provided a visual reference for
aspects add appropriate and necessary meaning the Doughnut House by Future Systems (fig. 35),
to the building? If the aim is to produce beautiful, although the structure, at a functional level, had very
resource-efficient architecture that is enjoyable for little in common with that of the marine organism.
people, then both biologically based design approaches A building that has deliberately come much closer to
can contribute. As I suggested in the Introduction, the structure of a sea urchin is the Landesgartenschau
biomimetic design can deliver important innovation Exhibition Hall at the University of Stuttgart,
and biomorphic design can convey meaning. Germany, where some of the most interesting and
thorough research into biomimetic architecture is
The sea urchin has inspired both simple biomorphic currently underway (fig. 36). The project was the
and thoroughgoing biomimetic architecture. The result of a collaboration between the Institute for
urchin skeleton (called a ‘test’) is made of interlocking Computational Design (ICD, Prof. Menges (PI)),
plates (called ‘ossicles’) (fig. 33), each of which has the the Institute of Building Structures & Structural
structure of a single calcite crystal.31 If the calcite were Design (ITKE, Prof. Knippers) and the Institute of
solid, it would be heavy, but the ossicles have a sponge- Engineering Geodesy (IIGS, Prof. Schwieger). Sea
urchin ossicles, and the way they interlock, were a
source of inspiration for the building. It is made out of
50 mm thick plywood panels, connected with precise
finger joints. Menges observed that ‘in comparison
to man-made constructions, natural biological
constructions exhibit a significantly higher degree
of geometric complexity’.33 Computational design
was essential to resolve this complexity in finding
the optimum form. Each panel was then robotically
prefabricated. The structure covers an area of 250 m2
and, in relative terms, is thinner than eggshell.
33

34

22 Biomimicry in Architecture
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mend her grandmother’s shift; for the more useful she is, the more
happy you know she will be: so I will take it with me. Good night,
God bless you, I must make haste, for we poor people have no time
to lose. Away she set off: when she got home, well, Polly, said she,
you have had no accident? Polly was very dull, and said no, mother.
Your grandmother enquired kindly after you, and was very glad that
you are such a comfort and help to me; but how was it, my dear,
about the broth you last went with? Your grandmother has never had
them. Polly trembled in every limb; at first she thought of still saying
that she took them, but she found that she had been miserable
enough already, and that it would only make her more so. O, mother,
said she, I have deceived you: I have made myself very unhappy,
and I am very wicked indeed. She then told her mother what had
happened. Her mother was very much shocked, and could hardly
speak. I know, said she, very well, that other people are often
wishing and asking us to do wrong; it is possible your naughty
companions might persuade you; but, to come home and deceive
me, this is dreadful indeed. I know of no other right use of words, but
for us to tell one another of things as they really are. You have,
perhaps, heard quarrels in the street, and seen a good deal of
sorrow and trouble in houses; a great part of this is owing to people’s
deceiving one another in their words, and not telling the strict clear
truth. For my part, I would rather have had a child who could not
speak, than one who deceives me. How can I trust you? How can I
depend upon what you say? Nay, how do I know that this account of
the matter is truth? When shall I be able to believe you again? O, my
dear mother, said she, do forgive me this once, and I hope I shall
always speak the truth for the future. Yes, said she, I can forgive you,
but do you forgive yourself? that is the matter. Can you be as happy
as you was before? I will try: I will watch my words, and tell you all.
Well, said her mother, you seem very sorry; I do not wish to make
you more so, only you will find that I cannot, at present, trust to what
you say; neither can your grandmother, nor neighbour Green; but
this you must endure as the consequence of the fault you have
committed. It is a dreadful effect of doing wrong, that it makes us
unhappy; but the more unhappy it makes you, the more you must
strive against it in future. I hope you are sincerely sorry; if so, we
shall perceive it by your speaking the truth, for deceit is soon found
out, and then we shall trust you as usual; and, I hope, you will
always remember, that none can deceive another without injuring
himself.
Better be dumb than dare to lie;
For words which are not truth,
Far as they reach, spread misery
On childhood, age, and youth.
 TALE VII.

! said Phebe Talkative, one day to Nancy Diligent, I wish I

had finished my work—what a long seam this is, I think I never shall
have done. Nancy told her she wished she would not talk so, for she
had as much work to do as herself, and talking only hindered them
both. Phebe told her she thought it very hard if they might not talk;
but, if she would not speak, she would get somebody else. She then
turned to the little girl who sat on the other side; in so doing, she lost
her needle: she was then obliged to get up and look it, and off
dropped her thimble. Dear heart, said she, my things are always so
tiresome, I wonder what business my needle had to drop; I do not
see that other people’s needles and thimbles fall. Thus she kept
talking on, and it was some time before she had again taken her
seat, and got to work. Presently she observed that Nancy Diligent
was not in her place; and, when she came back to it, she said, this is
you who would not speak; but I see you can leave your place and
walk about as well as other girls. Nancy told her that she had only
been to have her work fixed, as she had done her seam. Phebe was
now a little ashamed. Whether she minded better in future, I do not
know; but certain I am, that if people would observe, that the
inconveniencies they meet with are chiefly owing to their own
carelessness, they might do a great deal better, and be a great deal
happier.
Whate’er thy duty bids thee do,
“Do it with all thy might;”
They who this simple path pursue,
And they, alone, are right.
FINIS.
 BOOKS
Printed for Vernor and Hood,

No. 31, Poultry.

1. BIOGRAPHY for GIRLS; or Moral and Instructive Examples for

Young Ladies. By Mrs. Pilkington. With Five elegant Heads. 2s.
vellum back.
2. TALES of the HERMITAGE, for improving the Mind and Morals
of Youth. By Mrs. Pilkington. 2s. bound.
3. TALES of the COTTAGE; or Stories moral and amusing, for
Young Persons. By Mrs. Pilkington. 2s. half bound, vellum back.
4. Henry; or, THE FOUNDLING; and the Prejudiced Parent, or
Virtuous Daughter. By Mrs. Pilkington. Frontispiece. 1s. 6d. bound.
5. MIRROR for YOUNG LADIES, or Historical Beauties, applied
to Character, Conduct, and Behaviour; by Mrs. Pilkington. With 24
wooden Cuts; 3s. 6d. bound.
6. MARMONTEL’s MORAL TALES, abridged for Youth, and the
Use of Schools and Academies, by Mrs. Pilkington. With elegant
Frontispiece; and Head and Tail Pieces cut in Wood. Price 3s. 6d.
bound.
7. MISCELLANEOUS POEMS, by Mrs. Pilkington, Dedicated to
the Duchess of Marlborough. 2 volumes, printed on fine vellum
paper, &c. 6s. boards.
 8. OBEDIENCE REWARDED; or the History of Mortimer
Lascelles. By Mrs. Pilkington. With elegant Frontispiece. 3s. bound.
9. SCRIPTURE HISTORIES; or Interesting Passages extracted
from the Old Testament, for the Instruction and Amusement of Youth.
By Mrs. Pilkington. 2s. 6d. bound.
 Transcriber’s Note:
This book was written in a period when many words had not
become standardized in their spelling. Words may have multiple
spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text. These
have been left unchanged. Obsolete and alternative spellings were
left unchanged. Misspelled words were not corrected.
Obvious printing errors, such as backwards, upside down, or
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