Over the weekend I prepared for my first thesis review on Wednesday. I prepared a short PDF presentation to discuss where I want to situate myself in biomimicry, a new thesis statement, and where I see myself going.  To do this I used four precedents: the Industrial Eco-Park at Kalundborg, Denmark, Eastgate Center in Harare, Zimbabwe, the Esplanade Theatre in Singapore, and Lotusan paint. In my presentation I am going to discuss how each function as biomimicry: the Industrial Eco-Park uses the principles of a mature ecosystem, namely using its own waste as a resource.

Eastgate functions the same way a termite mound does, by using the buoyancy of air, the heat generated by the occupants, and the way it releases the stale air to the outside.

The Esplanade Theatre mimic the shape and texture of the skin of the Durian plant and uses this as a sun-shading device to protect the interiors of the building from overheating.

Lotusan paint looks at how the lotus plant's leaves are self-cleaning because water runs off of them and cleans the leaves of dirt; the paint does the same thing with concrete and stucco.

After this research, my updated thesis is "By first looking at biological processes, which can then be applied to design, architecture can become more dynamic and sustainable." I see myself going down one of two routes with this project: either looking at a natural process (such as how squid can change the color and texture of their skin) and developing a responsive facade or by looking at different ecosystems and developing dynamic spaces based off those principals.

Over the past two days I have talked with my associate dean and thesis adviser about my thesis abstract and how i should plan on moving forward. My associate dean liked how clear my abstract was, but said that I needed a clearer direction, which my thesis adviser agreed with. Some ways in which to do this would be to pick a natural process or processes that interest me and apply that to architecture, as opposed to picking a problem in architecture and finding a way biology can deal with it, the second way would be to find various precedents to find out where in biomimicry I want to situate myself, and the third thing is to make a physical aspect of building, such as a building skin, to demonstrate how biomimetic principals would influence architecture and make it more sustainable. To start with I am going to look at precedents and compare how biomimetic they are to how biomimetic they say they are, find natural processes that interest me, and place myself in the biomimetic discourse.

Next week I have my first thesis review, I am going to present my position on biomimicry, my new thesis statement, and where I see myself going with this project. I am going to do this through the use of useful precedents and what positions they have taken on biomimicry.

Over the weekend I have found articles and books that describe, promote and are against biomimicry. Biomimicry is in itself, a way to look at nature and imitate the forms, process, and systems found there. This mimicking of nature can be used in sustainable design. While biomimicry is separate from sustainability, the two are generally seen as going hand in hand by those who propagate it. Those who are in favor of biomimicry and sustainability say that this is the next logical step in design, because the lifestyle of the developed world cannot continue as is and needs to become more conscious of its actions if it is to continue. Those opposed to biomimicry claim that it idolizes nature and diminishes human achievement; while the main arguments against sustainability is that it is too vaguely defined (allowing for people to misuse it) and that socially it keeps the rich on top and the poor on the bottom.

-The Biomimicry Institute http://biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/what-is-biomimicry.html

-Sustainability is bad for the devolping world http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/SustainableDevt.pdf

-Sustainability Sparks Innovation by Lay Ying Lim

-A Paradigm Shift: Biomimicry by Philip A Reed

-Never mind all that environmental rubbish, get on with your architecture http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ad.884/abstract

-Against Biomimicry http://alevin.com/weblog/archives/001989.html

-Biomimicry vs Humanism by Joe Kaplinsky

-Does Biomimicry as a Tool=Sustainability http://bouncingideas.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/does-biomimicry-as-a-tool-sustainability/

Through this research, I found that it is clear that in order for Biomimicry to not become "just another fad" it has to be looked at carefully and implemented into design in such a way that it makes sense. An example of this is the Industrial Ecopark in Kalundborg, Denmark.

Today, I met with my thesis adviser to go over my abstract stating my ideas for my project. Some suggestions she had were to get more specific with my topic. As of now my thesis statement is "Biomimicry [biomimetic technology] can make architecture that is more dynamic, responsive, and efficient." One thing I have to do is come up with five extremely specific thesis statements to help direct my research. She also suggested to look at Prototypes I-III by Tom Wiscombe (http://tomwiscombe.com/project_16.html). Over the next few days I will be developing these thesis statements to narrow my research down so that it can easily be applied to an architectural project.  

I am a 5th year architecture student at Syracuse University. I'm at the beginning stages of my thesis research and have started this blog to keep track of my thoughts and ideas that I have about my topic. I'll be updating my blog twice a week, Monday's and Thursday's to document what I've researched and how I've decided to forward my thesis. I welcome all comments, suggestions, and ideas.

First starting out with thesis, I didn't really know how to begin. Eventually I figured out that I wanted to do something with technology and architecture, one idea that I had was interactive architecture and sustainable architecture. Eventually, this lead to biomimicry and the way in which it can help architecture. 

I chose to go with how biomimicry can help architecture, because it is still relatively new to architecture and it has great potential for architecture. Through my research, I've come across several different forms of biomimicry, some of which are biomimetics, bionics, bio-engineering, and biomophism. Two of these forms that I find particular interest in are bionics and biomorphism. So far several precedents that I've come across that deal with these two forms of biomimicry in vastly different ways are the Gherkin in London, Hylozoic Ground by Philip Beesley, and Syph by Arup Biomimetics. Each of these use biomimicry as a process, as something that can be created using modern technology, and something that can take the form of nature. 

Eventually, I see myself doing a large-scale project, something along the lines of an airport or a cruise ship. I'm imagining something along those lines because many people congregate there and they are not very sustainable, something which biomimicry can help with.