Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Beauty of Nature





After analyzing the hydronic cooling and heating systems and looking at Wiscombe's work, it occurred to me that essentially what we are to design and fabricate is something that can be found in nature. This could possibly start to add to the architectural argument or simply provide inspiration as well as some knowledge of how our wall section might work. The biological structure of a leaf seemed like an inspiring starting point for the project as it has several components that relate to our project.
  • The epidermis or outer layer of the leaf becomes the water collecting outer paneled skin.
  • The spongy mesophyll becomes the water/air storage and bulging elements.
  • The veins become the water cooling system.
Not only does the leaf have performative qualities that are useful to us, it also contains a sensibility that resembles Wiscombe's sensibility of the Flower Street Bioreactor (See earlier post by Adrian).

Another quality of the leaf that appeals to me is that it is a living organism. It ages and creates a stimulating sensation through the change of color and pattern. Furthermore the leaf is a breathing skin which could lead to several implications of our design...perhaps we could capture the sensation of a breathing wall. The wall breathes at certain times thus changing the atmosphere of the space within.

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