For David a fellow lover of nature E K To my father who showed me how to build things C W
CoNteNts 6 Inspired by Nature 8 Learning from Nature 18 Nature Had It First The Nature of Nature 24 In Harmony with Nature 32 36 Design Time The Future Is Yours 40 41 Glossary and Sources Index 42
InspiRed by NatuRe What comes to mind when you hear the word nature Trees and grass Birds and insects Do you think of buildings or bridges Probably not After all they are structures made by people using concrete and steel to make straight lines and sharp corners Well you might be surprised to find out that there can be a strong link between nature and built structures As a matter of fact many architects look to nature to help them solve their building challenges And they’ve found some incredible solutions including a cactus-inspired way to cool a building without using a lot of energy and an earthquake-proof bridge design based on the roots of a special type of grass Some architects have come up with design solutions only to discover that they are similar to what also works in nature For example to deal with potential flooding buildings and whole communities have been designed to float on water much like some water plants do
Architects might also think about the laws of nature when they design a structure These laws are the rules that nature always follows For example nature recycles never wastes material and is full of curves and patterns You’ll find some unbelievable structures that also follow some of these laws Nature’s beauty also inspires architects Would you believe there is a museum that moves like a bird Or a house built in the shape of a feathered snake In this book you’ll meet some ingenious architects and designers who have been inspired by nature to design wild and wonderful buildings and bridges And be sure to check out the cool experiments as well as try your hand at designing your own buildings and bridges inspired by nature of course 7
