Page 145 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

ince the designs in nature are quite flawless,
their inspirations are now frequently em-
ployed in architectural designs. All the fea-
tures necessary in a structure, such as energy
savings, beauty, functionality and durability
have already been created in the natural world. No matter how
many superior systems human beings may run across, their imita-
tions can never be as good or practical as the originals.
In order to copy nature’s designs and implement them in ar-
chitectural design, a high level of engineering know-how is essen-
tial. Yet the living things in the natural world know nothing about
load bearing or architectural principles. Nor do they have any op-
portunity of understanding them. All living things behave in the
manner God inspires in them. In one verse, He reveals that all liv-
ing things are under His control:
… There is no creature He does not hold by the forelock...

(Qur’an, 11: 56)
Buckminster Fuller, an architect famous
for using forms in nature in the structures
he designed, said that the designs in na-
ture make marvelous models. According
to Fuller, what makes nature’s dynamic,
functional and light weight technology es-
sential is “optimum efficiency.” (“Invisible
Architecture,” Bonnie Goldstein DeVarco,
http://members.cruzio.com/~devarco/na-
ture. htm) The picture shows Fuller with a
design inspired by the microscopic crea-
tures known as radiolarians.