Inspired by living systems

Life on earth began in a hostile inorganic landscape more than 3.8 billion years ago. Over the millennia an atmosphere of carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia began to be transformed by early life in to the wet, oxygen-rich atmosphere we have today. Life had created the conditions conducive to life. These early life forms replicated and diversified until some 30 million species now occupy and enrich their own niches. Though humans evolved with this system, they have now begun to change the rules. Our modern industrial ‘take-make-dump’ model reduces natural capital, producing large amounts of waste in the process. Many believe that we need to re-engage with nature’s tried and tested strategies if we are to thrive in a future circular economy. Biomimicry is a powerful design philosophy that examines biological forms, processes or systems in order to seek solutions for some of our most compelling challenges.



How life makes things
Life’s chemistry is very different to industrial chemistry. In our factories we use large use amounts of energy to heat, beat and treat materials generating about 95 percent waste in the process. Life’s chemistry is much gentler, building chemicals at low temperatures and pressure and using only a small number of non-toxic elements. Life’s large chemicals (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, etc) are made of sub-units that are easy to assemble and disassemble in a controlled way. These chemicals then gain form and function by clustering themselves in to nested hierarchies. At the end of their ‘use’ these chemicals are either digested or biodegraded releasing harmless chemicals back in to the biosphere.

By mimicking life’s chemistry, designers and engineers could revolutionise the materials industry. Imagine bright, cheerful packaging coloured not with toxic pigments but illuminated by ‘thin film interference’ technology inspired by the peacock feather. This packaging could be made from carbon dioxide and would be constructed to spontaneously decompose after exactly six months releasing harmless chemicals back in to the atmosphere.

We humans like to keep ourselves and our possessions ‘clean’ by using a wide range of toxic chemicals. Lotus plants also need to keep themselves clean but they use a more natural process. Although it appears smooth and shiny, the lotus leaf has a microscopic roughness that causes water to form droplets that collect any dirt particles and then run off, cleaning the leaf. StoCoat Lotusan® has mimicked this feature of the lotus leaf and developed a self-cleaning material that can be incorporated into house paint and fabrics. Just add water!

How life makes the best of things
Resilient forms, processes and systems in nature are often characterised through bifurcation or repeating patterns at different scales. These nested structures are often established using simple rules which allow for local variance and two-way information flow. For example, the complex structure of a tree might be determined by a rule that makes a branch divide into two every year. Trees are effective organisms because different parts are responsive local variations in factors such as light, wind, or disease. The overall well-being of the tree is managed by a set of feedback mechanisms which match supply with demand. Systems like this are being mimicked by engineers developing smart energy networks where feedback mechanisms allow the two-way flow of information and energy within a larger set of nested systems.

Nature can produce bewildering complexity using simple information systems. We cannot fail to be impressed by the range of outcomes produced by the four-letter DNA code. The amazing faithfulness of the copying of the code accounts for the consistency of inherited traits but nature does like to mix it up a bit. Sexual reproduction allows the new offspring to try out two complete sets of genes, one from each of the parents. Unusual combinations and synergies generate diversity and resilience. There are lessons here for business and education. While integrity of message might be maintained through strict codes, innovation and creativity is more likely to come from a more radical and comprehensive sharing of ideas.

How nature makes things disappear
One of the biggest problems with our current take-make-dump system is that when we throw things away they don’t actually go away. Instead, they stay there using up space and releasing toxins. This is not the case in natural systems where any excess from one process is used by another process – waste becomes food. Life is creating the conditions for life itself. Nature is constantly evolving forms, systems and processes that gather materials and cycle them using energy from the sun. By mimicking this process in a circular economy we need to design systems in which the surplus materials in one part are used by processes in another. Although many forms of packaging are made from biological nutrients they cannot be easily composted because they contain toxins. Designers are now able to produce non-toxic bio-degradable packaging which composts after a defined period of use and then flows harmlessly through the biological cycle. More challenging is the design of systems which allow the return of materials from technical products back into a technical cycle.

What are Life’s Principles?
The key ideas that guide Biomimicry have been described in detail by the Biomimicry Group NL. These are summarised in this set of Life’s Principles:
 * Use life friendly chemicals


 * Evolve to survive


 * Be resource efficient


 * Adapt to changing conditions


 * Integrate development and growth

Many of these principles are exemplified in the design and construction of Mick Pearce’s Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe (pictured above). This giant shopping centre uses the same heating and cooling principles as a local termite mound, using only 10 percent of the energy of a conventional building. It works by storing heat in its materials during the day which is flushed out by cooler air entering through vents at night. The warm air continues to flow up through these vents until a suitable ambient temperature is reached ready for the next day.
 * Be locally responsive