LESSON 2.2: OBSERVING NATURE
The fractal nature of tree branching (left) and antlers (right).
A coiled nature of a fern fiddle head (left) and resting snake (right).
Images courtesy of Flickr CC
Notice what these organisms/systems pictured above have in common.
Notice that patterns in nature transcend scale.
What does "transcend scale" mean? Simply put, it means what works at the cellular level (micro scale) works at the macro scale and even systems scale. I find this truly amazing yet a simply elegant design principle. Imagine if what you designed could perform efficiently at the micro and macro level? In our lesson this week, we'll meet a researcher, Jay Harmon, who does exactly that.
This week we will be focusing our nature observation through the pattern lens. Understanding common patterns in nature and being able to recognize the patterns and principles that occur in nature in a specific context, in other words, what works, is one of the most important skills that you can acquire to become a biomimetic designer.
Think about these common patterns found throughout nature:
Notice what these organisms/systems pictured above have in common.
Notice that patterns in nature transcend scale.
What does "transcend scale" mean? Simply put, it means what works at the cellular level (micro scale) works at the macro scale and even systems scale. I find this truly amazing yet a simply elegant design principle. Imagine if what you designed could perform efficiently at the micro and macro level? In our lesson this week, we'll meet a researcher, Jay Harmon, who does exactly that.
Pattern Lens
This week we will be focusing our nature observation through the pattern lens. Understanding common patterns in nature and being able to recognize the patterns and principles that occur in nature in a specific context, in other words, what works, is one of the most important skills that you can acquire to become a biomimetic designer. Think about these common patterns found throughout nature:
- The branching of veins in our arms is the same forked/splitting pattern ("fractal Links to an external site.") seen in leaves and trees and it is the same pattern we observe in tributaries of rivers. What examples of branching do you see in your place?
- The spiral shape so commonly seen appears everywhere in nature - from galaxies to hurricanes to shells to pines cones to sunflower heads to our pores. This is an amazing example of scalability in design. What examples of spirals do you see in your place?
- Both fractals and spirals are examples of the Golden Ratio Links to an external site. and Fibanacci Number or Series Links to an external site. put into practice. We don't have the time to go into details about the Golden Ratio here but I encourage you to delve into this topic on your own time if it piques your curiosity (the Nature By Numbers video found under "Readings" this week is a quick and wordless introduction to these concepts). Leonardo da Vinci was completely taken by the Golden Mean and it appears in many of his art and designs, including the Mona Lisa and the Vitruvius Man. It is a principle that has been incorporated into human designs for over two thousand years and used by nature for about 3.85 Billion years; that's a lot of R+D!
- There is very good reason that spiral and fractal patterns reoccur at different scales and across all biological species and ecosystems - they are the most efficient means to move water and air. Put a different way, the shape of the spiral (FORM) has evolved as the most efficient way to create flow of air and water (FIT TO FUNCTION).
- Form follows function is a key design principle that we will revisit in week 3 when we investigate function in more detail and then in week 4 when we discuss Nature's Unifying Patterns - 10 common patterns and principles that all of nature's designs incorporate which makes life's designs inherently sustainable.