3.

1 review of related literature

3.1.1 NON-ARCHITECTURAL LITERATURES

LITERATURE 1

Literature Title : Marine Biodiversity Strongly Linked to Ocean Temperature

Published by : Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada

Date Published : July 29, 2010

In an unprecedented effort that will be published online on the 28th of July by the

international journal ‘Nature’, a team of scientists mapped and analyzed global

biodiversity patterns for over 11,000 marine species ranging from tiny zooplankton to

sharks and whales. The researchers found striking similarities among the distribution

patterns, with temperature strongly linked to biodiversity for all thirteen groups studied.

These results imply that future changes in ocean temperature, such as those due to climate

change, may greatly affect the distribution of life in the sea.

The scientists also found a high overlap between areas of high human impact and

hotspots of marine diversity.

Much research has been conducted on diversity patterns on land, but our

knowledge of the distribution of marine life has been more limited. This has changed

through the decade-long efforts of the Census of Marine Life, upon which the current paper

builds. The authors synthesized global diversity patterns for major species groups

including corals, fishes, whales, seals, sharks, mangroves, seagrasses, and zooplankton. In

the process, the global diversity of all coastal fish species has been mapped for the first

time.

The researchers were interested in whether there are consistent "biodiversity

hotspots" -- areas of especially high numbers of species for many different types of marine

organisms simultaneously. They found that the distribution of marine life showed two

fundamental patterns: coastal species such as corals and coastal fishes tended to peak in

diversity around Southeast Asia, whereas open-ocean creatures such as tunas and whales

showed much broader hotspots across the mid-latitude oceans.

 The scientists also tested whether these global patterns could be consistently

explained by one or more environmental factors. Temperature was the only factor found

to be linked with the distribution of all species groups, with the availability of habitat also

playing a role.

What is the article all about?

The article is about the studies made in order to find out the factors that affect

marine life biodiversity. Through the study it is discovered that ocean temperature plays a

huge role in the distribution in the distribution of marine life, although human impacts as

well as other threats like pollution and climate change are fast becoming factors.

Relevance:

Since there is much broader data collected on land diversity patterns, the study that

the article contains is very much like a breakthrough for the expansion of knowledge

regarding marine biodiversity. Now, it is much easier to determine what specific species

thrives in a particular part of the ocean and the factors that influence their location of

habitat. With the data gathered, researchers may now predict how these emerging threats

and factors may affect the ecosystem.

LITERATURE 2

Literature Title : Coral 'network' can protect Asia-Pacific fish stocks, study suggests

Published by : ARC Centre of Excellence in Coral Reef Studies, Australia

Date Published : February 26, 2011

An international scientific team has shown that strong links between the corals reefs

of the South China Sea, West Pacific and Coral Triangle hold the key to preserving fish and

marine resources in the Asia-Pacific region.

Research by Dr Johnathan Kool of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef

Studies and James Cook University, and his colleagues, has established that the richest

marine region on Earth -- the Coral Triangle between Indonesia, Malaysia and the

Philippines -- depends vitally for its diversity and resilience on coral and fish larvae swept

in from the South China Sea and Solomon Islands.

"The currents go in various directions, but the prevailing direction is from east to

west, and this carries coral spawn and fish larvae from areas such as round the Spratly

Islands in the South China Sea and the Solomons/Papua New Guinea," he explains.

"Maintaining the network of links between reefs allowing larvae to flow between

them and re-stock depleted areas, is key to saving coral ecosystems threatened by human

pressure and climate change.

"The Coral Triangle is home to more than one third of all the world's coral reefs,

including over 600 different species of reef-building coral and 3,000 species of reef fish.

These coral ecosystems provide food and income for more than 100 million people working

in marine based industries throughout the region," Dr Kool explains.

"Knowing where coral spawn comes from is vital to managing our reefs

successfully. Even though coral reef communities may not be connected directly to one

another, reefs on the edge of the Coral Triangle have the potential to contribute significant

amounts of genetic diversity throughout the region," says Dr Kool.

 He argues that recent evidence showing the region's biology is closely inter-

connected suggests it is in the interests of all Asia-Pacific littoral countries to work together

more closely to protect it: "The science shows the region's natural resources are closely

interconnected. Nations need to co-operate to look after them -- and that begins with

recognising the resources are at risk and that collective action is needed to protect them.

Six nations within the Coral Triangle, (Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua

New Guinea, The Solomon Islands and Timor L'Este) are now working together to

strengthen coral reef governance and management, under an arrangement known as the

Coral Triangle Initiative.

The paper "Connectivity and the development of population genetic structure in

Indo-West Pacific coral reef communities" by Johnathan T. Kool, Claire B. Paris, Paul H.

Barber and Robert K. Cowen appears in a recent issue of the journal Global Ecology and

Biogeography.

What is the article all about?

The article is about the importance of coral reefs in maintaining the natural balance

of marine biodiversity and why it is vital that the nations preserve them as much as

possible. Many species of marine life depend on these reefs for the continuation of their

reproduction and serves as their natural habitat.

Relevance:

Article shows how much important it is that we protect and preserve the coral reefs. Coral

reefs are in constant danger because of irresponsible human activities and it should be

known what consequence these actions will cause. With this knowledge, there can be

measures taken to avoid further actions that will threaten coral ecosystems.
LITERATURE 3

Literature Title : Resilience Science Is Promising Approach to Marine Conservation

Published by : Brown University, Rhode Island, U.S.A

Date Published : February 23, 2008

Brown University marine conservation scientist Heather Leslie has explained how

the fast-growing field of resilience science can produce more effective ocean protection

policies at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Resilience science is the study of how ecosystems resist and respond to disturbances,

both natural and man-made. This increasingly influential area of environmental science is

affecting marine conservation efforts from the Gulf of Maine to the Great Barrier Reef.

Ocean ecosystems are increasingly threatened by overfishing, pollution, habitat

loss, climate change and coastal development. Understanding why some ecosystems resist

these shocks, and continue to deliver benefits such as plentiful fish and pristine beaches,

and how others collapse is the subject of resilience science -- a budding branch of study

that combines approaches from both the life and social sciences.

"Resilience science examines how human and natural forces come together to affect

an ecosystem's ability to resist, recover or adapt to disturbances," Leslie said. "That

knowledge can be directly applied to conservation policies -- policies that can better protect

the oceans."

Key elements of resilience science include the recognition of the connections

between marine systems and human communities, the maintenance of diversity in marine

ecosystems and economies, and the importance of monitoring of the dynamic ecological

processes, such as the rate of plankton production in the upper ocean, that create large-

scale ecological patterns.

Conservation policies based on resilience science are showing promise around the

world and across the United States, most notably in the Chesapeake Bay. Restoration of the

Bay is underway -- evidenced by oyster sanctuaries and eelgrass seeding -- to restore lost

diversity and increase future resilience.

 "Viewing the world through a resilience lens means embracing change and

acknowledging the tight connections between humans and nature," Leslie said. "The way

forward will require embracing change at many levels -- in societal expectations, in

business practices, in resource management -- to adapt to an ever-changing environment.

Resilience science can show the way for-ward, creating more robust marine ecosystems

and thriving human communities."

Heather Leslie, Sharpe Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology at

Brown University, presented the symposium "Embracing Change: A New Vision for

Management in Coastal Marine Ecosystems" on Feb. 17, 2008.

What is the article all about?

The article is about resilience science and its promising effects upon application in

conservation policies. Resilience science is the key to understanding how marine ecosystem

resists the human threats and impacts that should have otherwise caused it major damage.

Instead, the ecosystem resists these and continues with the natural cycles. Knowing how

nature manages this feat and applying it to conservation policies can help create a stronger

and more resilient environment.

LITERATURE 4

Literature Title : California Academy of Sciences discovers 100 new species

in the Philippines

Published by : California Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.

Date Published : June 8, 2015

Scientists from the California Academy of

Sciences are celebrating World Ocean's Day with

a slew of brand new marine discoveries -- more

than 100 species that are likely new to science. The

Philippines is home to the most biologically

diverse waters on Earth, and remains the

centerpiece of the Academy's multi-year exploration of the Coral Triangle's biological

treasures. Over the course of this seven-week undertaking, funded by the National Science

Foundation, scientists collected countless marine specimens, including rare and new

species of colorful sea slugs, barnacles, and delicate heart urchins -- among several others

-- to be studied in the coming months. Mysterious live animals from dimly-lit, deep-water

reefs were also collected for a new exhibit at the Academy's Steinhart Aquarium, expected

to open in the summer of 2016.

"The Philippines is jam-packed with diverse and threatened species -- it's one of the

most astounding regions of biodiversity on Earth," says Terry Gosliner, PhD, Senior

Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the California Academy of Sciences and a Principle

Investigator of the expedition. "Despite this richness, the region's biodiversity has been

relatively unknown

The Academy's 2015 expedition to the Philippines zeroed in on the Verde Island

Passage -- the veritable treasure trove of marine life nestled between the Philippine islands

of Luzon to the north and Mindoro to the south. While previous expeditions (in 2011 and

2014) explored life in the western and northern portions of this narrow passage, the most

recent trip took researchers to lesser-known field sites at its southern end.
 Scientists surveying the region's diversity snorkeled in sandy shallows, scanned

steep, clear-water reefs, and dove to unimaginable depths -- 150 to 500 feet beneath the

ocean's surface -- in deep-water "twilight zone" regions never before seen by human eyes.

Extensive fieldwork yielded thrilling results; the 2015 research sites appeared every bit as

diverse as previous expedition visits to distant Passage regions.

A carpet of sea slugs

Though the Verde Island Passage houses wildly diverse marine habitats, Gosliner

says one spot "shines like a beacon" for sea slug experts on the lookout for new species.

This spring, Gosliner and a team of marine invertebrate researchers discovered more than

40 new varieties of nudibranchs -- vibrant sea slugs made famous by their poisonous

adaptations and importance to biomedical research. Many of these discoveries were made

in one notable research site near the Philippine harbor of Puerto Galera.

"This remarkable stretch of coral rubble was carpeted in colorful nudibranchs," says

Gosliner, who reported that most slugs he encountered appeared entirely new to science.

"It was like an underwater Easter egg hunt. It was one of the most exciting scientific dives

of my 50-year career."

Scientists were pleased to find live specimens of a nudibranch -- Chelidonura

alexisi -- initially discovered during the Academy's 2011 expedition. Gosliner based his

nearly-published species description on examinations of a deceased specimen, and the live,

speckled nudibranchs provided valuable additions to the official species description.

"I was able to submit new details about Chelidonura alexisi -- what it looks like, how

it lays eggs, and how it varies within its species -- literally two weeks before the study came

out," says Gosliner. "It's thrilling to return to such an incredibly diverse region year after

year. Whether we're finding new species or adding to our understanding of previously

known creatures and habitats, these expeditions help us pinpoint how and where to focus

protection efforts."

New heart urchin "a living fossil"

 Rich Mooi, PhD, Academy Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, knows

that the Philippines is an "incredibly special place" for sea urchin research, but admitted to

a moment of pure astonishment during the recent expedition.

"In 2014, we found the internal skeleton for a lovely new species of heart urchin,

about the size of balled-up fist," says Mooi. "I remember saying, 'I haven't the slightest idea

what this is!' This spring, we found several more deceased specimens, but lost hope that

we'd find a living urchin with all its appendages and spines. I thought we'd never know

what this cool beast actually looked like."

As the expedition approached its final weeks, Will Love, Academy Dive Officer,

came to the rescue with a live specimen from 70 feet below the ocean's surface off Puerto

Galera. Mooi marveled at the heart urchin's pinkish-white spines, "like silk, or fine hairs."

While in the process of completing a formal species description, researchers linked the new

discovery with a long-lost relative from the Prenaster genus -- a fossil species that roamed

the seafloor roughly 50 million years ago.

While several members of the expedition explored "shallow" Philippine reefs--

anywhere from the surface to 130 feet deep--the Academy's highly-trained team scientific

diving team plunged to the unbelievable depths to search for new species and collect live

animals for an upcoming Twilight Zone aquarium exhibit. In a narrow band of mesophotic

reefs, located between 150 and 500 feet deep, animals live in partial darkness, well beyond

recreational diving limits yet above the deep trenches patrolled by submarines and ROVs.

Twilight zone specimen highlights include 15 species of fishes as well as strange,

multi-colored ctenophores, or "comb jellies" collected from a depth of 280 feet. Shepherd

and Academy Curator of Ichthyology Luiz Rocha spotted these Lyrocteis imperatoris

attached to abandoned fishing line via fold-like appendages near their mouths. When

hungry, the animal deploys long, sticky, hair-like tentacles into the surrounding waters to

reel-in plankton, turning mealtime into an impressive display. Academy biologists are

studying the live comb jellies behind the scenes with hopes to give the public an up-close

look when the Twilight Zone exhibit opens in the summer of 2016.

Dismantling "parachute science"

 An integral part of the Philippine expeditions remains the Academy's commitment

to collaboration -- before arrival and long after California-based scientists depart -- with

colleagues and conservation partners within the Philippines. This spring, as on previous

expeditions, Academy scientists worked alongside more than 17 colleagues from the

Philippines as well as a team of Academy educators who shared the expedition's findings

with local community members, decision-makers, and conservation groups.

Expedition discoveries will be confirmed and described in the coming months as

Academy scientists use DNA sequencing and other tools from the institution's Center for

Comparative Genomics to analyze all specimens collected in the field, likely discovering

even more new species in the process. Their work will be available for further study by the

scientific community. In addition, the Academy hopes the pending Twilight Zone

aquarium exhibit will promote greater awareness and conservation efforts, and perhaps

inspire the next generation of ocean explorers.

What is the article all about?

Through the California Academy of Science’s expedition, more than 100 species

discovered which only shows how diverse the Philippine seas are.

Relevance:

Better understanding of these species will lead to better care: the new findings may

help determine on how best they could be protected. There is still so much more to be

discovered in the Philippine seas there is also more to be protected and conserved. The

discoveries only prove that thorough research for marine life is needed especially in our

present time since the knowledge gained will be used for sustaining these environments in

the future.

Since most researches and studies conducted in the Philippine seas are facilitated by

foreigners, there is the lack of facilities that would enable study and showcase of new

discoveries inside the country easier making it more progressive in the field of research

and promoting the advancement of the scientific community as a whole. Also, more than

anyone else, it is the locals who need to be educated about what can be found and how best

to protect them.
3.1.2 ARCHITECTURAL LITERATURES

LITERATURE 1

Literature Title : 5 Architectural Secrets of the Badjao: 21st Century

Sea People

Published by : Joey Jacobson, Archdaily

Date Published : June 2, 2015

Thousands of years ago, a small

civilization of hunter gatherers migrated to

the coastal regions of Southeast Asia. These

people progressed into a widespread tribe

of travelling sea dwellers. To this day, they

remain a stateless people with no nationality

and no consistent infrastructure, sometimes

living miles away from land. Yet these people are one of the few civilizations whose

collective life practices have survived so long through human history. They are called

the Badjao, and they have a surprising amount to teach us about architecture.

1. Architecture can be a collective initiative.

While the public image of Architecture is often fixated on the individual,

the Badjaoconsider design to be a communal practice. Houses for the Badjao (for those who

do not live on their boats) are built almost entirely out of driftwood and debris from coastal

cities around Southeast Asia. When a storm hits a home or community,

neighboring Badjao will spare as much material of their own as possible, to help fortify

damaged homes. Their homes are built on stilts that are carefully placed in between coastal

rocks and coral. This activity is a communal effort, so as to ensure no wildlife is harmed as

they set foundations.

 2. Adaptability goes beyond the building.

The term "adaptability" has been thrust into the architectural world as part of the

ever-growing "green" movement. Yet the common outcome of this message has been

energy efficient and "eco-friendly" appliances being added on to otherwise unchanging

design. What could be fundamental components to the nature of design are often instead

considerations for a checklist at the end of the design process. The solution then may not

come from our design process, but from us. The Badjao show how it is possible for human

beings to adapt productively to their environments.

After thousands of years moving around the waters of Southeast Asia,

the Badjao have adapted to fit their surroundings in more ways than just their shelters. The

average Badjaoperson can, without training, hold their breath for up to two minutes at a

time, and dive as deep as 60 feet (18 meters) without losing focus or agility. They can also

see as well if not better underwater as they do above. This skillset has been ingrained into

their physique so that it stays with them from childhood to old age. They have become

flexible in their very nature, to be able to move and act in a constant dance with the

elements. If architectural minds were to reconsider their own relationships to surrounding

ecological, social and cultural variables, then their design may follow suit.

3. Successful design can be born from fragility, instead of stability.

Fragility is a word that is often combated in architecture today. We generally aspire

for solidity, thick and immovable construction, and maximum fortification. What this

results in though is an opportunity for disaster to strike should our infrastructure fail. The

ocean, being a naturally tumultuous place, made the Badjao accustomed to loosening the

reins on their construction so to speak. Where we ride the bull so tensely that we are

occasionally knocked off, the Badjao people have learned to love the ride. They build short

term, and live long term. This is rather antithetical to modern notions of immediate

satisfaction and safety. When every home and bridge is built with the goal of eventually

becoming parts to fortify other bridges and homes, then there really isn’t ever any truly

failed infrastructure.
 4. Listening to our environment has positive results for us and our Architectural

legacies.

The metropolis of today prides itself in a fortification against the elements, and

nomadic tribes such as the Badjao pride themselves on a lifestyle with the elements.

Learning from the latter may provide opportunities to prevent disaster when faced with

inclement weather and natural phenomena. In 2004, the Indian Ocean earthquake and

tsunami caused devastating destruction throughout Southern Asia. What was less

highlighted in the news coverage of this natural phenomenon were the Badjao people.

With their deep understanding of their surroundings, the major branches of

the Badjao moved their communities, settling in areas that did not end up being drastically

affected by the tsunami. This was not a matter of cosmological speculation or political

agenda - the Badjao people were open to changing the way they lived in response to

incontrovertible facts about their environment.

5. Surroundings and ecological impact are the defining qualities of our work in

the long-term.

The Badjao are fundamentally tied in all aspects of life to the flows and forces that

affect the sea. Time of the day is marked by the tide rather than hours and minutes.

Most Badjaocannot pinpoint a specific date or even year that they were born, yet any child

can recall the average sea levels from when they were born, or at any other significant

moment in their lives. When we design buildings or spaces or urban initiatives, it is easy

to get swept up in variables relating to profit, schedule and material consumption. What

the Badjaoteach us is that there are much deeper layers of forces and information that are

equally (if not more) worthy of our consideration as designers.

"Nomad" is considered by many to be a term of condescension. It is associated with

the vagabond and the traveler, the drifter and the vagrant. If anything can be learned from

theBadjao people though, it is that designing for life on the move is one of the methods we

have to integrate back into more open and natural systems. Architecture in the developed

world is a competition of capital, supported by egos and trends. That is not to say that

architecture has not occasionally contributed to shaping societies for the better. But rather,

as we can learn from those who live less stable lives, fragility and adaptability is more

beneficial than we may have thought.

LITERATURE 2

Literature Title : What Architecture and Bioengineering Have in Common

Published by : David Brown, Sr. Architect (Bjarke Ingels Group) – IEEE Pulse

Date Published : October 13, 2014

Imagine a future in which our buildings act and react to environmental conditions

like living organisms, facades breathe through self-activating apertures, building structural

systems weigh a mere fraction of what they do today, and they can even grow

themselves! These are just a few of the innovations currently taking place at the cutting

edge of architectural design thanks to a small group of architects looking to biology for

inspiration. Their aim is to discover more sustainable building practices, better integration

of human settlements with the environment, and ecological cities in which organisms,

environment, and climate operate together to create a holistic, coherent web. They are

asking important questions: How can we build our cities to be more resilient? How can

buildings react, adapt, and work together to maximize resource efficiency, reduce our

dependence on fossil fuels and our carbon footprint? How can our waste stream be

transformed from a linear system to a closed loop where the waste streams from one

process become the nutrient source of another?

In the current practice of development and construction, buildings tend to function

in isolation from one another and utilize resources in very inefficient ways through the use

of single functioning design elements each with its own use and purpose. Nature, on the

other hand, has evolved multifunctional elements with the ability to respond and adapt to

various phenomenon. Biologically-inspired architecture looks to these natural models to

find solutions for these problems and concerns. In this article we will look at four emerging

trends in bio-inspired architecture: biomimicry, biomaterials, adaptive architecture, and

living architecture.
 BIOMIMICRY

Biomimicry, or the study of nature’s models and applying their designs and

processes to human problems, is one of the leading trends in this research, and can be

understood as the meta-theme which encompasses the others. Mimicry as a design trope

has been in practice at least since the Greeks designed stone temples resembling trabeated

wood construction techniques. Nature as a source for architectural inspiration, particularly

for ornamentation, was popular until the early twentieth centuries until it was replaced by

the machine as inspiration by early Modern masters such as Le Corbusier. I prefer to

distinguish between shallow and deep mimicry in architecture. Shallow mimicry remains

at a surface level understanding of a model, such as its formal qualities or how it looks.

Deep mimicry, on the other hand, is more fascinated with a model’s performance or

behavior and how it is achieved. Many architects recently have looked to natural models

as inspiration for more efficient structural forms. British architect Nicholas

Grimshaw’s Eden project, a giant biodome constructed in Cornwall, England in 2000, was

inspired by biomimicry in three profound ways. The building form was computationally

modeled using algorithms based on soap bubble geometry to find structurally efficient

forms with flexibility to respond to various ground conditions. The structural system was

inspired by sea sponges and radiolarian to create geometries that more effectively transfer

loads. Finally, the transparent skin utilizes a pressurized membrane similar to many

organisms that allows it to span up to seven times greater than glass at 1% of the weight of

glass, further reducing the amount of steel required and allowing maximum transparency.

ADAPTIVE ARCHITECTURE

“Bioinspired adaptive architecture” is a phrase used by Donald Ingber to describe

how architects can learn from the transformational qualities of biological models that allow

them to react and adapt to various external factors to optimize their performance. One

example is the “Adaptive Fritting” facade system developed by Chuck

Hoberman and Buro Happold. Their design incorporates a dynamically reconfigurable

graphic pattern that can modulate its transparency to control transmitted light, solar gain,

privacy and views. Multiple layers of clear sheets, each with its own pattern of opaque

ceramic fritting, shift in relation to each other so that the graphic pattern alternately aligns

and diverges to create an infinite variety of patterns based on the shape, color, and scale of
the frit. According to Ingber, this is reminiscent of the skin of certain amphibians that

change the color of their skin by moving spherical packets that contain pigment through

their cells which allowing the cells to shift from light to dark to react to ambient light

conditions. When all the packets are concentrated at one point it appears clear or light

colored, and when the packets are distributed the cells appear dark and restrict light

transmission.

Adaptive Fritting Solar Dynamic Multi-layer Panels. Adaptive Fritting™ is an

integrated glass unit with a custom moveable graphic pattern that can modulate its

transparency to control transmitted light, solar gain, privacy, and views. Image via

AdaptiveBuildings.com

MATERIALS RESEARCH

Biological inspiration is also leading to advances in material science, from synthetic

nanomaterials that mimic the properties of natural materials to exploiting the intrinsic

qualities of natural materials for novel purposes. Joanna Aizenberg, a bioengineer at

Harvard University, describes her research as ‘extreme biomimetics’, and involves a two-

step process. First, look to nature to find something amazing, and second, mimic that

behavior and develop high tech solutions that outperform anything we have available

today. ‘Superhydrophobic Si’, or SLIPS, an incredible material developed by Aizenberg,

was inspired by the carnivorous pitcher plant. When the plant’s rim gets wet – either from

a nectar or humidity in the air – it becomes so smooth that an insect standing on it slips

into the pitcher where they are consumed. The SLIPS product will not allow any liquid to

stick to its surface, including no ice accumulation to -25 degrees Centigrade. This novel

material could be useful in many applications – oil transport and storage, medical devices,

airplane wings, buildings, and more – which also demonstrates the interdisciplinary

collaboration at the heart of bioengineering.

LIVING ARCHITECTURE

With the introduction of 3d

printing, self-replicating robots,

and tissue engineering, architects

are interested in exploring novel

methods for the construction of

buildings. Mitchell Joachim is a

New York-based architect

exploring how to engineer living

tissue into a viable building product. HisVitro Meat Habitat and Fab Tree Hab (see figure

at top) projects utilize engineered animal tissues and living trees, respectively. Joachim and

his research lab, Terreform One, are also exploring how to scale up this technology beyond

building scale into something they call ‘biological urbanism’. Conceptual designs such as

their proposals for Downtown Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Navy Yard propose self-reliant

urban districts with an interwoven mesh of vertical agriculture, housing merged with

infrastructure, renewable energy integrated into ecological pathways and plazas, all

designed to create a robust urban metabolism.

MORE CROSS DISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION IS NEEDED

Cross disciplinary collaboration between bioengineers and architects is a promising

field with potential to radically revolutionize the way we design, build, and conceive our

buildings and cities in the future. At present this collaboration is only being explored

tentatively. This is unfortunate because I believe bioengineers and architects have much to

learn from one another. Biologists and bioengineers offer architects a new framework and

scientific method to approach the issues of rapid urbanization, sustainability, and climate

change. Architects and designers provide bioengineers with a way of thinking that focuses

on both real world solutions for today and speculation about the future. On one hand it is

an issue of scale – bioengineers focus on a micro scale and architects and designers can help

bridge the gap to meso-scale by identifying problems and opportunities in the building

and product industries. Designers are trained to articulate people’s needs and desires in

order to design devices they will actually use.