NATURAL SHAPES A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR ECO-DESIGN

V. Podborschi and M. Vaculenco

Technical University of Moldova, Republic of Moldova

Abstract:

The study of nature forms, of cycles of existence of natural products as a source of inspiration and the familiarization for specialists, designers, constructors, technicians in the designing of a new generation of industrial products is outlined. In nature one can find even more constructive structures as a source of permanent creative inspiration in conceiving shapes and material products. By using the laws of nature evolution and harmonizing the function with the shape, modern design approaches suggest that humanity will succeed to conduct the ecological production of material goods. design, ecology, bionics, nature, construction, production.

Key words:

1.

INTRODUCTION
For centuries the nature has worked out and updated itself, creating forms and mechanisms of surviving, the analogies of which we may find within todays technical means: logo, planes, optical equipment, radiolocation equipment and navigation tools. The material world surrounding us is made up of objects that have shapes and aesthetic peculiarities. This is due to the fact that any form is the result of one of the processes as described below: a) Uncontrolled processes, in which the shape depends only on the conditions of the environment (e.g.: formation of mountains, rocks, river gravel), b) Processes that depend on the laws of physics and chemistry of nature and of their formation environment (e.g.: ice crystals),

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c) Processes guided genetically and by the conditions of the environment (e.g.: living organisms), d) Processes guided by human demands, insects, and animals and by the conditions of the environment (e.g.: the shape of the industrial products, beaver dams, bird nests, Figure 1).

Figure 1. Inspiration from natural forms

Looking carefully, one can notice that all processes that contribute to the formation of the shapes of objects surrounding us are connected to a general factor the environment where they take place. So what is the connection between the shapes of nature and the shapes of human created products? where does the border between nature environment and environment created for satisfying human demands by engineer, designers and architects lie? Economic problems, the tendency towards the utmost utility of products with minimal material losses, the necessity of organizing and harmonizing the material and vital environment with the biosphere, the development of advanced technologies and of technical potential have made us to pay close attention to the processes and phenomena that happen in nature (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Inspiration from natural construction

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Nature has been, is and will be an endless source of creative inspiration for humanity. By studying and analyzing natures formal and constructive processes, humanity has always solved and continues to solve many of its vital problems. Between the years 50s 60s, a new science emerged, the basis of which was the research for modeling of different viable systems. The emergence of this science that has been called bionics (from a Greek word meaning element of life) is the result of the active development of biophysics, biochemistry, cybernetics and cosmic biology.

2.

DEFINITIONS IN BIONICS
Bionics is the science of studying the basic principles of nature and the application of these principles and processes for finding solutions for the problems that humanity encounters [1]. Major Jack Steele, of the US Air force, used the term Bionics in 1960 to describe what was then an emerging research into interface between natural and synthetic systems. He defined bionics as the analysis of the ways in which living systems actually work and having discovered nature's tricks, embodying them in hardware [5]. The Concise Columbia encyclopedias define bionics as follows: Bionics study of living systems with the intention of applying their principles to the design of engineering systems.

Figure 3. Design for engineering and architectural structure alike to natural forms

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Bionics can be classified in five main categories as follows: Total mimicry - an object material chemical structure that is indistinguishable from the natural product e.g. early attempts to construct flying machines. Partial mimicry - a modified version of the natural product, e.g. artificial wood. Non-biological analogy functional mimicry, e.g. modern planes and use of airfoils. Abstraction the use of an isolated mechanism, e.g. fiber reinforcement of composites. Inspiration trigger for creativity, e.g. design for architectural and engineering constructions alike to plants, animals and insects (Figure 3). Bio-design is probably the oldest methodology of designing with real examples from all over the history of humanity. Probably the greatest beneficiary of this design methodology is the area of transportation and architectural design. Democritus (460 370 BC) wrote: The spider taught us to weave, the swallow to build houses.

3.

STAGES OF BIONICS DEVELOPMENT

The process of using the shape creating laws of nature has always evolved through change and modification. There can be underlined three chronological stages of this process as a predecessor of the modern stage. The first stage is the oldest and is characterized by the spontaneous use of constructive and special-functional means of birds, insects, and animals for building primitive houses. It is difficult to speak of the esthetic value of these usages. Evident enough is just their functionality. Often, the artificial shape of constructions together with their function has copied the natural shape too, so there was no great difference between, for instance, a SouthAmerican Indian house and a termite hill (Figure 4).

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Figure 4. Analogy of South-American Indian house and a termite hill

The second stage lies between the first intentions of humanity to conceive esthetically the shapes of nature for material goods and the middle of the 19th century. Though this is a long period of time and comprises a variety of stages and styles, it is still based on one principle - the principle of nature mimicry. Decorative shapes of nature have been actively used for embellishing buildings, tools, arms, all along this period. Nevertheless, when studying this period one can notice the interpretation of some constructive and tectonic principles of nature. For example, the tectonics of columns mimed the tectonics of tree trunks, the constructive logics of styles of Greek temples actually repeats the stems of plants or the backbone of animals, and the decorative and constructive ribs from gothic architecture the ribs of a green leaf. The intentions of applying the constructive methods of nature in the tectonics of material goods have been ineffective because of the insufficiency of technical possibilities. It was easier to imitate the shapes of nature in rock and clay with artistic purpose than to create a constructive system similar to the natural one (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Bionic structure in architectural forms

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The third stage (the end of the 19th century the beginning of the 20th century) evolved under the auspices of the style Modern, in which the natural principles have more or less appeared in the constructive functionalstructural decorative concepts as a complex of solutions of the products shapes. Natural constructive principles of biology have influenced industry in construction (e.g. the invention of ferro-concrete, the intensive use of metal constructions and ceramics). The spatially developed buildings characteristic for the style Modern look very similar to certain structures of the nature. The traditional decorative elements of nature were present not only in the shapes of products, but also served the constructive functional structures for it. Teams of specialists of different professions (biologists, engineers, architects, designers, IT-specialists) are always in search of methods of harmonization between the shape and the function of industrial products that are natural in the shapes and structures of nature.

4.

UNITY OF FORM AND FUNCTION

The change of seasons, days and nights, the periodicity of plant and animal evolution, their disappearance and revival had conjured up the notions of rhythm, symmetry asymmetry, proportions, tectonics which became basic means of damping shapes within designers creation (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Principles of the bionic forming in machine designing

It is well known that there is no shape without function in nature, as well as function without shape. Harmony between function and shape in the material world is one of the most important tasks of the todays designers. The shape of the product requires tectonization, i.e. matching the constructive functional structure and the used materials. The advanced technologies and the revolution that takes place in the study of materials

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allow us to create such shapes of industrial products that are in harmony with the environment where they are used or placed. It is in the nature where we find a large range of constructive tectonic systems. We shall outline just some of them, the ones that are connected to the shape of the products.

5. 5.1

BIONICAL CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS Constructive systems of column type

In nature one could find many plants with a great height and a small surface of support which is still resistant to different actions of the environment. The stem of rye ear, for instance, has a relation between the diameter of the straw and its height of 1:500. The weight of the ear outruns the weight of the stem by 1.5 times; the cane has a height of approximately 3m and a stem diameter of 15mm (Figure 7). The durability and stability of these natural constructions can be explained through a range of peculiarities: the reciprocal arrangement of solid and soft textures within the stem, their capacity to react to compression as well as to stretching. The stem of cereals has the shape of an ankle of bearings, and its knots represent articulations with elastic dampers.

Figure 7. Constructive systems of column type

A strong wind just bends the feeble stem of cereals, whereas a tree is withdrawn together with its roots or broken. On the basis of studying these principles sky-scrapers are being built (Figure 8).

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Figure 8. Bionic structure in forming of architectural constructions

5.2

Structures of tegument type

In natures workshop one may often find constructions in the shape of cupola (egg and nut shell, testaceous animals, leaves and petals of plants). These structures spatially bent, with thin walls, due to the shapes of flowing, linear character, have the capacity of homogeneous distribution of forces over the whole section.

Figure 9. Tegument structure in forming of architectural constrictions

A unique construction, ideal from the point of view of durability, is the egg shell. The peculiarity of this structure consists not only of its geometrical shape. Even if the thickness of the egg shell is of only 0.3 mm, it has 7 layers, each of them having its own function, and the elastic coat that covers the egg on the inside transforms this shell in a construction with preventive tension. This type of structures is perhaps one of the most wide-spread one in building huge spaces, with great distances between the main stays, (e.g.: exhibition pavilions, cinema theatres, sport grounds) and requires little

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building materials, they are light, the depth of walls being of just several millimeters (Figure 9).

5.3

Constructions with elastic cable-stayed

The spider thread is a constructive miracle of nature. They are much more resistant than the steel wires of the same diameter, with an elasticity that allows them to stretch 1.25 times (Figure 10). These light, elegant and resistant constructions have attracted engineers attention on them. Engineers used them to create the conception of elastic cables. The spider threads served as prototype for constructive structures of suspended bridges, which are a creation of engineer art through their diversity. Besides the spider the same constructive models can be seen within other natural models as well, such as palmipeds, fins, and bat wings, where the constructive spread ribs are tied between them with a membranes surface. In construction with elastic cables the basic carrying element is the steel web cables or systems of steel cables on which membranes of different materials can be placed. Such constructions are very effective for covering spaces with large distances between the support points (e.g. the membrane thickness of the roof of the Olympic stadium is of just 5mm and the surface without intermediary pillars is of 30.000 m2, Figure 10).

Figure 10. Constructions with elastic cable-stayed

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Figure 11. Students projects of Industrial Design Department from Technical University of Moldova

The combination of these types of constructive-functional structures in the design and creation of product shapes may provide huge savings in material resources. In nature one could find even more constructive structures that supply us a source of permanent creative inspiration in conceiving shapes of material products. By using the laws of nature evolution, of harmonizing the function with the shape, humanity will succeed to conduct the ecological production of material goods. Not only designing the product itself is necessary, but also the designing of its cycle of existence from its production to its disposal. Nature offers us such great lessons and we must brilliantly assimilate them design for the environment.

REFERENCES
1. V. PAPANEK, Design for real world, Design pentru lumea real (Edit. Tehnic Bucureti 1997). 2. J. S. LEBEDEW, Arhitectur und Bionic (Moscow, Berlin 1983). 3. LE CORBUSIER, Sur les quatres, routes (Paris, 1965). 4. J. S. LEBEDEW, Arhitectural bionics (Moscow 1990). 5. F. LODATO, Bionics: Nature as a tool for product development (Cambridge USA 2001). 6. E. TJALVE, A short Course in Industrial Design (London-Boston Moscow 1984). 7. V. PODBORSCHI, The bionic design for eco-design (Scientific Conference Modern technologies. Quality. Reconstruction T.C.M.R. 2002, 23 rd 25th May 2002, Iasi, Romania).

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8. I. VOLKOTRUB, The bases of artistic design (Kiev, 1982). 9. ***, Students projects of Industrial Design Department from Technical University of Moldova