The Role of Nature and Ecology in Sustainable Design

biomimicry inspired cactus building

The concept of sustainable design appeared recently on our society, but all of this principals have been put to use a long time ago. Even though, we are aware of how dependent we are of Nature, we some how managed to move in a different direction and worked against it. Now that our environment is going to dramatic changes, we have to come to our senses and realize that we can not continue doing things as we used to.

Nature is the creator of life, and for life to happen natural processes are implied; we just need to learn more about these processes that have been working for Nature since the beginning of times and we can find solutions to the problems poor designs have created.

We now know what works and lasts here on Earth, natural processes can teach us how to design things without harming the environment. All systems are interconnected with one another, that is why all designs should be made from cradle to cradle and always following patterns of Nature. However, it is also very important to make sure we are living off renewable resources at the rate they are created, otherwise, we would be endangering our planet and screwing up future generations.

This cactus-inspired design for the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture building in Doha, Qatar. It's a fascinating example of biomimicry -- the skin of one of the hardiest plants of the desert is applied to the design of the facade of a desert building -- with hundreds of smart shades that open and close depending on the strength of the sun.

The energy-efficient structure was designed by Aesthetics architects GO Group, and the big cactus (not to be confused with that other towering figure currently living in Phoenix) also features an ancillary botanic dome, which is supposed to further its green rating.