September 14

“I.D. vegetation” green exhibition by YellowOffice @ Vivaio Riva, Milan

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Location: Vivaio Riva – via Arena 7, Milano

Friday September 18, 2009 H.6-9pm press preview & opening party
Saturday September 19, 2009 H.10am-6pm open day

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YellowOffice’s new exhibition I.D.vegetation. Identità vegetali da svelare will take place on September 18 and 19 at Vivaio delle Sorelle Riva in Milano. You probably remember this Milan-based landscape design and urbanism studio, founded by Dong Sung Bertin and Francesca Benedetto, because of our old post from the 12xMilano series. Read more

September 8

Mediterranea Clinic Renovation in Naples by Gambardellarchitetti

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In 2007 Mediterranea, the most important private clinic in Campania, put architect Cherubino Gambardella in charge of the hospital’s renovation, to make it better fit with contemporary standards and give it a residence appeal. Read more

June 25

Pic Nic al Tempio. Creating with Nature

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(Text and photos by Luca Molinari)

installazione PicScape di Elena Vincenzi

PicScape installation by Elena Vincenzi

Pic Nic at the Temple in San Michele, Ganzaria has been a stimulating workshop organized and promoted by Marco Navarra/NOWAlab, Alessandro Rocca and Mario Lupano between may and june in the heart of Sicily. This year it’s been its fifth edition and it has had the merit to gather project designers, artists and landscape architects sharing the same attitude to free experimentation, together with students, for a week adventure of shared work. Everything started with Navarra’s pluri-awarded project of a cycle track in San Michele that, unfortunately, in a couple of years, because of the carelessness and local mismanagement, slowly disappeared. Nonetheless the sicilian architect made of this absence an occasion to bring new and different experiences and viewpoints to spur new learnings. More than eighty students coming from all Italy and many well-known authors have been summoned to interpret the “texture” theme, having the location materials and spaces at their disposal. Read more

June 16

Biomimicry #5 – Architecture’s look on Wildlife/Fauna

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Here’s the fifth of our monthly essays about biomimicry, written by the talented Los Angeles-based researcher Ilaria Mazzoleni. This time it’s ants the source of design inspiration.

Biomimicry: 5 Designs Inspired by 5 Animals – part 5

(text and drawings © Ilaria Mazzoleni, 2008)
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“Weaver ants – Oecophylla smaragdina”, I. Mazzoleni w/ S. Price, biologist, 2008.08
HABITAT: Oecophylla smaragdina only lives in the Australian rainforest that has an average temperature of 28°C, and a 70-80% humidity range for 120 days and with about 2 m of rainfall a year. Winter (19°C): The colony builds many little nests high up in the trees to get as much as heat as possible. Summer (30°C): ants build fewer but larger nests inside the canopy for  protection against heat and storms. Nests are built in less then 24 hours, and last 8-10 weeks; even if they are waterproof, a colony continuously builds new nests to replace old dead or damaged ones. Leaves and ants live in symbiosis exchanging O2 and CO2 providing pollination and helping provide a perfectly camouflaged nest.
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May 8

Biomimicry #4 – Architecture’s look on Wildlife/Fauna

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Here’s the fourth of our monthly essays about biomimicry, written by the talented Los Angeles-based researcher Ilaria Mazzoleni.

Biomimicry: 5 Designs Inspired by 5 Animals – part 4

(text and drawings © Ilaria Mazzoleni, 2008)
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“Beaver – Castor canadensis”, I.Mazzoleni w/ A.Colli, 2008
HABITAT: American Beavers are very laborious rodents that live in temperate regions of North America, they are found in woods where water and vegetation are abundant and rainfall is about 5-10 cm every month.
The habitat they live in is continuously under renovation, addition, and transformation. Water has the most important role in this process, it is used as a protective and transportation element.
The average winter air temperature in their native territories is -4°C, while in summer the average is 18°C.
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April 21

FMGxtreme_Lab – (re)inventing natural stone

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March 16

Biomimicry#2
Architecture’s look on Wildlife/Fauna

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Here’s the second of our monthly essays about biomimicry, written by the talented Los Angeles-based researcher Ilaria Mazzoleni.

Biomimicry: 5 Designs Inspired by 5 Animals – part 2

(text and drawings © Ilaria Mazzoleni, 2008)

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“Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat: Dipodomys spectabilis”, I.Mazzoleni w/ S.Proudian, 2008
HABITAT: Found in parts of the Western U.S, Southwestern U.S., Northern and Central Mexico, specifi cally desert areas where the outside desert temperature during the day does not exceed 49°C, and the night temperature drops to a minimum of -7°C. During the day, these rats stay underground where the air is consistantly more humid. They only come out for a few hours at night to search for food. This allows them to avoid contact with, the dry hot climate, and many predators.
FOOD MANAGEMENT: Storage and management of seed caches by rodents can directly affect spore germination and mold growths. Seeds at the greatest depths are relatively dry and mold free. Caches nearest the surface are moist and mycologically very active. It has been found that kangaroo rats move seeds to different depths and humidities based on their levels of moldiness.
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February 5

Biomimicry#1
Architecture’s look on Wildlife/Fauna

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We’re proud to announce that once a month, starting with today’s post, we’ll be publishing a series of amazing essays about biomimicry by the talented Los Angeles-based researcher Ilaria Mazzoleni.

Biomimicry: 5 Designs Inspired by 5 Animals

(text and images © Ilaria Mazzoleni, 2008)

The term biomimetics, in all its facetted variations (bionics, biomimicry, bioinspiration) has been in use since the 1950s when Otto Schmitt defined it as “biology + technology” and applied it mainly within the field of engineering.  In the field of architecture, however, this term has been adopted only within the last five to ten years and too often erroneously refers to studies limited to the formal and morphological aspects of the biological world. In the concepts that follow, we expand the term biomimetics by investigating the animal kingdom as a source of lessons and inspirations, and by considering it our teacher, such as naturalist J. Benyus states in her book Biomimicry:  “…[to] use Nature as Model, Measure and Mentor.”  We concentrate on aspects of architectural innovation inspired by “structural” natural elements. We interpret “structural” as meaning all inspiration that “informs the form,” and  provides functionality to the designed elements. Studying animals provides inspiration at many levels.  It is fascinating how they relate and adapt to diverse environmental and climatic conditions, finding strategies to survive that are at times physiological and at times behavioral. This work began with specific studies about thermo-regulation strategies that are developed and used by animals in the most diverse habitats and developed into the study of other aspects of animal physiology, such as energy optimization, water management, and animal architecture—the use of indigenous materials and inventive techniques to produce not only functional but beautiful shelters.  Following, we introduce five projects in a spectrum of possibilities connected to the topics of energy, water management, the wise use of local, natural renewable resources, and the adaptation to climate—all of which are inspired by animals.

“Polar bear”, Ursus Maritimus. I. Mazzoleni w/ A. Colli, 2008.08

CASE #1. HABITAT.

Polar bears are found in the Nordic region of the planet, throughout the Arctic Circle: from Siberia as far south as Alaska. The air temperature there in summer  is -0°C and in the winter is -34°C. The average ocean temperature in this region during the summer is -1.5°C and in the winter -2°C. Even in the most southern region of this area, winter is long and dark, with a maximum sun angle of 4° while summer has long days with a sun angle that reaches 52°.

The guard hair is long, transparent and hollow. The shaft of each hair directs light to the darkly pigmented skin, where the heat is then absorbed. The density of the hair traps and prevents heat loss.
To survive extremely cold temperatures polar bears have adapted; by accumulating fat, hibernating in winter and having thick skin. Pregnant females hibernate and give birth to the cubs in december. they remain in the den until the cubs are three months old.

Polar Bear Inspired Design: Keep it warm. I. Mazzoleni w/ A. Colli, H. Portillo, 2008.07

This project mimics the polar bears physiological adaptation developed in order to survive to some of the planet’s harshest weather conditions. The living units are partially embedded in the earth, not dissimilarly from the bear’s hibernation den. The units are also oriented south-west to optimize heat gain from the sun.
The sun’s energy – heat and light – is harvested by the active skin composed by hollow re-orientable fur-like glass tubes. The energy is conducted through the tube to the insulating strata where is stored, conserved and slowly released. Moreover, embedded in the phase changing material, phosphorescent cells allow the accumulation of light which then gets slowly released at night.

 

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