Efficient design, inspired by nature

Penguin Reducing the energy required for heating is a matter of life and death for penguins, and being warm-blooded means that they have a hard time keeping their body temperatures high. Part of the solution is an ingenious heat exchange system in their feet. As warm blood reaches the extremities, it passes cold blood travelling in the opposite direction, back into the body. This process cools the blood entering the feet and, therefore, reduces heat loss. This is a technique that can be mimicked to reduce energy usage in many building systems.

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Lotus Leaf The leaves of the Lotus flower stay clean using a physical process known as superhydrophobia. This quality, created by tiny structures on the leaf surface, means that water is repelled and any dirt that may have collected on its surface is removed. As a consequence, Lotus leaves always stay clean and photosynthesis is never affected. This is a property that can be exploited by solar technologies, such as photovoltaics to reduce the degradation of their output due to a build up of dirt.

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Termite Keeping a constant internal temperature within the mound is vital for termite survival. In order to obtain a stable temperature of 31°C, termites construct their mounds with several air vents that allow the free movement of air within the space, cooling and heating when necessary. In a similar way, buildings can exploit the thermal mass of earth by using earth pipes and thermal labyrinths to provide cool air for ventilation.

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Woodlouse Situated at each end of the woodlouse’s body, tiny tube-like appendages known as uropods absorb water vapour out of humid air for rehydration. This enables woodlice to survive in climates where water is not easily available. A similar concept can be exploited to provide desalinated water without the need for energy intensive processes.

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Sponge In deep water and low light conditions, sea sponges make the most of the available light by using a skeletal structure that transmits light. Like optic fibres, light bounces along their silica skeletal structures allowing them to grow bigger whilst still providing light to the organisms living inside them, which in turn provide the sponges with essential nutrients. This is a similar principle to solar tubes and fibre optic lighting, which can be used to supply daylight to areas in deep-plan buildings.

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Camel Living in harsh, arid climates, camels have evolved to make the best use of water. When breathing in, moisture is released into the incoming warm air, cooling the nostrils. When breathing out, the moisture in the camels breath condenses on the nostrils, providing a much-needed water supply. The first part of this process, known as evaporative cooling, can be used to provide a low energy addition for building air-conditioning systems. The second part, condensation, can be used for water generation in buildings through careful use of materials, systems and dew points.

XCO2 ENERGY BLOG:

 

XCO2 ENERGY KNOWLEDGE GUIDES:

For architects
1: Designing in Different Climate Zones
2: CHP and Trigeneration
3: Glazing and Solar Shading

Corporate
1: Carbon Reduction Commitment

PRESENTATIONS:

We provide lunch-time and evening presentations to architects on the following sustainability topics:

• Sustainable Masterplanning
• Environmental Design Techniques
• Low-Carbon Building Services
• Meeting Sustainability Policies
• Carbon Audits and Strategies

Please feel free to contact us for more information.