Think Like A Scientist

The “Ark” envisioned by Russian architect, Alexander Remizov could be the perfect eco building of the future. The Ark can house up to 10,000 people at a time.The Ark would be built with a pre-fab frame made from timber, steel, and high strength ETFE plastic instead of glass. The Ark can be constructed quickly, and can withstand environmental disasters. The Arc can be built on land or in water. The eco-friendly dome is designed to withstand biblical flood levels. The top half of the ark can float above the surface, while the remainder is submerged. The roof material is designed to collect solar rays and rain water. The building is self-efficient, the basement can store wind, thermal, and solar energy for up to six months. The Ark is another example of man applying models from nature in modern innovations. Nature does not waste, it’s very efficient. For more information about the Ark see the following article .

Through the use of computer models that simulated the molecular structure of spider silk, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering research scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that spider silk could make ordinary materials stronger than steel. Spider silk is made of proteins, these proteins form into thin flat crystals called beta-sheets that are connected to each other by weak hydrogen bonds.  A key property of spider silk is its combination of strength and ductility its ability to to bend or stretch without breaking. The size of the crystals was critical in determining the strength of the silk. Additionally, the geometry of the crystals allowed the hydrogen bonds to work cooperatively, shielding each other against external forces. Professor Markus Buehler, who led the research team wrote in the journal Nature Materials “The application of our findings to the design of synthetic materials could provide us with new material concepts based on inexpensive, abundant constituents.” For further reading see the following article in Science Daily. This is another classic example of how man could imitate nature’s models, systems, and processes in the design of innovative new products. Check out the book, Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus.