Biomimetic architecture & engineering

Engineering inspired by nature. Where a popular story is not backed by research, we say so. Each topic lists only known properties from the cited papers.

• Bacterial self-healing concrete
  1 studies · Concrete containing bacteria that make limestone to seal cracks.
• Beaks, jaws and the fastest strikes
  9 studies · Bird beaks, ant jaws and mantis shrimp clubs are natural tools shaped for strength, lightness or speed, and some have inspired new impact-resistant materials.
• Bone trabeculae and topology optimization
  3 studies · Spongy bone remodels in response to mechanical load, and engineers use similar algorithms (topology optimization) to design lightweight structures.
• Engineered living building materials
  2 studies · Building materials that contain living microbes, which can harden the material by making minerals, repair cracks, or even grow new generations of the material.
• Form-finding architecture (Frei Otto, Gaudí catenaries)
  2 studies · Architects who let physics shape their buildings, using hanging chains, soap films and fabric.
• Lotus effect (superhydrophobic surfaces)
  3 studies · Lotus leaves stay clean because tiny waxy bumps make water bead and roll off, carrying dirt. Engineers copy this for self-cleaning and water-repellent coatings.
• Mycelium
  11 studies · Mycelium is the thread-like root network of fungi. Researchers grow it through loose agricultural waste so it binds the particles into a solid, then dry or heat it to stop growth. They also grow pure mycelium sheets with no filler. The entries below summarise what studies have reported; they are not product claims.
• Spider silk proteins
  7 studies · Spider dragline silk is famous for combining strength and toughness. Spiders cannot be farmed like silkworms, so researchers produce spider silk proteins (spidroins) in microbes and spin them into artificial fibres.
• Spider web robustness
  1 studies · How spider webs survive damage by sacrificing single threads.
• Termite mound ventilation
  3 studies · How termite mounds exchange air and regulate temperature, measured directly in the field.