BIOMIMICRY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 2018 DESIGN AWARD
Biomimicry Frontiers is proud to announce that our biomimicry Master Plan for a residential development in Vietnam has won an award for best Urban Design (Concept) by Rethinking the Future. Our design, in collaboration with B+H Architects, integrated biomimicry principles into the development of a 200-hectare piece of land that existed on a river delta, in the Nhon Trach Province of Vietnam.
Our involvement
Midway through the project, B+H Architects invited Biomimicry Frontiers to reframe the challenge. One of our biggest concerns was in working with dynamic water and the sediment flows of a river delta, especially in the context of climate change as the weather continues to increase in unpredictability. We wanted to ensure that this high-risk river delta was designed with adaptability in mind.
Our design approach
Biomimicry Frontiers proposed a design that left as much of the natural landscape as possible. We mapped out the most sensitive areas, identified the most dynamic landscapes, and created a phased design that would slowly build up a system that leveraged the local information and context.
To co-create a design that iteratively emerged, like a forest, we proposed developing partnerships with local research institutions and the existing landowners. We were going to leverage their knowledge to build a locally-attuned system that could improve at each stage of the design. The goal was to use information loops more frequently, to avoid designing a large-scale, prescriptive plan in a dynamic environment.
Biomimicry Frontiers also proposed avoiding any heavy engineering to increase the design’s overall energy efficiency. This meant avoiding dredging and infill and maintaining the natural wetlands, which we knew acted as the “kidneys” of the area. We used ecological-engineering designs to leverage the energy savings and health benefits of intact ecosystems. We also encouraged keeping as much of the natural land as possible to support the existing ecological services.
Beyond that, we also wanted the natural lands to highlight biomimicry. We proposed an interpretation centre for the locals to learn biomimicry, and potentially inspire ideas that copied nature’s genius. Using the local partnerships, we wanted to support better ideas for each iteration, for how to thrive in this particular context.
Our philosophy
If we let a natural system be, we learn the best strategies for thriving on a particular land. Nature works constantly, adapting its forms, processes, and relationships to maximize its resilience and efficiency. We wanted to emulate these approaches in our built forms.
At Biomimicry Frontiers, we see nature as a design expert. It’s a book of secrets for how to thrive in a particular context. The challenge is that most of us ignore, or can’t speak this “language” of nature, and so we don’t know how to leverage this genius. This is one of the areas that Biomimicry Frontiers is committed to – learning how to abstract the brilliant ideas in nature and turn them into new designs that can improve a systems’ behaviour. In the case of Nhon Trach, we tapped into nature to build a more resilient community design.
Hopefully, this award can bring to light the importance of leveraging a natural lens, to highlight the genius of nature, and help us to rethink how social and ecological systems could more symbiotically support one-another within a dynamic climate.
