Dennis Drabelle, a former contributing editor of Book World, writes frequently on environmental issues.

As Ken Burns put it in the subtitle of his 2009 documentary on the national parks, they are Americas best idea. In Wonderlandscape, an energetic and insightful new book on Yellowstone, journalist John Clayton shows that, at least as applied to Americas first national park, the best idea has been an evolving one.

Several men claimed to have hatched the notion of designating federal land in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho as a national park. The semiofficial credit the nod given by Yellowstones influential superintendent Horace Albright at the parks 50th birthday party in 1922 went to attorney Cornelius Hedges. In 1870, Hedges took part in a fireside conversation in which several other well-heeled sightseers discussed filing legal claims to the canyons and geysers they had been exploring. As reported by a witness, Hedges argued that there ought to be no private ownership of any portion of that region, but that the whole of it ought to be set apart as a great National Park. He may have had in mind the counterexample of Niagara Falls, its environs already reduced to an international eyesore by commercial greed.

[National Park Service turns 100, and some sites are showing their age]

Clayton calls this anecdote the national parks creation myth. Today many historians believe that Hedges was merely articulating a commonly held view, a previously expressed impulse, to somehow honor this magical land. Two years after Hedgess recommendation, at any rate, Yellowstone National Park was up and running.

Advancing his insight that the story of Yellowstone is the story of what America wants from Yellowstone, Clayton identifies boosting the national ego as a powerful early desire. Scenic marvels such as Yellowstone set the United States apart from gently picturesque Europe. America is special, the reasoning went, because of its wondrous landscapes.

Artists and architects gravitated to Yellowstone with something more personal in mind: challenges and fame. A year before the parks establishment, a painter named Thomas Moran had come into his own there. His watercolors, shipped back to Washington and enlisted in the cause, gave lawmakers a sense of the incomparable scenery they were being asked to save from spoliation by private enterprise. (Morans eventual masterpiece in oil, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, graces the Wonderlandscape cover.)

In a bravura chapter on the parks architecture, Clayton focuses on Old Faithful Inn, designed by Robert Reamer. Although multistory lobbies are quite common today, the author observes, the inns was a huge innovation in 1903: a space so tall and airy that it seemed to be both indoors and outdoors at the same time. So admired was Reamers design that it fathered a new style, known as National Park Service Rustic.

Seven decades after Morans visit, during World War II, another visual artist, the photographer Ansel Adams, arrived with a commission from the federal government and a private agenda. Yellowstone, Adams believed, was being sold to the public as a pleasure ground, whereas to him it was more like a church. Leaving humans out of his shots, he believed that the spiritual validity of wild, beautiful places arose in part from our simplicity of experience in them. That usually meant sacrificing comforts and undergoing difficulties. If this sounds elitist, the pendulum swung the other way a generation later, with the broadcast of the 1960s animated TV series The Yogi Bear Show. Fans of the program flocked to Yellowstone to see the inspiration for Yogis Jellystone. The cartoon bruin, Clayton writes, secured [Yellowstone] for the masses.

By then the masses tended to live in suburbia; accordingly, the Park Service had embarked on Mission 66, a system-wide infrastructure upgrade to make its holdings more car-friendly. At Yellowstone, this entailed the razing of an old hotel and its replacement by motel-style accommodations in an uninspiring location about a mile away. The change, Clayton dryly notes, was poorly received.

Old Faithful and other thermal features are the parks signature attractions, but Clayton fails to do them justice. After reminding us that the park contains nearly one-quarter of all the geysers in the world, he says little about what spawned them. Geologists, too, have wanted something from Yellowstone scientific understanding and Clayton would have done well to tag along with one of them as he investigated the parks innards.

[We must recommit to national parks, Americas cathedrals]

On the other hand, I like the authors frankness. Yellowstone, he admits, is not an illimitable cornucopia of wild splendor. Although [the park] unfolds vast quantities of empty backcountry, much of it is monotonous lodgepole-pine forest. If youre looking for a steady stream of awe-inspiring solitude, he adds, you might try Glacier National Park instead.

Clayton closes his book with a discussion of what might eventually happen to Yellowstone: an eruption of the supervolcano beneath it, a blowup that might conceivably unleash 8,000 times the fury of Mount St. Helens in 1980. The growing concern about such a cataclysm, the author suggests, reflects todays zombie apocalypse mentality. In fairness to the zombies, it should be noted that, in June, tremors felt in Montana suggested that the supervolcano might be waking up from its long nap. In any event, supervolcanic fears nicely round out Claytons thesis that throughout its history, Yellowstone has long been both a showcase of natural extravagance and a cultural construct.

Wonderlandscape

Yellowstone National Park and the Evolution of an American Cultural Icon

By John Clayton

Pegasus. 285 pp. $27.95

See the rest here:
Yellowstone as a magical land and backdrop for artists and architects - Washington Post

the daebong-dong commercial project has been carried out on a side road of the old quarter of daegu city, south korea.in 2010, as the korean singer kim gwangseoks streets were being built around, the area became a popular neighborhood where many young people would visit on the weekends. a new cafe street was being formed as the cafes voluntarily entered around the daebong-dong community service center. this trend resembles when, in the mid 2000s, street atmosphere changed as cafes started entering in hapjeong-dong and sangsu-dong, while the business area in hongdae expanded with cafes as well.

the daebong-dong commercial project has been carried out on a side road of the old quarter of daegu city

the legal floor area ratio is 220 %, meaningkorean based 2m2 architects could design a building up to 550 m2on a 4-story scale. however, the project team wanted a building with a floor area of about 200 m2, which is a little different from other building owners. the client, whose purpose is not to pursue rental profit, plans to run a bakery and cafe directly. so, the architects designed a building that does not stand out too much compared to the neighboring buildings, but has its distinct features and can be combined with the neighborhood atmosphere with 1/3 of the legal maximum possible size.

the project team wanted a floor area of about 200 m2, which is a little different from other buildings

usually, a franchise company would have a large floor area, but in a neighborhood that has its own distinct characteristics, 2m2 architects believed that was not the case. so, a large floor was divided into several small spaces. for this purpose, the architects set the basic direction as a skip floor, and it is a two-story building, but it actually became a space of four floors up to the outside deck on the roof. on the same floor, a concrete wall was exposed in the middle and divided it into two parts again. the floor and ceiling finish produces contrasting effects. the first floor was constructed with a wooden herringbone pattern, and the concrete slab and beam are exposed for the ceiling finish. the design team polished the concrete slab on the 2nd floor finishing, allowing the concrete to have its own texture, and the ceiling was finished with a wood loose louver to contrast it. in addition, by installing a skylight, natural light enters the room during the daytime.

the concrete slab is polished on the 2nd floor and the ceiling is finished with a wood loose louver to contrast it

there are many unique cities in korea, which are comparable with other famous cities in the world. there are also many historical towns. over the last few decades, the cities have experienced rapid development and change. as a young architect, lee junghee, founder of 2m2 architects, thinks that there are many roles to bring vitality to each alley in the neighborhood. rather than just designing a building to maximize lease revenue with the logic of capital simply in the understanding and support of the owner, he has designed and supervised in hopes of making a place to be loved by many people who are visiting daebong-dong.

by installing a skylight, natural light enters the room during the daytime

lee junghee, founder of 2m2, thinks that there are many roles to bring vitality to each alley in the neighborhood

the first floor was constructed with a wooden herringbone pattern

on the first floor, a concrete wall was exposed in the middle and divided it into two parts

the wooden louver contrasts with the buildings concrete walls

the architects designed a building that does not stand out too much compared to the neighboring buildings

the client, whose purpose is not to pursue rental profit, plans to run a bakery and cafe directly

2m2 architects has designed in hopes of making a place to be loved by people who are visiting daebong-dong

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: apostolos costarangos | designboom

Read the rest here:
2m2 architects designs korean caf with a skip floor layout and contrasting materials - Designboom

Drawing on the 2014 Case Study House, a new modern showpiece adapts for another partners family.

WHEN YOU BUILD a Case Study home, you pretty much are obligated to study it. (Otherwise, you know, youd just call it a home.)

Youre not obligated to live there, of course, but the architectural partners of BUILD LLC have discovered that design is best studied from the inside. Kevin Eckert and his family lived in BUILDs 2014 Case Study House, a light and bright living laboratory in Seattles Roosevelt neighborhood, and now its Andrew van Leeuwens turn.

His familys 2016 Case Study House is, again, a deliberately, distinctly modern home in an established neighborhood (Tangletown this time).

Established neighbors might have noticed.

The house was a little polarizing, van Leeuwen says. But everybodys been kind and honest. One couple walked by, and you could tell what was coming. They asked me first: What do you think? I said, Its coming along. Dare I ask what you think? They said: We hear youre very nice people. I appreciate the honesty. As a modern architect, Im fully aware its not for everybody.

Along with serving as a showcase for clients, this particular modern home is designed to work for this particular modern family: van Leeuwen lives here with his wife, Angela Nelson; their 6-year-old son, Parker; daughter Kennedy, 4; and Nelsons mother, Helen. She lives in a fully independent, but beautifully integrated, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the lower level.

The primary motivations for the home were to bring three generations of family together and provide sensible density to the city, van Leeuwen says. Seattle is so expensive; solutions are more and more important. The fact that we put an apartment in this house for minimal additional construction costs is a huge deal. Its been a paradigm shift for my little family, and its been pretty awesome to see daily interaction between grandchildren and grandparent.

New element number one, then: sweet success from the get-go. Elsewhere, design decisions informed by the 2014 home continue to evolve:

Please enjoy our stairs: While the open-tread staircase served as an interior focal point in the 2014 home, We wanted to take this design element a step further and share it with the neighborhood, van Leeuwen says. A striking geometry is created when viewed in elevation, and the CSH2016 allows the passer-by to view the entire stair column illuminated at night via wall-mounted tread lights.

Speaking of lights: The 2014 home designated space in the common area for a desk, but van Leeuwens devotes an entire room to a fully enclosed office and art studio. We took an honest look at our lifestyle and, for better or worse, concluded that we work most evenings, he says (Nelson works for Microsoft). Its a space we enjoy close enough to keep an eye on our kids, plus a connection with the neighborhood: The office is perched above the entry and acts as a beacon with its illuminated floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Its a bit of an aquarium, a glowing corner at night.

Way more wood: Cedar was an element, but not a huge element, in 2014. Here, though, We wanted to think of the cedar as a volume; it wraps the entry and office beacon above, van Leeuwen says. Because the cedar siding defines these volumes, it extends inside, flanking the stairway and enclosing the office. The glowing cedar becomes a design feature both inside and out.

Back to the drawing board: Eckerts 2014 kitchen welcomed natural limestone countertops lots of personality, van Leeuwen says, but also lots of weathering and staining. Kevins kids are older, he says. They dont have magic-marker parties anymore. We needed something bulletproof. To the rescue: polished Cascade White PentalQuartz.

Not a lot of lot: The 2014 site had room for a backyard artist studio, but van Leeuwens oddly shaped lot, at just 4,300 square feet, was considerably more challenging. Fitting this house on this site was like squeezing a square peg into a rhombus hole, he says. The footprint created slivers, so landscape architect Shaney Clemmons shaped one into an outdoor room of hardscapes and garden spaces, with a vertical green wall. Specific plants and arrangements were chosen to encourage interaction between our children and their grandmother: picking strawberries on the vertical garden, harvesting blueberries at the retaining wall and growing food in the edible garden, van Leeuwen says.

Sometimes, as with the inverted floor plan, the clearest lesson was: Lets do that again. The 2014 and 2016 Case Study homes both have awesome hatch-accessed rooftop decks, slatted cabinetry in the living areas, interior glass sliding doors, grasscrete driveways, and plane- and quarter-sawn oak hardwood floors.

Its validating, van Leeuwen says. There is an answer to how we design. If you take all the considerations of both houses, were getting very close to the solution.

The experiment continues in Ballard with BUILDs newest living laboratory, Case Study House 2017: It will have a detached ADU with its own garage.

See more here:
BUILD architects live and learn - Seattle Times

AtThe Architects Newspaper, were plain addicted to Instagram. Sure, we love seeing Brutalist concrete through Inkwell or Ludwig filters, but theres also no better place to see where architects are getting their inspiration, how theyre documenting the built environment, andwhere theyve traveled of late.

Below, we bring you some of the best Instagrams of this past week! (Also, dont forget to check out our Instagram accounthere.)

OMAs European Instagram account teased its nearly-complete Lab City at the UniversitParis-Saclaysee their account for more pictures.

Were not sure if this is ArandaLaschs drone or not, but either way, the firm was there to capture this flying machine drift toward the sunset.

Its what it wanted.

A post shared by ArandaLasch, NYC & Tucson (@arandalasch) on Aug 23, 2017 at 4:49am PDT

We missed this last week, but T+E+A+M teased its project (#ghostbox?) for the upcoming Chicago Architecture Biennial.

3XN revealed this design for a childrens hospital that will feature both solar panels and vegetation on its roof, along with what appears to be some very colorful cladding.

Last but not least, Cooper Robertson gave The Architects Newspaper a nice shout-out for our coverage of their Las Vegas streetscape design (thank you!). Read how this project is part of the citys big gamble on sports, conventions, and leisure.

More:
Flying a drone at the Salk Institute and other updates from the architects of Instagram - The Architect's Newspaper

TNA the tokyo-based firm led by makoto takei and chie nabeshima is the latest architecture studio to reveal plans for a residence to be built in the spanish region of matarraa. following in the footsteps of office KGDVS, pezo von ellrichshausen, and johnston marklee, the scheme forms part of christian bourdais solo houses project and initiative that asks a new wave of architecture practices to populate the remote spanish landscape with small resort-style dwellings.

all images courtesy of makoto takei + chie nabeshima / TNA

makoto takei and chie nabeshimas design for solo houses appears as an upside down concrete pyramid that has been partially sunken into the rural terrain. large apertures provide the home with daylight and ventilation, while internal living spaces are organized around a series of mezzanines or platforms, set at different heights. as the property is embedded into the sloping topography, guests enter at the dwellings intermediate storey an elevated platform that overlooks the dining area below.

an elevated platform overlooks the dining area below

at this lower level, a large window overlooks the surrounding forest, while a passageway provides access to the adjacent kitchen and pantry. another staircases leads to a separate mezzanine, which hosts a living room that also overlooks the level below. three bedrooms are joined by a lounge at the larger uppermost storey, with all four rooms sharing a direct connection with a centrally positioned swimming pool. see other designs unveiled as part of the solo houses initiative here.

the design appears as an upside down concrete pyramid image sadao hotta

large windows would overlook the surrounding forest image sadao hotta

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philip stevens I designboom

aug 25, 2017

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makoto takei + chie nabeshima unveil an inverted pyramidal structure to be built in rural spain - Designboom

What is a Architect? What is a Architect?

Jordan Goldstein, managing director and principal of one of the world's top architectural firms, Gensler, became an architect at age 5. At the time, his parents were house hunting, and they'd bring him along to see the different options. After the visits, Goldstein would return to his Legos he had buckets of them and recreate what he had seen. "Ever since that point, I was looking for the quickest path to becoming an architect and building things," he writes in an email.

Architects are perhaps a rare blend of creativity and practicality. They are artists with grounding in reality. After all, most Lego lovers will tell you that a firm foundation is a necessary component in making a soaring skyscraper. Architects use their skills in design, engineering, managing and coordinating to create aesthetically pleasing and safe buildings that serve a purpose. They're artists, but instead of a canvas, they have cities, parks, college campuses and more to display their work. And their masterpieces are the shops, libraries, office buildings and grocery stores we frequent all the time. Architects are involved at each step of a project, from the initial planning sessions to the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

One of the biggest advances in the architecture field is digital design and building information modeling, Goldstein writes. "3D models are now layered with information and the models themselves are actually databases on the design that can be utilized for construction, facility management and energy management," he explains. "With the growing usage of digital printing, architects are quickly able to study the 3D implications of design ideas and mature the project. The understanding of computational design is allowing architects to move right from design to fabrication, leaping over the more conventional aspects of the design process and expedite construction."

The economy is recovering, which is good news for everyone, but it's especially good for architects, who took a beating between 2009 and 2011. Job losses have leveled off considerably, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted 7 percent employment growth between 2014 and 2024. Combine these projections with a low unemployment rate, just 5.1 percent, and the job outlook for architects appears to be very solid.

The BLS reports the median annual wage for architects was$76,100 in 2015. The best-paid 10 percent in the profession made approximately $125,520, while the bottom 10 percent made about $46,080. The metropolitan areas of West Palm Beach, Florida; Santa Barbara, California; and Syracuse, New York pay their architects the best.

75th Percentile: $97,760

Median: $76,100

25th Percentile: $58,870

To practice in most states, architects will need to graduate from one of the 123 schools of architecture that are accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Students can enroll in a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program. Alternatively, if they have an undergraduate degree in a different field, they can get a master's degree that can take anywhere from one to five years to complete.Upon graduation, students must complete a training period or internship, which typically takes three or more years to complete. Only after the training period is complete are they eligible to sit for the Architect Registration Exam. After passing this exam, architects will have to obtain a state-specific license. And to keep licensure in most states, architects will have to keep up with continuing education standards.

Average Americans work well into their 60s, so workers might as well have a job thats enjoyable and a career that's fulfilling. A job with a low stress level, good work-life balance and solid prospects to improve, get promoted and earn a higher salary would make many employees happy. Here's how Architects job satisfaction is rated in terms of upward mobility, stress level and flexibility.

Upward Mobility: Average Opportunities for advancements and salary

Stress Level: Above Average Work environment and complexities of the job's responsibilities

Flexibility: Average Alternative working schedule and work life balance

Continue reading here:
Architect - Career Rankings, Salary, Reviews and Advice | US ...

Related directory pages are highlighted below the Florida architect listings on this page. Links to Architect directory pages for adjacent States are provided at the bottom of the page. Florida directory and map page links are also included there.

http://www.abdesigngroup.com

Located in Seminole County

http://www.arc-arc.com

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adache.com

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Architects in Florida

The Ohio Architects Board and Ohio Landscape Architects Board are authorized under Chapters 4703 of the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Administrative Code to regulate, enforce and investigate allegedviolations of its laws and rules by architects, landscape architects and non-licensed persons.

The Board reviews all complaints in a timely manner in order to make sure complaints are processed and appropriate action taken. It may, however, take several months to resolve a case, due to the timing of Board meetings and the need to allow related parties the opportunity to respond to the complaint.

Common violations of the registration laws may include:

What the Board Does Not Investigate

Be advised that the Board generally does not become involved in contractual matters, design issues or financial disputes between a licensee and a client, unless it involves an allegation that services were billed for, but were not rendered, or if there is evidence of fraud. Usually, these issues are considered civil matters and should be pursued in a court of law.

However, if wrongdoing by the licensee is proven in court, send the Board a certified copy of the adjudication order issued by the court and the Board will review the matter.

Additionally, the Board does not have the authority to order restitution or recoup money or fees, nor does it establish, set, or review costs and fees for professional design services. Professional services and costs are a private business matter between the licensee and client. Disciplinary action can be taken if an architect fails to comply with a court order.

Public Records / Confidentiality

Most investigative complaints and supporting documentation received by the Board are considered public records. Therefore, complaints are considered public records under O.R.C. 149.43. They can be reviewed or inspected by anyoneafterthe investigation is officially closed.

Due to Ohios Public Records Act, complaints are not confidential. If confidentiality is required, a complainant may file an anonymous, unsigned complaint. Complete supporting documentation must be included because there is no way to contact an anonymous complainant if further information is required.

Anyone may file a complaint. All complaints should be made in writing and may be made via the eLicense Portal at https://elicense.ohio.gov, mailed, or emailed to the Board Investigator. Anonymous complaints are accepted. However, an anonymous complaint makes follow up difficult and the board may be unable to resolve the complaint.

All complaints, including anonymous complaints, must contain a detailed factual summary of the issue along with supporting documentation and evidence to prove a violation; including but not limited to: names, dates, addresses, contracts, invoices, court documents, correspondence, letterhead, business cards, construction documents, drawings, photos etc. Supporting documentation or evidence received will not be returned, so please provide copies

The Complaint Process

After a complaint is received; the complainant will receive written confirmation from the Board indicating the complaint was received. The complaint is reviewed by the Board Investigator to determine if further investigation and information is required.

If further information is needed, a letter will be sent to the respondent via certified mail with a copy of the complaint. The respondent is given thirty days to provide a detailed written response to the allegation. Once a response is received, the case information, including the original complaint and response, is presented to the Board at a regular meeting.

Then based upon the facts, circumstances and applicable laws and rules, the Board has the following options: close citing no violation, close citing no jurisdiction, close citing compliance has been obtained, offer a settlement agreement, seek further information, or file formal charges against the licensee.

If formal charges are filed, the licensee is issued a "Notice of Opportunity" letter outlining the specific charges and laws and rules allegedly violated. An opportunity will be provided for an administrative hearing under Chapter 119 of the Ohio Revised Code. If a hearing is not requested, the Board will review the evidence it has and decide the appropriate disciplinary action and issue a Final Order.

If an administrative hearing is requested, the hearing will take place before an independent Hearing Officer. The licensee may be represented by an attorney. The Board is represented by its legal counsel, a member of the Ohio Attorney Generals staff. The Board's Investigator attends the hearing. Board members are not present at hearings.

After hearing the evidence and testimony presented, the Hearing Officer, generally within thirty days, will issue a written Report and Recommendation.The licensee will be provided a copy of the Report and Recommendation and offered the opportunity to file any written objections to it.

The Board will then consider any objections and review and consider the Report and Recommendation and either accept, reject, or modify the Report and Recommendation.

If the hearing officer finds that there was a violation of the law, the Board, by authority of statute, has the option to suspend or revoke the license as well as issue a fine up to $1,000 per violation up to a maximum of $5,000.

The Board then decides on the appropriate action and issues a Final Order.The Board's Final Order can be appealed to the Court of Common Pleas. Subsequent appeals can be made to the Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.

Complaints should be forwarded to:

Chad B. Holland, InvestigatorOhio Architects Board

77 S. High St., 16thFloor

Columbus, Ohio 43215-6108

Phone 614-466-1476

FAX 614-644-9048

Unlicensed persons

The Board does not have jurisdiction over unlicensed persons practicing architecture or landscape architecture and cannot take disciplinary action against them. However, after an investigation, in order to prohibit further unlicensed activity, the Board may seek a settlement agreement, a court injunction, or refer the case to the prosecutor for criminal prosecution.

Disciplinary action taken against a licensee may include:

Alternatives to Filing a Complaint with the Board

Disciplinary Actions

The following documents list the disciplinary actions taken by the Board. To view the public records related to the disciplinary action, use the License Verification link in the Information menu and search by the licensee's last name. For public records related to unlicensed person, please contact the Board office.

Read more:
Architects and Landscape Architects Board > Enforcement

A historic building in Oslos locomotive industrial zone has been transformed into contemporary offices filled with natural light. This adaptive reuse project, called Lokomotivstallen, has been praised as a positive example of recycling and historical restoration in the city. Designed by Various Architects, the modern offices house the rail-based intermodal company CargoNet.

The 3,000-square-foot building has a peculiar rectangular footprint thats much longer than it is wide with a 205-meter-long facade and seven-meter width. To break the structures narrow monotony and to widen the footprint of the floors, the architects inserted timber boxes into the facade. Meeting rooms are located in the wooden boxes. The timber additions are of varying sizes and heights, and each are faced with a south-facing floor-to-ceiling glazed wall to let in maximum daylight. The largest wooden box houses the cafeteria that serves as the buildings central meeting area.

Related: Various Architects Stunning Collapsible Stadium

The original brick facade was preserved although the interior was largely gutted to make way for the modern office spaces. A new elevator tower that connects all the floors is also clad in brick and topped with a trademark railway clock. The office building comprises eighty desks distributed between five open landscape areas and can be rearranged to fit different needs. Micro spaces are interspersed throughout the office and provide quieter private working spaces.

+ Various Architects

Images by Ibrahim Elhayawan, Dawid Nowak

See the rest here:
Various Architects turn an industrial Oslo building into contemporary offices - Inhabitat

Biomimicry Marries Aesthetics and EngineeringNot Just One or the Other

The design inspiration for these pillars at the Stuttgart Airport shouldnt stump you very long. This arboretum of branching supports is optimized with respect to a strength-to-weight ratio. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

The purpose of biomimicry is to learn from the way nature has optimized structures, designs and objects for maximum performance so that we can use them to create better solutions.

Considering the strength that nature gets out of lightweight materials, biomimicry can be of considerable use in the architecture engineering and construction(AEC) community.

For many years,the design community looked at nature and tried to replicate it to copy shapes and colors, but we didnt copy performances as we didnt dig into those engineering aspects very well, said Luca Frattari,global director AEC at Altair.

Frattaris point is that biomimicry is about marrying performance and aesthetic; technology and design. Its not about adding a cheetah print to a professional running shoe to scare racing competitors into thinking youre the fastest on the track.This hilariously unscientific claim was made by Nike Director David Schenoneat two separate scientific keynotes (TEDTalks and X-STEM Symposium).

Nikes attempt to pass 1970s fashion as cutting-edge biomimicry aside, this notion supports Frattaris claim that engineers, designers and architects need to learn how to mimic natures aesthetic to improve performance. Biomimicry is not about marketing adspeak; rather, its a tool that can open the door to performance optimization.

For instance, take topology optimization. This technology utilizes a bone growth algorithm to generate designs that maintain a products strength with minimal material usage.

Topology optimization explores the way biological creatures grow, said Frattari. It is defined mathematically.We can use that algorithm in software to create lighter products with better performance.

As seen with Frattaris Pegasus concept bridge, the result isnt just aesthetic. Its functional and its optimal. One could call it the product of computer-aided engineering design (CAED).

Frattari s concept walking bridge, dubbed Pegasus,is optimized using topology optimization. The marriage between nature and engineering, and design and performance, is unmistakable. This is true biomimicry. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

Is this a topology optimized structure? No, its a Xenomorph Hive from Alien vs. Predator. But you had to wonder for a bit. There is a reason why science fiction continually looks to nature for architectural inspiration. Now AEC is following suit. (Image courtesy of Sega and Rebellion Developments.)

There are a lot of sci-fi movies where the results and design are more organic, noted Frattari.In Oblivion, District 9 andAlien,the combinations between form performance and nature is very strong. There is room in the AEC industry to push this forward, noted Frattari.

This suggests a general acceptance that nature produces optimal designs. But if that is the case, then why has it taken so long for the AEC world to adopt such designs and CAED technologies?

The fact that this technology isnt mainstream is because we had no intersections between the expertise, lamented Frattari. We were working in different rooms without talking to each other. Now that this is requested by the users and owners, it forces people to work together toward this to make a better process and product.

Frattari works to increase the interactions between these experts so that CAED technologies like topology optimization and biomimicry can move forward. This is part of his work at Altair and at the solidThinking Converge conference.

The beauty of topology optimization is that within a few minutes it generates an optimal structure based on a design space, loads (say, wind and weight) and constraints (say, anchors and connections). This lightening fast speed gives AEC practitioners a near-optimal design from which to start.

A lot of analysis is done at the end. Now, virtually we can do a lot more analysis in the first week of design, said Frattari. That can help you to plan which designs wear better. Even similar designs can have catastrophically different performance when assessed for structure and wind resistance.

By collecting a handful of output designs from the topology optimization tool, engineers can use these to guide their design exploration,which can then lead to further optimized structures.

A series of designs inspired by topology optimization. The speed with which these design ideas spawned from topology optimization tools encouraged better exploration of the design space. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

If you have three to four alternatives, you dont always explore them all as you dont have time. But, if you have a tool that can do this quickly, like topology optimization, then you can explore all of them and get inspiration fora new technology, said Frattari.

So, is topology optimization a must for AEC? Not really. If you are designing a typical boxy skyscraper, then biomimicry tools like topology optimization are kind of a wasted effort. Everything you need to ensure the strength and safety of the square design is pulled from a library of parts.

However, when you are aiming to design something optimized that is unique and eye catching, then biomimicry and topology optimization tools can be invaluable.

If you have a complex shape where there are no straight lines, then where do you start? asked Frattari. You dont know whats a column or beam or pillar. To do the structural analysis, you need a model, which is hard to do with a free form. That is where topology optimization comes in.

So, this begs the question, does the CAED software build the building or does the AEC practitioner? This is a complex question. However,the role of the engineers and architects at this point is to provide their intuition and emotion to the design. The software helps in the exploration of the alternatives.

In other words, though the golden ratio has certainly served us well as an algorithm for aesthetics, computers are still incapable of seeing beauty. Humans are still better than machines when it comes to emotions.

Im not a fan of machines that build something based on stochastic analysis, agreed Frattari.I want to understand and lead the process.Give me alternatives so I [can] find what I like the best.I dont know if technology will replace engineers and architects one day. I create software, so I trust the code. But Im also an architect, and I know beauty.

Frattari explains that there are two main trends when it comes to biomimicry: intersection and exploration.

The intersection of beauty and structure can be seen in these corrugated supports. Much like the seashell, they maximize stiffness and strength while minimizing weight. But they also look beautiful enough to be added to a collection. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

Intersection is the marriage between two ideas and practices. In the case of AEC, its the meeting of engineers, who want to ensure that structures dont fall down and can be built, with architects,who want to ensure the beauty of their designs.

They might intersect or clash, said Frattari. The engineer might say,You cant build that. We want them to work together to create something that has a quality better than in the past.

Exploration happens when a new technology is introduced. An example of this is the way 3D printing has affected CAED technology like topology optimization and biomimicry. Topology optimization isnt exactly a new technology. Its bottleneck to adoption was that many of the designs it created couldnt be built when the technology first arrived. This caused a clash between the design and construction of these structures.

However, with 3D printing, much of these designs can now be made.All that was needed was the intersection of expertise. The next step was to explore what was possible with the new technology so that you could understand its possibilities as it moved into its maturity.

If a technology isnt mature,you will use it to build something you understand well. At first, architects used 3D printing for their presentations of scale models, for instance, said Frattari. Now, exploration has moved 3D printing to deliver performance. You want to now produce components to be used in the industry. That pushed us to explore new materials, shapes and performances, like 3D printing of metal for parts.

To promote exploration and intersection, solidThinking will be holding its second Converge conference on September 13, 2017.

Frattari will be speaking at the conference, where he will discuss the uses of topology optimization, the future of design, and why engineering firms need to jump onto the CAED bandwagon now or risk being left behind.

solidThinking has sponsored this post. They have no editorial input to this post. Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are mine. Shawn Wasserman

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