Tapping-into-Nature-2015p

ProductDescriptionAnt-Based PlaneGuidanceOptiStruct ®StructuralOptimizationSwarm EnergyManagementSYSTEMSSahara ForestProjectCardboard to CaviarBiomimeticInvestingPhoebe FrameworkAquaponic SystemsEco-Machine ®KalundborgIndustrial SymbiosisSouthwest Airlines developed an ant-inspired computing algorithm that drastically reducesthe amount of time planes wait for gates to open at airports.Inspired by the way bones grow, software developer Altair created structural analysissoftware that uses an evolutionary algorithm to find the optimum shape for components,reducing weight and materials without compromising strength.Inspired by bee communication, REGEN’s Swarm Energy Management systems reduce abuilding’s energy draw, especially during peak hours, by using individual wireless controllersthat coordinate when HVAC units power on.The Sahara Forest Project, proposed by British firm Exploration Architecture, combinesevaporation from Seawater Greenhouses (see Water) with excess heat from adjacentconcentrated solar plants in order to create moist microclimates that curb desertification.This closed-loop recycling scheme uses waste products like cardboard from restaurants tomake products like caviar from farmed sturgeon. The concept could be replicated with otherinterrelated products to reduce waste and save energy and money.Katherine Collins of Honeybee Capital proposed an investing framework that uses biologicalprinciples to encourage resilient, regenerative, and profitable investing activities.Created by Terrapin, the Framework for the Built Ecological Environment, or “PhoebeFramework,” is a suite of tools that use ecosystem-based assessment to: connect humansto natural systems; establish ecological functions and processes on-site, aligning the builtenvironment to regional ecosystems; and integrate larger ecosystem impacts into planningand decision making. Phoebe merges sustainable design with environmental planning,industrial ecology, and restoration ecology.Hydroponics and fish farming are combined based on the symbiotic flow of nutrientsbetween the fish and plants. Fish waste provides nutrients to the plants, which filter thewater for the fish.John Todd Ecological Design uses constructed wetlands and aquatic tanks containingvarious microbes, plants, and aquatic animals to filter wastewater.In Kalundborg, Denmark, over 16 industrial facilities and farms in close proximity exchangematerials and energy. One plant’s waste becomes another’s raw material, saving about $15million a year.48Tapping into Nature