Genius of Biome: California Coast Design Research Project

What can designers learn from the resiliency and adaptability of nature? That's the focus of new HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 research that draws design lessons from the most biodiverse region of the United States⁠: the California Coast.

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As the most biodiverse region in the U.S., the California Coast is home to more than 8,000 plant species and several thousand animal species. While generically described as a Mediterranean-type climate, it actually spans three biomes: Temperate Steppe, Mediterranean Vegetation and Montane Forests. Plant and animal life within these diverse biomes offer designers solutions to creating resilient buildings and more sustainable, dynamic environments.

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California slender salamanders breathe through their skin and the tissue lining their mouths in a process called cutaneous respiration.

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Inspired by the slender salamander, building envelopes could be designed to incorporate natural ventilation. This strategy could induce air exchange, reduce fan power and potentially be used to harvest moisture.

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The coast live oak tree forms an ideal environment for life. Its foliage blocks direct sun while allowing filtered light and breezes to pass through. Its structure reinforces the layering effect, creating a sense of space and movement.

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The oak tree's efficient biological features make it an attractive home for many species that rely on the tree for food, nesting, perching and protection. The oak creates a complex symbiotic relationship with its inhabitants that, in turn, fertilize and protect it from insects.

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The structure, mechanism and resulting ecosystem of and around the coast live oak provide an inspiration on how to design habitats ideal for life. For example, the new Stanford School of Medicine Center for Academic Medicine features multiple environments within a single space.

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Like many spiders, California's black and yellow argiope spins a web that collects water when exposed to high relative humidity or fog. The web's design offers solutions for reducing water demands within the built environment.

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The web's silk consists of loose cottony puffs separated by joints along a double-fibered main axis. When exposed to high relative humidity, the web's structure changes and the puffs shrink into spindle-knots. Gravity forces moisture caught on the web's smooth nanofibrils to slide toward the spindle-knots, where it coalesces to form water droplets.

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Informed by the spider's web, a conceptual facade consisting of architectural mesh, small basins and louvers could serve as a shading device on dry sunny days. During periods of high humidity, fog and precipitation, the screen would draw moisture from the air for irrigation and other uses.

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The shell of the red-eared slider, common to California, comprises individual units connected by thin sutures. This design allows the shell to absorb energy.

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The individual plates of the red-eared slider's shell displace and dissipate energy under loads that activate interlocking sutures.

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The shell inspired the consideration of subdivided, interlocking dome structures to effectively react to and spread external forces while reducing material volume.

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