HOK and the Biomimicry Guild have forged a first-of-its-kind alliance linking the natural and built environment.
This exclusive relationship between one of the world's largest architectural design firms and the only bio-inspired innovation company will integrate nature's innovations in the planning and design of buildings, communities and cities worldwide.
"Given the size, breadth and diversity of HOK's design practice, our firm can significantly influence the future generation of architecture, planning and interior design projects around the world," says HOK President Bill Hellmuth.
We believe biomimicry will not only help us significantly reduce the environmental impact of our projects, but also has the potential to help define a whole new sustainable standard for our profession," says HOK Sustainable Design Director Mary Ann Lazarus. "Because biomimicry addresses critical environmental issues at the habitat scale, it gives us lessons on how to achieve significant results -- even restorative outcomes -- at all scales."
HOK, a leader in sustainability in the built environment, has been working with the Biomimicry Guild since 2004 on projects such as the 2008 "City of the Future" competition. Current projects include the Lavasa hill station community (Pune, India) and other collaborations in Saudia Arabia and Norm America.
Fortune Magazine ran a story on the HOK/Biomimicry Guild alliance at http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/03/magazines/fortune/gunther_biomimicry.fortune/. It emphasizes the large contribution of building construction and operation to carbon emissions.
In addition to a list of biomimicry applications, the article describes some current HOK initiatives such as designing new towns in a rural valley near Mumbai that can adapt to the cycles of monsoons and drought as well as hurricane-resistant communities in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
Thanks to Barbara Ciesla for the pointer!
Posted by: NH | October 11, 2008 at 04:56 PM