Author(s)

S. E. Selim, H. Taleb

Abstract

Biomimicry is simply being inspired by nature, making maximum use of its intensive research into what works and what is appropriate for this planet’s various environments. Mimicking nature can be inspired by strategies, structures or even adaptation techniques. The aim of this research is to investigate and understand how fungus and lichens adapt to harsh environments in which they can be found and apply these techniques to a human living space, optimising the consumed energy while trying to achieve visual and thermal comfort. A typical residential villa in Dubai was chosen as a case study. With the help of climatic simulation software, an improvement in visual and thermal comfort levels was detected as well as energy saving after applying the mimicked techniques. Moreover, the paper introduces some nature-inspired techniques and recommendations that should be implemented in these particular climatic conditions, which will help achieve indoor visual and thermal comfort, as well as decrease energy consumed to do so. As a final note, although this paper is mainly focused on a UAE-based building, it could be argued that the research outcomes are relevant to several countries, especially those with similar climatic conditions.

Keywords

biomimicry, thermal behaviour, visual comfort, UAE, Ecotect