Self-Organisation and the Structural Dynamics of Plants

New models for engineered structures were made known by inspiration from examining the integrated morphologies of plants with assistance of George Jeronimidis and Nikolaos Stathopoulos at the Emtech masters programme at the AA, with preliminary phase of case studies of bamboos and palms.


Plants are self-assemblable. Their structure is strong even if it is mainly out of weak materials. This is what makes them different than the manmade structres.
The process abstracted and applied into principles of engineering is called biomimetics.
As the natural system is continously developing, complex and adaptive, influenced by external factors, the structure provides new models for the engineered structures.

The basic evolutionary strategy in biological systems is redundancy[superfluous, excessive, pleonastic], even if in the classical engineering is opposed to efficiency,
it is a essential strategy for biology. Redundancy doesn't mean only that the system has more cells available, but that the hierarchicalcells are arranged in that way that the system can adapt if it is necessary.

Robust systems, that persist through times, are produced by the stochastic process at the genetic level. This is a term for systems that can survive to big external variations and factors example natural disasters. *"The robust design of natural living systems is not produced by optimisation and standardisation, but by redundancy and differentiation."

If we look deeper into the natural systems we find the 3D patterns. These are like systems embedded within systems, of different geometrical shapes (in particular triangles,
pentagons and spirals) that assembles together complex structures even if they are small and simple components.
C Wall

2006
This project is the latest development in an ongoing area of research into cellular aggregate structures. Begun 2 years ago, this research has examined honeycomb and voronoi geometries and their ability to produce interesting structural, thermal, and visual performances. The voronoi algorithm is used in a wide range of fields including satellite navigation, animal habitat mapping, and urban planning as it can easily adapt to local contingent conditions. Within our research, it is used as a tool to facilitate the translation and materialization of data from particle-simulations and other point-based data. Through this operation, points are transformed into volumetric cells which can be unfolded, CNC cut, and reassembled into larger aggregates.

Andrew Kudless and Ivan Vukcevich with Ryan Palider, Zak Snider, Austin Poe, Camie Vacha, Cassie Matthys, Christopher Friend, Nicholas Cesare, Anthony Rodriguez, Mark Wendell, Joel Burke, Brandon Hendrick, Chung-tzu Yeh, Doug Stechschultze, Gene Shevchenko, Kyu Chun, Nick Munoz, and Sabrina Sierawski, and Ronnie Parsons

link : http://www.materialsystems.org/?page_id=229

In conclusion the meaning of redundancy, differention and complexity shouldn't be misunderstood, these terms refer to ways biological structures are efficient and optimal. The engineered structures should if possible eliminate the joints, or if not the need to be rethought.



Excerpt from:
WEINSTOCK, Michael

2006: “Self-Organisation and the Structural Dynamics” AD 76/2 = 180; p.26-33.

* quoted for text self organisations and the structural dynamics