Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Biomimetic: a new strategy for a passive sustainable ventilation system design in hot and arid regions

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present research aimed to develop an innovative strategy based on biologically inspired technologies for the design of a passive ventilation and cooling system through the implementation of biomimetic principles for an existing typical urban residential configuration lot in South East of Algeria. Summer cooling, for the present case study, is based highly on mechanical means for cooling and ventilating, and dwellings suffer sick building syndrome, lack of natural ventilation, and high overall energy consumption. Humans desiring to improve their lives have always checked nature for solutions and inspirations. They were helped by scientific approaches to find, extract, and adapt some mechanisms and strategies from nature to engineer novel devices and resolve existing problems and challenges. The article reviews the various aspects of biomimetics addressing natural ventilation and develops a strategic methodology as a bio-problem solver. The main goal of this strategy is supporting the abstraction of natural systems that have been selected to enhance the performance of building so that its design is responsive to its internal and external environment, through transforming the main results of the biomimicry procedure to design concepts. A comparative study has been set up to demonstrate the viability of the new approach using CFD simulations and thermal performance analysis. It has been proved that the proposed system improves the living conditions and the occupant comfort and provides an effective ventilation strategy to refresh the air, removes unwanted smells from cooking, and guarantees occupant comfort. The results show clearly that the new system of ventilation improves flow rates in the building and therefore the ventilation behavior and the thermal comfort.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Adopted from the BioGen strategy (Khelil 2015; Khelil et al. 2015)

Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. http://www.asknature.org.

References

  • Al Ahmar S (2016) Biologically inspired double skin facades for hot climates a parametric approach for performative design. SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Badarnah KL (2012) Towards the LIVING envelope: biomimetics for building envelope adaptation. Dissertation, University of Delft the Netherlands

  • Bahamon et al (2007a) Architecture animale: Analogies entre le monde animal et l’architecture contemporaine. L’inédite, Spain

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahamon et al (2007b) Architecture végétale: Analogies entre le monde végétal et l’architecture contemporaine. L’inédite, Spain

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker R (1996) Environmental law and policy in the European Union and the United States

  • Benyus J (2002) Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature. Perennial, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Brownell B et al (2015) Hypernatural: architecture’s new relationship with nature. Architecture briefs. Princeton Architectural Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Cham Ltd (2009) Phoenics version-2009

  • Chiu I et al (2007) Biomimetic design through natural language analysis to facilitate cross-domain information retrieval. Artif Intell Eng Des Anal Manuf 21(1):45–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elghawaby M (2010) Biomimicry: a new approach to enhance the efficiency of natural ventilation system in hot climate. Marseille School of Architecture, Marseille

    Google Scholar 

  • Gruber P (2011) Biomimetics in architecture: architecture of life and buildings. Springer, Vienna

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Khelil S (2015) Biomimicry, towards a living architecture in hot and arid regions. Dissertation, University of Biskra

  • Khelil S et al (2015) A bio-problem solver for supporting the design, towards the optimization of the energy efficiency. In: The sixth international conference on modelling, simulation and applied optimization

  • Knippers J (2009) Building and construction as a potential field for the application of modern biomimetic principles. In: International BIONA symposium, Stuttgart

  • Krigger J et al (2004) Residential energy: cost savings and comfort for existing buildings. Saturn Resource, Helena

    Google Scholar 

  • Macnab M (2012) Design by nature: using universal forms and principles in design. New Riders, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazzoleni I et al (2013) Architecture follows nature: biomimetic principles for innovative design. CRC Press, Boca Raton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Pawlyn M (2011) Biomimicry in architecture. RIBA Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen ZM (2012) Ecosystem services analysis for the design of regenerative urban built environments. Victoria University, Footscray

    Google Scholar 

  • Petur O (2011) Biomimicry: new technology. Reykjavik University, Reykjavik

    Google Scholar 

  • Straube JF et al (1998) Indoor air quality, healthy buildings and brathing walls. In: Excellence in building conference, pp 28–31

  • Turner (2001) On the mound of Macrotermes michaelseni as an organ of respiratory gas exchange. Physiol Biochem Zool 74:798–822

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turner et al (2008) Beyond biomimicry: what termites can tell us about realizing the living building. In: First international conference on industrialized, intelligent construction (I3CON), Loughborough University

  • Vincent JFV et al (2002) Systematic technology transfer from biology to engineering. Philos Trans R Soc A 360:159–173

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yurtkuran S et al (2013) Learning from nature: biomimetic design in architectural education. In: 2nd Cyprus international conference on educational research (CY-ICER 2013). Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, pp 633–639

  • Zhang R et al (2013) Coupled energy plus and computational fluid dynamics natural ventilation simulation. Build Environ 68:100–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), and especially thank Dr. Mohamed F. Yassin for his interest in and support of this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Design and Modeling of Architectural and Urban Forms (LACOMOFA), Biskra, Algeria

    S. Khelil & N. Zemmouri

  2. Department of Architecture, University of Guelma, Guelma, Algeria

    S. Khelil

  3. Department of Architecture, University of Biskra, Biskra, Algeria

    N. Zemmouri

Authors
  1. S. Khelil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. N. Zemmouri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Khelil.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: Mohamed F. Yassin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Khelil, S., Zemmouri, N. Biomimetic: a new strategy for a passive sustainable ventilation system design in hot and arid regions. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 16, 2821–2830 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-2168-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-2168-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation