Sandra Persiani – författare

This book provides readers with a timely guide to the application of biomimetic principles in architecture and engineering design, and describes various aspects of motion in living systems. Geometric, mechanical and rhythmic parameters are listed and illustrated using examples from flora and fauna, and contextualized within an integrated mapping of biomechanical combinations that have proved their success in the course of evolution. For designers, the schemes identify those aspects that have a high probability of being efficiently combined, paving the way for new solutions and offering a method of evolutionary problem solving. The book guides readers through the field of nature-inspired design, offering an extraordinary resource for professional architects, engineers and designers, as well as for researchers and students. Throughout the book, natural evolution is approached as a powerful resource that can enrich architecture and design by providing innovative, optimal and sustainable solutions.

Our high demands for indoor thermal comfort increasingly contribute to climate change. For centuries, heating has been the primary driver of energy consumption in Europe and North America. In the 21st century, with global warming an undeniable fact, cooling indoor spaces has gained key importance. Conventional energy-intensive cooling systems, however, do not respond to usage patterns or to people’s individual sense of temperature and comfort, which is shaped by subjective, emotional, and cultural factors. Yet, the urgently needed shift in climate control for buildings demands we face up to uncomfortable questions: Who defines the standards for indoor thermal comfort? What costs are we willing to pay for our comfort? For whom do we provide comfort? And are we entitled to it?Air Conditioned explores the intertwined roles of architecture, technology, culture, and human sensibility in a rapidly warming world. From diverse perspectives and on various scales, the book examines social, ecological, and global impacts of comfort and ways to adapt for a more inclusive, climate-responsive, and resilient future.Air Conditioned is also a call to action to all of us: we must become more active and aware as users of our buildings!

This book provides readers with a timely guide to the application of biomimetic principles in architecture and engineering design, and describes various aspects of motion in living systems. Geometric, mechanical and rhythmic parameters are listed and illustrated using examples from flora and fauna, and contextualized within an integrated mapping of biomechanical combinations that have proved their success in the course of evolution. For designers, the schemes identify those aspects that have a high probability of being efficiently combined, paving the way for new solutions and offering a method of evolutionary problem solving. The book guides readers through the field of nature-inspired design, offering an extraordinary resource for professional architects, engineers and designers, as well as for researchers and students. Throughout the book, natural evolution is approached as a powerful resource that can enrich architecture and design by providing innovative, optimal and sustainable solutions.