Bio-mimicry: Design students learn mother nature’s tricks

Exhibition of works by architecture students opens at Nairang Art Gallery.

LAHORE:

One wall made up of bricks laid out in a pattern that reflects light and retains moisture for a cooling effect, another made of metal sheets arranged in a way that it traps the light but lets out the heat.

This bus stop design by Shayan Khilji, a fourth year student at Beaconhouse National University’s School of Architecture and Design, was one of the works by him and 30 fellow architecture students and alumni that went on display at Nairang Art Gallery on Tuesday.

The design is part of Khilji’s work for a class on bio-mimicry, the study of nature to glean inspiration to create objects useful to humans. “This is based on a lizard’s skin,” he says. “It retains enough moisture to stay cool in the heat and is flexible enough to acclimate to extreme temperatures.”

Another of Khilji’s designs was for a new Lakshmi Chowk. The dhabas and restaurants in and around Lakshmi Chowk could be assembled in a building, created with minimum material. “By simply orienting certain walls in relation to the sun and using specific kinds of materials, natural light, aeration and cooling effects can be maximised,” Khilji said, describing his second semester project.

Two other fourth year students had designed recreation spots on the Canal and a fort near Rawalpindi. Most of the pieces incorporated novel design methods to improve their structures’ defence against natural disasters and create interiors able to stay cool during Lahore’s long hot summers.

Renowned architect Nayyar Ali Dada and former federal minister Dr Mubashar Hasan inaugurated the event at around 7pm. Prof Syed Gulzar Haider, dean of the School of Architecture and Design, also attended the exhibition.

The works on display are by of 17 first-year students, four second-year students and four fourth-year students, as well as six graduates from 2009 and 2010. The exhibition will run till July 18.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2011.