NATURE BASED DEVELOPMENT
The natural system is the only real model that has worked over long periods. After about 3.8 billion years of research and development, nature has developed some of the most profound solutions for sustaining life on Earth. There are 30 to 100 million species, maybe more on this planet. In all that diversity, there is a hidden unity and operating instructions for living on Earth. ​Every ecosystem in nature is designed as an autonomous system where resources are produced & managed locally. By engineering our buildings and cities with the intelligence of nature, we can upgrade the quality of our lives to levels never before imagined possible.
​
For the past 40 to 50 years we have been using the same concepts for "sustainable development". These concepts have mainly focused on making energy-efficient buildings. We must address our challenges holistically if we want humanity to live for a long time. Biotonomy provides a holistic design concept that goes beyond the problem.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES THAT GOES BEYOND THE PROBLEM
.png)
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING​
Passive heating is a well-known design principle that has been used by ancient civilizations. Passive solar heating is proven to reduce the energy consumption of buildings significantly. Passive heating can be achieved by designing buildings to maximize solar gain during colder seasons and block energy from the sun to avoid unnecessary warming during hot seasons. Solar energy also has significant benefits for human well-being. The sun's energy has tremendous healing properties and is basically the earth's life force.
NATURAL THERMAL STORAGE
Thermal storage is based on storing the energy of the sun inside the structure of buildings naturally. Thia can be achieved in different ways, depending on the condition of the project. One way of achieving thermal storage is to integrate some parts of the structure into the landscape. Those parts must then be placed strategically in such a way that it can absorb and store the heat of the sun during warmer seasons and then release it back into the building during colder seasons.
NATURAL COOLING
Some of the world's most innovative natural air conditioning systems date back to ancient times and are still working today after thousands of years. By mimicking these solutions, we have developed an innovative cooling system that replaces the need for conventional air conditioning system. The innovation is based on an underground ventilation system that cools the air to comfortable temperatures without using any electrical or mechanical components.
WATER PRODUCTION
For fresh and drinking water supply, the roof & landscape of the building are designed to catch rain & snow water and store it in underground water tanks. The water goes through a series of filters and cleans the water to drinking water quality. The yearly precipitation of the climate and the expected consumption are the main factors for calculating the amount of water storage needed. Water harvesting is also an practices that date back to ancient civilization.
.png)
BIOLOGICAL WASTE-WATER TREATMENT
Today 80% of the waste-water produced in the world remains untreated. The remaining 20% is treated with chemicals that are harmful to the environment. By mimicking the intelligence of nature, we have developed an innovative solution for treating and reusing 100% of the waste-water produced by buildings. The system is engineered based on the laws of biology that ensures plants to consume all the waste water. Greywater and blackwater are separated and reused to produce food and restore ecosystems.
FOOD PRODUCTION
The nutrition values of today's food have fallen to concerning levels due to soil degradation. Centralized food production has also proven to be extremely vulnerable to global crises such as pandemics, conflicts, and climate change. To ensure a healthy and resilient future, we must produce food locally. Therefore, we have innovated an automated food production system that produces food and recycles greywater from buildings. This system works in all climates and produces food all year round.
WATER RECYCLING SYSTEM
By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population may be facing water shortages. Reducing water consumption is therefore fundamental. We have developed a innovative and automatic water recycling system that can reduce the water consumption for buildings with up to 75 %. Once the water is consumed by humans it is reused a second time for an indoor-food production system. The excess water from plants are then captured and reused for a third time to flush the toilet. The sewage from the toilet is then turned into liquid and reused four a fourth time to help restore ecosystems outside.
HYDROPONIC VERTICAL GARDENS
Vertical Gardens & greenroofs are a innovative way of using unused facades & areas to develop living ecosystems. Vertical gardens are a living work of art that allows buildings, homes, and public spaces to be covered with beauty. It is also the most practical way to renature urban areas. Vertical gardens & green roofs also provide multiple benefits to the cities: they raise biodiversity, improve air quality, reduce traffic noise and promote human well-being and social cohesion.
NATURAL SOURCED ELECTRICITY
For electricity and hot water services the building use solar panels and collectors in combination with wind mills if necessary. Power is collected during the day and stored in batteries to provide electricity at night and cloudy days. The hot water is heated by solar collectors and has a backup system that always make sure the water temperature is comfortable. As the building has a natural heating and cooling system that does not require any energy consumption the amount of energy needed is only for lights, outlets and pumps.
ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
Today more than 75 % of the Earth’s land areas are substantially degraded, and if this trend continues, it is estimated that 95 % of the Earth’s land areas could be degraded by 2050 (IPBES). Buildings and cities can help restore biodiversity, soil fertility, and increase air and water quality. By making nature and ecosystem services become a fundamental part of buildings' operations, inhabitants will restore ecosystems by simply inhibiting the spaces.
