Biomimicry Design and Construction Practices for Luxury Tourism … · The biomimicry principle of using nature as a model means that building designers emulate nature’s pro- cesses,

International Journal of Architecture, Engineering and ConstructionVol 4, No 1, March 2015, 53-63

Biomimicry Design and Construction Practices

for Luxury Tourism Facilities

Stephen Sewalk1,∗, Hazem Elzarka2, Charles Hellwig3 and Amrik Singh4

1Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, Daniels College of Business,

University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208 United States2Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering & Construction Management,

University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221 United States3Real Estate and Construction Management, Charlemagne, Denver, CO 80209 United States

4Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, Daniels College of Business,

University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208 United States

Abstract: As luxury tourism grows in popularity, travelers seek unique, diverse, exotic and environmen-tally friendly destinations. Architects, engineers and constructors committed to increasing energy efficiencywhile raising the qualitative human experience of eco-tourism are using biomimicry to achieve their objectives.Biomimicy, the art of mimicking the best of nature to achieve designs pleasing to the eye, high-energy efficiencyand minimum impact to the natural environment, allows the industry to create unique, aesthetically pleasing,sustainable travel destinations of super quality. This research paper identifies the characteristics of biomimicryand luxury tourism, how biomimicry design can significantly contribute to the development of attractive traveldestinations that provide eco-luxury, comfort, and unique traveler’s experience, and presents several cases todemonstrate these concepts. The research concluded that biomimicry design and construction practices canimprove both the performance and attractiveness of facilities in an environmentally friendly manner. Under-standing and implementing biomimicry adds value to owner’s facilities.

Keywords: Biomimicry, sustainable design, luxury tourism, hotel construction, energy efficiency

DOI: 10.7492/IJAEC.2015.006

1 INTRODUCTION

There are many reasons why various innovative strate-gies are undertaken by different industries, including:a motivation to stay ahead, keeping up with trends,being true to values such as quality, service to cus-tomers, and consideration of all stakeholders’ needs.As concerns for the environment have increased, therehas been an increased interest in mitigate the dete-riorating natural environment in order to reduce thedetrimental and catastrophic effects such deteriorationmay cause.Today, it is not surprising that all industries look to

sustainability as inspiration in their efforts to reducetheir impact on climate change, rising temperatures,flooding, uncontrolled pollution, and other harms af-

fecting humans and world ecology. The same processis happening in the design, construction, and hospi-tality industries. While these industries collaborateon building tourism facilities, they can potentially im-prove both the performance and attractiveness of thosefacilities by utilizing biomimicry design and construc-tion practices. This paper will explore the possibilitiesof embracing bio-mimicry in said industries with a fo-cus on luxury tourism.

2 BIOMIMCRY

Architectural design inspired and modeled from na-ture is gaining significantly in importance and recog-nition. This new practical approach is referred to as

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

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biomimicry. With the ever-increasing population ofthe world, perhaps this approach is the perfect solu-tion to existing problems of the built environment com-bined with fast depleting natural resources and climatechange among other human induced challenges.Biomimicry, as its name suggests, is derived from the

word “bios”, meaning life, and “mimesis”, meaning toimitate. For the purpose of this paper, biomimicry isdefined as the imitation or taking inspiration from na-ture’s forms, processes, and ecosystems to solve humanproblems (Klein 2009). Similar terms for biomimicryalso include biomimetics, bioinspiration, bionics andbiognosis. In fact, the principle of biomimicry is three-fold: to use nature as a model, to use nature as stan-dard measure, and to use nature as a mentor. This isexplained in greater depth in the subsections.

2.1 Levels of Biomimicry

In the study conducted by Klein (Klein 2009), he pro-posed that to fully emulate nature, especially in the de-sign of the built environment, architects and designersshould consider three levels/types of biomimicry. Thisincludes the form, the ecosystem, and the processes ofthe natural world.

2.1.1 Natural Form-Inspired Design

The environmental designers first conceptualizedbiomimicry from nature’s forms. The building design-ers seek inspiration and ideas from the natural worldthen interpret and apply it in the realm of design. Theobjective of the natural-form-inspired design is to mim-ic or copy the appearance or feature of the natural envi-ronment in the physical design. However, this conceptlacks and does not incorporate nature’s processes andecosystem. Hence, researchers in this field proposedto refer to this as “biomorphic” instead of biomimicry.Some examples of this natural-form-inspired design in-clude the Herb Greene’s Prairie Chicken in Norman,Oklahoma that was inspired from grassland natural ap-pearance, and the Beijing National Stadium landscapethat was inspired from the shape of a giant upturnedbird’s nest. Other examples include the Cactus build-ing of Qatar and the vertical farm in New York Citymodeled in the form of a dragonfly’s giant wings.

2.1.2 Natural-ecosystem-inspired design

In the second level/type of biomimicry, building design-ers are inspired by and mimic the natural ecosystem.In this case, the designers incorporate in the designthe principle of “ecology”. This approach not only em-ulates the appearance of natural dwelling places whendesigning a building but also tries to imitate and ap-ply the activities that take place in the natural world.This includes the nature’s interaction and relationshipbetween the habitants and the environment. To drawinspiration and idea from nature, the architects and

building designers study the organisms living in thenatural environment in order to understand their rela-tionships with the environment they live in and withother inhabitants. This level of biomimicry aims toachieve a design that is self-sustaining.Examples of natural-ecosystem-inspired designs in-

clude the Altamont Pass Wind Energy Project in SanFrancisco, California and the Windjammer wind tur-bine. Both projects have integrated the unique charac-teristics and wholeness of the natural ecosystem as wellas the relationships among nature, people and tech-nology in their designs (Klein 2009). Other examplesinclude the vertical farm in New York City, concep-tualized to imitate a real farmland, and whose struc-tural form is similar to the wings of a giant dragonfly(Kain 2011). The Kepos Eco Hotel in Florida and theSongjiang Hotel in China, are yet other examples ofnatural-ecosystem inspired designs.

2.1.3 Natural Processes-Inspired Design

In the third level/type of biomimicry, the designers in-corporate natural/biological processes in the design ofthe built environment. The design of the built environ-ment is conceptualized to be similar to the processesthat take place in the natural world.Examples natural-processes-inspired designs include

the Pearce Eastgate Project inspired from termitemounds that have the ability to produce natural heat-ing and cooling and the William McDonough’s GreenTower inspired from the natural functions of a tree.

2.2 Principles of Biomimicry

Biomimicry significantly changes the current views onbuilt environment designs. It makes physical built en-vironment closer to nature through using nature it-self as a design. The application of biomimicry in thedesign of buildings significantly benefits the architectsand sustainable designers. By integrating the princi-ples emulated and inherited from the natural world,they can create a physical built environment that isself-sustaining. The design can incorporate sustain-able systems for energy use, water consumptions andrecycling of resources. Biomimicry includes three prin-ciples: to use nature as a model, to use nature as stan-dard measure, and to use nature as a mentor.

2.2.1 Use of Nature as a Model

The biomimicry principle of using nature as a modelmeans that building designers emulate nature’s pro-cesses, systems, materials, aesthetics, structures andelement to solve design problems more efficient andsustainable. The architects and building designers takeideas through studying and investigating the levels ofnature such as the form, ecosystem and the processes,discussed earlier in the paper. After such investigation,the architects, abstract the design concepts they learn

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from the natural world and then apply those concept-s in the realm of building designs. The purpose is tocreate replicas of their natural models and most impor-tantly to create self-sustaining buildings (Reed 2004).Some examples of using nature as a model include

the Beijing National Stadium and the Eastgate Centerin Zimbabwe. The Beijing National Stadium modeledfrom a giant bird’s nest not only for creating an aes-thetically pleasing design but also for improving thesustainability of the design. As inspired from nature,the design has less wasted material. The key sustain-able attributes of the stadium include allowing sunlightto filter through to feed the natural grass field, naturalventilation, and the stadium’s panels are self-cleaningand durable (Rogers et al. 2008). The Eastgate Center,modeled after African termite mounds, uses a naturalair-conditioning process similar to that used in termitemounds and is able to maintain consistent tempera-ture (Reed 2004). Another example of the applicationof using nature as a model is the Cactus Building inQatar, which was inspired from the ability of cacti tosurvive in desert conditions.

2.2.2 Use of Nature as a Standard Measure

The biomimicry principle of using nature as measuremeans that modern building designers use nature andits ecological standards as a benchmark to assess andevaluate their designs. This enables designers to deter-mine what works. This principle’s ultimate objectiveis to create a built environment that is closely simi-lar to the natural environment; a built environmentthat can sustain and balance its available resources inorder to address human caused problems such as pollu-tion, global warming, energy and water shortage, etc.In fact, this principle is standard in industrial ecologywhere one firm’s waste products are another firm’s rawmaterials (Reed 2004) thereby minimizing waste andimproving recycling.The biomimicry principle of using nature as a stan-

dard measure was applied in the design of the WilliamMcDonough’s Green Tower. The design and model-ing of this high-rise green building was inspired fromthe function of a tree. The design included the abilityof the building to distill its water, to produce its ownenergy and oxygen, and to adapt to seasonal changes(Basantani 2008).

2.2.3 Nature As Mentor

When applying the biomimicry principle of using na-ture as mentor, modern architects consult the naturalworld to seek efficient and sustainable advice. It isa completely different attitude towards nature wherearchitects view and value nature based on what theylearn from it and not based on what they can ex-ploit/extract from it. The architects look closely atthe design solutions offered by nature and try to adaptthose solutions for human use and advantage. The ul-

timate objective is to create a built environment that iscapable of balancing its own processes, systems and/orresources (Reed 2004).

3 LUXURY TOURISM

Over the past few decades, luxury tourism has beengrowing in popularity. At the same time, the landscapeand trend of the industry has been changing. Luxu-ry travelers are now considering a more diverse traveland vacation experience. It has been observed thatmore and more luxury travelers choose destinationsthat are environmentally appealing. Owners noticingthis might be why designers and architects are workingto integrate biomimicry in the physical built environ-ment.For attracting more travelers, there is a need to cre-

ate unique aesthetic travel destinations that offer highaccommodation quality, relaxation and comfort. Withthe aim to provide sustainable solutions to the emerg-ing demands in luxury tourism, the people involvedare beginning to look at the natural world for inspira-tions. Hence, biomimicry has been gaining momentumin the luxury tourism to provide the aesthetic designand comfort that the clients are looking for in theirtravel destinations while reducing the impact of theindustry on the environment.

3.1 Luxury Destinations

One of the best examples of luxury tourism destina-tions that incorporate biomimicry is the Mandarin Ori-ental Hotel and Resort in Tokyo, Japan. This touristaccommodation and destination was originally inspiredfrom a forest ecosystem. In fact, the hotel was designedto function as a large living tree, which serves as shel-ter; provides comfort and is a venue for gatherings.The hotel offers a unique and exciting experience forluxury travelers because it makes the customers feellike taking a journey in the woods and water. Eachof the hotel floors was designed and decorated to looklike one of the many the elements found in the for-est. The nature-inspired-design of the hotel did notmerely focus on the physical aesthetics only. Rather,it attempted to create a high performing, healthy andenergy efficient built environment inspired from sus-tainable natural processes (MOHG 2011).

3.2 Luxury Hospitality

The new luxury tourism industry longer focuses on theaesthetic beauty of the travel destination only. It alsopays attention to the accommodation, services, ameni-ties and accessories that deliver customer satisfaction.To meet the high-end needs and demands of hospitalityindustry, building designers are continuously conceptu-alizing new styles and designs of their facilities.Currently, hospitality facilities such as hotels, restau-

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rants, casinos, and resorts are in many cases consid-ered as tourist destinations themselves because of theunique features that are integrated in their designs.The purpose of which is to provide another attractionwhile providing the comfort and luxury that the cus-tomers are looking for in their travel experience. Thefuture of the luxury accommodation facilities and de-signs are gradually changing, from traditional to sus-tainable. Hence, buildings are designed in a way thatmake them function like a living organism in a naturalenvironment that has the ability to supply and balanceits resources.An example of a project that function like a living

organism while offering luxury accommodations is theproposed urban/vertical farm in New York City. Theproject is inspired and modeled after the wings of a gi-ant dragonfly. The building is going to house offices, re-search laboratories, housing, and communal areas thatwill be located between the orchards, farms, and pro-duction rooms. The design of the project will emulatethe form, processes and ecosystem of a real farmland.This gives travelers a unique experience of living andworking in a real agricultural area/farm while being ina big urban city (Kain 2011).Another example is the Kepos Eco Hotel, which

draws inspiration from the ability of a living environ-ment to support life, produce energy, recycle and re-cover resources and materials. The best feature of thisbiomimic architecture is its ability to absorb solar andwind energy through open pores (Jolly 2010).

3.3 Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism has come a long way in the lastdecade. One of the driving factors of the gradualchange in the industry was the growing awareness ofthe environmental problems that e world is facing andthe desire of many people, including luxury travelers toreduce these problems. It is pointed out by the WorldTourism Organization (1998) that sustainable tourismis development that meets the needs of present touristsand host regions while protecting and enhancing oppor-tunities for the future. The aim, to provide guidanceso that natural resources are ecologically, economical-ly, socially and physically maintained and preserved.Sustainable tourism promotes biological diversity andmaintains standards of ethics, social justice and equity.It should be noted that sustainability in many

projects is a long-term goal. The great challenge formany architects and developers is to provide a desti-nation that has high standard of quality without com-promising the ecological balance of the project. Thescience and art of biomimicry can solve this challenge.Department of the Environment and Heritage of the

Australian Government (2004) recommended ten (10)steps towards sustainable tourism. These ten steps canserve as guide to building designers and facilities op-erators as they provide long-term solutions to emerg-

ing challenges in tourism industry while conserving andpreserving the natural environment. The 10 steps areguided by the following questions:

(1) What is our objective?(2) Whose needs need to be considered?(3) What is known in this field?(4) What makes this place unique?(5) What are the issues?(6) Analyze these issues.(7) Principles or objectives to guide action.(8) What are your ideas and concerns?(9) How to do we complete it?(10) Lastly, a statement of directions and goals to com-

plete these questions concerning the project underconsideration is developed.

The first step helps the hospitality developers and de-signers to both define their short term and long-termaim. It would then encourage them to develop a planor a design that most likely contribute to the protec-tion and conservation of the sites’ natural and uniquefeatures. This step also considers the context of theproject or the place. It includes the economic condi-tion, social setting, current political climate, naturalenvironment setting and cultural considerations.The second step helps in identifying the stakeholders

involved in planning, managing, implementing of sus-tainable activities. The third step is used to determinethe existing studies relevant to the project for the pur-pose of acquiring information. This information wouldbe used as a basis to identify the current trends insustainable tourism. The function of the fourth step isthreefold: It identifies the special or unusual character-istic/feature of the place or environment that attractstravelers and tourists (i.e. natural value, cultural val-ue, etc.); it also establishes how well its special valuesare recognized and communicated and establishes in-terpretation of the future use of special/unique valuesin tourism.The fifth step helps in determining and understand-

ing the key issues affecting the place or the sustainabil-ity of the destination. The sixth step further analyzes,clarifies and prioritizes those issues. One of the besttools that can be utilized in analyzing is the SWOT an-alytical method. This method analyzes the strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats in achieving sus-tainable tourism. The goal of the seventh step is to setobjectives/principles to guide the actions to be taken.The eighth step draws ideas and recommends options

that would most likely enhance tourism in a sustain-able way. The ideas could include changing the struc-tural design of the facility to cater to and provide forthe demands of tourists. The ninth step includes thedevelopment of actions in order to implement the iden-tified ideas, proposals and/or options. The tenth andfinal step develops the statement of the project direc-tion, which includes the identified key tourism assets,issue and actions, and the future plan.

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4 CASE STUDIES

As the trends in tourism and hospitality are changingrapidly, the designs of tourist facilities such as hotels,resorts and restaurants have to also change. Recently,the design of these luxury facilities has extended be-yond the physical structure. The new concept in designis integrating nature’s forms, processes and ecosystems.Such integration allows the designers to create a builtenvironment that is physically aesthetically appealing,efficient and has the ability to sustain itself.In the integrated process, the building designers are

now consulting and taking ideas and inspirations fromthe natural world to meet the customer’s needs whileconserving and protecting the natural resources. Infact, there are already tourist accommodation facili-ties and destinations that were built from the conceptof the elements and processes of nature. Aside fromtheir physical aesthetic appeal, these destinations al-so offer and provide eco-luxury, comfort, and uniquetraveler and vacation experience.Some of the best example of hospitality facilities

that were emulated from nature includes the follow-ing: Kepos Eco Hotel, Songjiang Hotel in China, BellaVista in Trafoi, Italy, Proximity Hotel in Greensboro,North Carolina, and the New Burger King Restaurantin Waghäusel, Germany. These accommodation andtourist facilities do not only emulate the natural formof eco-elements but also integrates the natural process-es and ecosystems in order to achieve the triple bottomline: environmental sustainability, economic feasibilityand social equity.

4.1 Kepos Eco Hotel

John Naranjo designed the eco-hotel located in Floridashown in Figures 1 and 2. The purpose of design con-cept was to integrate natural elements while providingthe needs of the hotel’s customers. The designer wasinspired by nature’s time-tested patterns and strategiesto create an innovative sustainable hotel. The prima-ry eco feature of this hotel was its ability to absorbsolar and wind energy through an open skin. To be aself-sustaining environment, the eco-hotel was designedafter taking idea from various types of natural plant ar-chitectural elements. This includes the decompositionof tree components, the biological type, structure andthe physical relation of one with another. The physi-cal architectural design of the hotel was modeled afterthese components, which also provided support to itssustainability and efficiency.

The hotel is composed of four buildings that weredesigned with a root base, a trunk/stem column sup-port and branch canopy of leaves for the dwell spaces.The root base of each building served as the main body.This provides the horizontal topological landscape parkfor the hotel guest. Likewise, the area where the lob-bies, commercial, retail and other hospitality compo-nents comprised the internal base of the buildings. Theinternal base also provides the building the supportcomponents of parking and energy storage systems.

The trunk support of the hotel is where the exposedaccess elevators and open sculptures stairs are locat-ed. This area provides the tourists and guests the op-portunity to view the hanging vines from the canopy

Figure 1. Kepos Eco Hotel(http://www.ecofriend.com/mra-design-s-kepos-eco-hotel-embraces-natural-environment.html)

Note: Kepos Eco Hotel designed by John Naranjo of MRA Design, Miami, Florida. The Kepos Eco Hotel provides asustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an open skin. Ecofriend.These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

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Figure 2. Kepos Eco Hotel (interior view)(http://www.ecofriend.com/mra-design-s-kepos-eco-hotel-embraces-natural-environment.html)

Note: Kepos Eco Hotel designed by John Naranjo of MRA Design, Miami, Florida. The Kepos Eco Hotel provides asustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an open skin. Ecofriend.These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

and the open landscaped topography park. The hotelrooms were designed with a double-layer building en-velopes which were emulated from the plants canopythat is made of voxel cells. The hotel rooms representthe branches and leaf of trees. Each room as shown inFigure 2 is exposed to open landscaped terraces, whichcan be compared to nature that exposes plants in theirmicroenvironments.

Further, the design of the floor plates on the bridgeand roof levels that connect the spa, meeting rooms,restaurants, bars, lounges and work out areas is mod-eled after the the biological patterns and decomposi-tion of a real leaf. The design also emulate abilityof the natural world to support and balance life, toproduce its own energy, and to recycle and renew itsown resources and materials. To functionally attainits main eco-factor (absorbing solar and wind ener-gy), photovoltaic and piezoelectric technologies wereinstalled. Another unique feature of the hotel is theexterior canopy that was constructed using a speciallayer called “grow skin”. This system is an open grid,which is made up of individual small leaf-like panels.It reflects and moves on the hotel exterior canopy sothat it would be able to support the natural vegeta-tion in the open terraces and to provide passive coolingsystem. Additionally, the natural vegetation providesfresh food for the restaurant of the hotel. The hotel hasalso internal open space to allow small crops to growthrough hydroponics or aerophonics.

The water system of the eco-hotel was also inspiredfrom the natural water cycle. The consumed water isrecycled and collected in open ponds and is used to ir-rigate the hotel vegetations. The gray water is treatedso that it would be used again (Jolly 2010).

4.2 Songjiang Hotel

The British firm Atkins Group conceptualized theSongjiang Hotel in China as shown in Figure 3. The380-bed resort hotel is constructed in a 100-meter-deepquarry.The hotel design was inspired from natural water and

the quarry setting with cascading green hill down thenatural rock face. Since, it is located in quarry itself; ithas many sustainable features. The main eco-factor ofthis hotel is the use of natural geothermal energy for itselectrical supply and hot water supply from the quarry.The design of the hotel considered and took advantageof the natural terrain of the area as another featureto attract tourist. The quarry setting of the hotel willnot only provide physical attraction to the travelersbut will also provide protection from the weather. Inaddition, the quarry will be used to reduce the ener-gy needs of the hotel. Photovoltaic cells on the roofswill also be used to generate additional electric energy.The hotel would house restaurants, cafes, conferenceand sport facilities. Additional attractions also includetwo underwater public areas and ten-meters deep un-derwater aquariums (Nithya 2008). Figure 4 shows abird eye view of the building and location.

4.3 Bella Vista Eco Hotel

The Bella Vista eco-hotel as shown in Figures 5 and6 is a proposed design to be located in Trafoi, Italy.Architect Matteo Thun designed it. The hotel, whichis composed of 11 separate lodgings, was inspired fromnature’s ability to totally adapt to the surrounding en-vironment. It is considered a sustainable built envi-ronment because the design integrates the concept of

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Figure 3. Songjiang Hotel in China(http://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-GB/media-centre/multimedia-library/image-gallery)

Note: Songjiang Hotel designed by Atkins Global, a British engineering firm. The Shanghai Shimao Property Groupdeveloped this project for $555 million, the 380 room hotel was built is built in a 100 meter deep quarry. The Kepos EcoHotel provides a sustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an openskin. Atkins Global. These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

Figure 4. Songjiang Hotel in China (Bird View)(http://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-GB/media-centre/multimedia-library/image-gallery)

Note: Songjiang Hotel designed by Atkins Global, a British engineering firm. The Shanghai Shimao Property Groupdeveloped this project for $555 million, the 380 room hotel was built is built in a 100 meter deep quarry. The Kepos EcoHotel provides a sustainable and natural environment for guests by absorbing solar and wind energy through an openskin. Atkins Global. These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

nature, life (socio-cultural aspect) and economy (trans-parency). Figure 5 shows a day time view of the hotelsite.Construction of the hotel began in 2009 with a

planned completion date and occupancy in 2011. Thehotel will be built in the hillside and is partly under-

ground. The hotel will use green grass roofs similarto Hobbit dwellings. Geothermal energy would be uti-lized for heating and cooling. In addition to its physicalbeauty and environmental sustainability, local and in-digenous resources and materials will be utilized. Inthis project, the accommodation facility is also consid-

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Figure 5. Bella Vista Eco-Hotel in Trafoi, Italy(http://www.ecofriend.com/bella-vista-underground-hotel-focuses-on-sustainability.html)

Note: Bella Vista Eco-Hotel designed by Matteo Thun of Milan. The Bella Vista consists of 11 units with green roofsusing geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Ecofriend. These materials are included under the fair use exemptionand are restricted from further use.

Figure 6. Bella Vista Eco-Hotel (evening view)(http://www.ecofriend.com/bella-vista-underground-hotel-focuses-on-sustainability.html)

Note: Bella Vista Eco-Hotel designed by Matteo Thun of Milan. The Bella Vista consists of 11 units with green roofsusing geothermal energy for heating and cooling. Ecofriend. These materials are included under the fair use exemptionand are restricted from further use.

ered an attraction itself because of its unique appear-ance and processes drawn from nature (Sweet 2010).Figure 6 shows an evening view of the landscape.

4.4 Proximity Hotel

The Proximity Hotel located in Greensboro, NorthCarolina, as shown in Figure 7, is considered one ofthe most environmentally sustainable luxury hotels inUnited States to date. The hotel designed by Dennis

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Figure 7. Proximity Hotel, Greensboro, North CarolinaNote: Proximity Hotel located in Greensboro, North Carolina is considered the greenest hotel in America and is ratedLeed Platinum. Songjiang Hotel designed by Atkins Global, a British engineering firm. The hotel uses approximately40% less energy than a typical hotel and has 100 solar panels on the roof.

Quaintance opened in 2007. The hotel design includesa 7,000 square feet private event space, spacious fitnessstudio, outdoor swimming pool and guest living roomson each floor. Sustainable practices were integrated inthe built environment design with the ultimate objec-tive of using 40% less energy and 30% less water. Thehotel has solar panels on the roof that absorb the heatfrom the sun and generate heat for the water systemof the entire hotel.

The hotel also uses state-of-the-art technologies toimprove its efficiency and sustainability. This includesthe installation of Otis’ Gen2 elevator to reduce elec-tricity consumption. The elevators only use energywhile going up. The reason is that the system has theability to capture the energy generated as the elevatorgoes down and feeds it back by to the internal electricalgrid of the building. The hotel also uses a geothermalcooling system for refrigeration. High-efficiency Kohlerplumbing fixtures were also installed to reduce waterconsumption. Drip irrigation system is also used inwatering the landscape and the vegetation.

Aside from its aesthetic contribution, the buildingwas also designed with oversized windows and the gue-strooms are designed with 10 foot ceiling. The func-tional purpose of this is to allow and provide abundantnatural light and large amounts of fresh air in the room-s. The materials used for the interior decoration of theguestrooms were local and recycled materials. For ex-ample, shelves and tabletops were made from walnutveneer and a recycled wood pulp. Green vegetation atthe rooftop was integrated in the design to provide foodsupply for the hotel restaurant and to reduce the ur-ban heat island effects. Native plants were used in thelandscape of the hotel, reduces its water consumptionbecause the plants can easily adapt to the local rainfallwithout needing additional water for irrigation.

Sustainable practices in the restaurants include theuse of sensor-controlled ventilation for the kitchen that

can detect heat and smoke and can adjust its fan speedto accommodate the load. The hotel also use recycledand local materials for its furniture, (e.g. tabletopswere made from recycled walnut). The hotel also pro-vides plenty of outdoor terrace dining areas to providenatural light and fresh air (Wright 2010).

4.5 New Burger King Restaurant (Ger-many)

The New Burger King Restaurant is located inWaghäusel, Germany is shown in Figures 8 and 9. Thedesign of the restaurant both considers environmentaland economic sustainability. To reduce energy use andcost, several features were incorporated in the designsuch as wind and solar renewable energy, daylighting,and efficient heating and cooling systems. One thirdof the restaurant’s electricity needs are supplied by thewind and solar renewable energy system. A roadsideview of the new energy efficient Burger King is present-ed in Figure 8.The renewable energy system was designed by Wirsol

Solar AG with the aim to reduce 45%of carbon dioxideemissions and at least 120 metric tons every year. Therestaurant installed more than 720 solar photovoltaicmodules to provide over 53,500 kWh of electricity peryear. In addition, the wind renewable energy systemgenerates at least 2,500 kWh per year. Figure 9, arooftop view, allows one to see all of the solar panels.The restaurant has also incorporated other sustain-

able practices such as the installation of interior heat-recovery ventilation system that can save up to 73% ofthe energy required for ventilation. The restaurant alsosaves up to 50% of domestic hot water energy becauseit uses waste heat to generate hot water. LEDs bulbswere also used in the interior and exterior of the restau-rant. At least 55% less lighting energy is consumedcompared to using standard bulbs. The restaurant hasalso its own technology to conserve water. A rainwa-

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Figure 8. Burger King Restaurant, Germany (http://www.businesswire.com/)Note: Burger King Corp opened a new energy efficient Burger King restaurant in Waghäusel, Germany. Thiseco-friendly restaurant reduces energy costs by 45 percent using state of the art technologies including a solar paneledroof. These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

Figure 9. Burger King Restaurant (Roof) (http://www.businesswire.com/)Note: Burger King Corp opened a new energy efficient Burger King restaurant in Waghäusel, Germany. Thiseco-friendly restaurant reduces energy costs by 45 percent using state of the art technologies including a solar paneledroof. These materials are included under the fair use exemption and are restricted from further use.

ter reclamation system was installed in order to supplyirrigation for the restaurant landscape. Further, therestaurant has also its own charging station for hybridcars(GreenerBuilding Staff 2010).

5 CONCLUSION

Use of biomimicry concepts in the design of touris-tic facilities have already led to the development ofmany fascinating projects that are aesthetically pleas-

ing, sustainable, and provides the luxury travelers withthe unique and high quality experiences they are de-manding. The paper discussed several case studiesof luxury travel projects where biomimicry concept-s were used. The research concluded that biomimicrydesign and construction practices can improve both theperformance and attractiveness of luxury travel facil-ities. It is important that architects, engineers, andconstruction professionals understand and implementbiomimicry practices as discussed in this paper to addmore value to the owners of luxury travel facilities.

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