biomimesis in architecture

Show is not everything

Mediocre contributions, an architectural and wow cheers for the Regional Development: A tour of the Expo 2012
Is the Expo as a test of strength even at the end of superlatives? For the first time after many years of event is important, but the associated enhancement of the area.

It was then that a bird of paradise, better known as bird of paradise flower, which the Austrian architecture firm Soma inspiration for this innovative design. If the hungry, to be served after consuming nectar from flowers hummingbirds, it ends up that is not random in the hope clearly upward petal. The action follows immediately: Due to the weight of the bird is lowered, the lever arm, this in turn expands the bract apart, and so reveals the inner workings of the whole juicy Strelitzia.

"We wanted to take a model of nature," says Kristina Schinegger, head of the Salzburg office Soma. "The principle of physical force, which in turn causes a certain movement, has us very intrigued. We wanted to extend this idea to the architecture." Biomimesis called this merely observing from Mother Nature in the jargon.

At this year's World Expo in Yeosu, South Korea, one can marvel at the result of biomimetic thinking in all its glory. Never before has the technical principle of pressure and the resulting deformation was realized in this dimension. At a length of nearly 160 meters, the Ocean & Coast theme pavilion at the Salzburg architect depending on your mood change his outward appearance - and hence regulate the sunlight, and exposure of the interior.

Slams the sun from the sky, are the 108 fins on the west side in a relaxed mode. The skin is closed. As soon as the sun disappears, however, is exercised by small electric motors of up and down pressure on the blades up to 13 meters high. The result: The arch laminated, fiberglass reinforced plastic gills and thereby deform and fold up to an angle of 60 degrees. And hundreds of South Koreans clap her hands in delight. Every single time.

The theme pavilion of Soma is a huge hit at the Expo 2012th The roughly six-second play of the up-and Zuklappens fascinated not only laymen. Even the experts are entranced by the technology. The South Korean architecture magazine space devoted to the facade in the June edition of a complete dossier. The news channel CNN was the new high-tech skin even a TV-worthy post. As one can ever ignore the quality of building construction.



A new technical ground

"From a technical point of view this lamella facade is really a revolution," says Schinegger. "Most of the world exhibitions in recent years have been content with edutainment and fun shows. Issuing of technical and scientific achievements, as was often done in the past, today is usually much too short."

EUR 36 million cost of the giant salamander, which sits so prominently at the water's edge, as if he had just crawled out only from the ancient sea. And that fits nicely into the concept, because the silver-gray thing, the result of an international competition in 2009, is a symbol of Expo, this time under the theme "The Living Ocean and Coast". "It's important that people understand the importance of the oceans for the future," said Kim Keun Soo, vice president of the Expo. "We must fight against climate change with all their might."

But the fight is in Yeosu, very modest. Although we repeatedly technically focused contributions to: Germany presents an early warning system against tsunamis, Japan is devoted to general reconstruction of earthquake-and tsunami areas, Norway demonstrates techniques of environmentally friendly energy, and France philosophizes about life after the ice and makes apocalyptic living concepts on the water before, during round swim between the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe battery powered hammerhead sharks. Very nice suggestions are das.

But the majority of the 105 national pavilions and nine international organizations swings either the club or moral lapses into slapstick cartoon-like with the two-Expo mascot Yeony and SUNY. Since robots walk through the halls, because there are tons of animations and laser light shows, there are dramatic water features to Carmina Burana and Goldfinger. And even the police come by jet ski riding on the wave.

Thick pathos in the USA Pavilion: "For centuries, have divided the oceans to mankind," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in a video message in front of a waterfall herabprasselnden. "Today, the oceans have a chance to work together." Until finally, chief U.S. Barack Obama on it is one: "As president, I know that there are countries that are not only separated by the sea."

Austria has this year completely disengaged. "The issue is not just for this year's Expo is a landlocked country like Austria tailored," says Werner Somweber, Regional Manager for the Far East and Oceania of the Economic Chamber Austria. "I think we have so few companies are interested in and sponsors can." The assumption is, however, suggest that South Korea is not particularly attractive for Austria to be held in a good mood and trading partners. At least not so important as the People's Republic of China - the Shanghai Expo in 2010 came Faymann still served, including Entourage.

After walking through the 170 hectare site is clear: this is not about the coast and certainly not to the living ocean, but only a medial effective infrastructure syringe for the most distant and faintest region of South Korea. While the highly developed industrial nation in many places at 300 km / h high-speed trains around the country chasing and stomping all the cities from the ground, wading ankle-deep around Yeosu still in the water and sow rice.

"The government was clear from the outset that the Expo is a large and important opportunity to develop the south," says Jo Seung Koo, a professor of architecture at the University of Busan. "Until today, the strukturschwächste the region of the country. There is a lack of highways, train paths, jobs and industry. I would imagine that the Expo because the medium could change something."

Around 1.9 billion dollars (1.5 billion euros), the government invested in the expansion of the Expo site, the former port and industrial area was. It was once the shore bollards are made of concrete, but the last few decades, it was quiet and greasy. Another 13 billion dollars (10.4 billion euros) chipped in the country in the expansion of motorways and railway lines for the KTX high-speed train. It took half a day earlier in order to get to Seoul from the rugged islands around Yeosu, there are now 182 minutes. That's more than just a symbolic Development syringe.

Everywhere people are busily built: roads, bicycle paths, bridges, and even entire estates. While the Ocean and Coast theme pavilion of Soma architects in the visualization still sticking out of a lush green hills, he is now surrounded by apartment buildings and office towers. After expiration of the Expo to the pavilions and the aquarium will continue to be used as museums. And for those interested in large countries already have a hall owner who wants to use the premises for a shopping and restaurant mile waterfront. Yeosu For a complete success.

Change of heart in South Korea

On the scale of values ​​of the World Expo, this means that is not the first time in many years, the real, mind mediocre spectacle in the foreground, but the associated regional development. In most projects, this Expo great opportunity is ignored, and the once attractive exhibition areas expire at the end to a miserable slumber or be taken down to their foundations. This is what happened in Hanover in 2000, in Nagakute and Seto 2005 and in Shanghai 2010th

In South Korea that could be observed from the change of heart today, unattractive discontinued model "Expo" long-term lift to another level. Perhaps the success of bored then yes longer than the flutter of a hungry hummingbirds.