My Script : 

Hi, I’m zi ying. And for now, I’m going to talk about biomimicry of the lotus temple in new delhi, India.

First of all, what is biomimicry.

Biomimicry is define as an innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time tested pattern and strategies.

Yes! Biomimicry does literally means “imitation of nature”, but a literal immitation of nature is not what biomimicry is.

Biomimicry involves drawing inspiration from nature to help find solutions to human problems. Ideally the process uses nature as Model, Measure and Mentor.

First of all, model brings the meaning of imitating or taking inspiration from natural solutions. Next, measure is how architect use ecological sustainable standard to judge the products of innovation. Lastly, mentor represents valuing what we can learn from nature rather than exploiting it.

So for a design to be truly Biomimetic, the outcome should not only be physically inspired by nature but also have sustainable features and improvements.

Now let’s get a tour around the magnificent lotus temple
Obviously, the structure is inspired by the lotus flower and is possibly one of the most visible instances of biomimicry in modern-day architecture.

The Lotus temple is organized as a nine-sided circular structure that is incorporated of twenty-seven “leaves” that is the marble-clad free-standing concrete blocks. It is organized in groups of three on each of the temple’s nine sides. Around the lotus are walkways with beautiful curved balustrades, bridges and stairs, which surround the nine pools representing the floating leaves of the lotus. Apart from serving an obvious aesthetic function, the pools also help ventilate the building, just like how the lotus serves the ability to regulate temperature by its own. 

The above-mentioned “leaves” are fundamental to the organization of the space and are classified into three categories: entrance leaves, outer leaves, and inner leaves.  The entrance leaves that is the outermost set of nine petals open outward determine the entrance on each of the nine sides of the complex. The next set of nine petals pointing inwards are the outer leaves. The entrance and outer leaves together cover the outer hall that serves as the roof to the subsidiary spaces. Lastly, the last set of nine petals that is the inner leaves that appear to be partly closed but do not meet at the tip and are capped with a dramatic glass and steel skylight. This structure which rises above the rest complemented by the outer leaves which form the main structure housing the central hall. 

The temple is constructed predominantly of concrete and clad in Grecian marble, resulting in the Lotus Temple’s pristine white exterior while the interior of the structure is revealed in true Expressionist fashion, with the designed textured roof exposed in the worship spaces represents a white lotus flower that is in its process of blooming.