Natural Design with Constructal Theory

This article elaborates the constructal theory and its link with natural design. Constructal theory is the view that the generation of design (configuration, rhythm) in nature is a universal phenomenon, which is covered by a law of physics known as the constructal law. The constructal law is about direction in time. It provides a broad coverage of “designedness” everywhere, from engineering to geophysics and biology. The constructal law provides the student with strategy for how to pursue and discover design—the configurations or patterns—in both space and time. Constructal theory pushes design thinking closer to science and away from art. It tears down the walls between engineering and natural sciences. Because the configuration-generating phenomenon of “design” has scientific principles that are now becoming known, it is possible to learn where to expect opportunities for discovering new, more effective configurations. How to pursue these discoveries with less effort and time is the chief merit of the constructal law.