Open AccessUsing Biomimicry to Support Resilient Infrastructure Design
Author(s) -
Helmrich Alysha M.,
Chester Mikhail V.,
Hayes Samantha,
Markolf Samuel A.,
Desha Cheryl,
Grimm Nancy B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
earth's future
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.641
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2328-4277
DOI - 10.1029/2020ef001653
Subject(s) - resilience (materials science) , agile software development , framing (construction) , biomimetics , adaptation (eye) , computer science , robustness (evolution) , risk analysis (engineering) , critical infrastructure , management science , engineering ethics , engineering , business , artificial intelligence , psychology , civil engineering , computer security , software engineering , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , neuroscience , gene , thermodynamics
Infrastructure must be resilient to both known and unknown disturbances. In the past, resilient infrastructure design efforts have tended to focus on principles of robustness and recovery against projected failures. This framing has developed independently from resilience principles in biological and ecological systems. As such, there are open questions as to whether the approaches of natural systems that lead to adaptation and transformation are relevant to engineered systems. To improve engineered system resilience, infrastructure managers may benefit from considering and applying a set of “Life's Principles”—design principles and patterns drawn from the field of biomimicry. Nature has long withstood disturbances within and beyond previous experience. Infrastructure resilience theory and practice are assessed against Life's Principles identifying alignments, contradictions, contentions, and gaps. Resilient infrastructure theory, which emphasizes a need for flexible and agile infrastructure, aligns well with Life's Principles, addressing each principle and most sub‐principles (excluding “breakdown products into benign components” and “do chemistry in water”). Meanwhile, resilient infrastructure practice only occasionally aligns with Life's Principles and contradicts five out of six principles. As resilience theory advances, Life's Principles offer support in broadening how infrastructure managers approach resilience, and by using biomimicry, infrastructure managers can be better equipped to deploy resilience for complexity and uncertainty.