Report 2 - Discover

Discovering organisms and strategies for the project design functions

This design project aims to collect, store and distribute rainwater to be used in green urban areas such as parks ad public gardens. The intention of this design is to e ciently make the parks and public gardens self-su cient by e ectively recollect and use water. This second report is an update to the project and will describe three alternative strategies deployed by living organisms. These organisms also perform a function this design projects must execute. This function is as important as the function described in the prior report. The function this report will be addressing is Distribution of rainwater. The organisms discovered to perform this function are the following: -Peatlands -Leafs -Sacred g The strategies each of these organisms use to perform this function are the following: -Peatlands These are areas of land that direct amounts of water. These usually are found near larger steams of water or rivers. Their exibility on their shapes, shallowness enclosure allows them to perform better during rainstorms. It can store water and distribute it accordingly in dry seasons. It also allows a diverse wroth on pant material rich on carbon and organic content. -Leaf venation pattern Lacking from a pump to move uids leafs use the Cohesion-Tension (C-T) mechanism as a strategy to move water. The tension is generated by transpiration due to the evaporation of water inside the leaves. Evaporation inside the leaves occurs predominantly from damp cell wall surfaces surrounded by a network of air spaces(4). This strategy works transporting water to tress 100 meters above the soil surface. -Sacred g The peculiar shape of the leaves allows the water to be displaced faster and more e ciently. This design helps keep the blade dry, and is especially predominant in humid conditions. The design varies and can have diverse channels leading to the tip. This strategy also allows the forest to direct the water to the soil were it is needed. Perhaps these strategies might work very well in conjunction. It is important to store and release water accumulation as needed in green areas, similar to the peatlands strategy. How to direct this water to a deliberate area might be aided with a strategy similar to the one used by the sacred g leaves. If the design of the green area I limited, perhaps a close look to the application of the Cohesion-Tension (C-T) mechanism could be useful to direct water without the use of a pump that needs electricity.
Biomimetic Design/ MCAD/Mirna Garza/ Assignment 6.3/Summer 2013

Sources of images and information:

1. http://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/peatlandstructure-and-formation 2. http://www.asknature.org/strategy/0e0eb0b500f25b61 9536236eb16c9af3 3. http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/wat er-uptake-and-transport-in-vascular-plants-103016037 4. http://phytophactor. eldofscience.com/2011/05/tropic al-leaf-drip-tips-yam.html 5. http://www.asknature.org/strategy/e293504ab7b91490 f3b94a0c8bbadda5