Nature finds home in architecture

Author: Mike Murali

At 7:30 p.m. tonight in the Charles A. Dana Auditorium, Middlebury College and the Bread Loaf Corporation of Middlebury will present a lecture by Patrick Bellew entitled "Ant Hills to Labyrinths: Engineering Sustainable Architecture." The talk - the second in the "Architecture & …" lecture series - will concern the effectiveness of modeling structures after designs found in nature.

The idea for the lecture series began in the spring of 2005 when the architecture departments for both Middlebury College and the Bread Loaf Corporation decided to organize presentations and discussions on architecture and the importance of the architect.

"We talked about how our two entities represent the more significant architectural presences in the area and that we ought to work together to expose our community to how architecture and building projects really affect day-to-day life for everyone," said Andrea Murray of the Bread Loaf Corporation. "What evolved was a connection whereby our two institutions would collaborate to present lectures, roundtables and films that would help to engage and educate each other and the surrounding communities."

Bellew's talk will focus on how using designs inspired by nature - a process referred to as "biomimicry" - is the most efficient, effective and environmentally friendly approach to architecture. Natural shapes are not only better from an economical standpoint, but are also far more aesthetically pleasing than the rigid rectangular prisms which serve as the towers of today's businesses, Bellew argues. It naturally follows that shapes in nature have adapted to be more energy efficient, suggesting that buildings can act the same way.

Bellew, founder of the New York- and London-based environmental design firm atelier ten, will deliver today's lecture. "Atelier ten has a strong belief in responsibility to the environment, and our business practices seek consistently to reflect this belief," said Murray.

Bellew has completed several projects noted for their innovative designs and sustainability in the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. He has won several awards both for past work and current projects, including an addition to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, the new Grand Rapids Museum of Fine Arts in Michigan and several school, housing and cultural projects. In addition to his accomplishments as an architect, he co-teaches the core environmental design course for the Masters of Architecture program at Yale University.

Atelier ten, said Bellew, is a company dedicated to creating buildings that minimize energy use while maximizing the comfort of their occupants. According to the company's Web site, Atelier ten has been working since 1990 from designs found in nature "to produce buildings that consume less energy, and so function more economically." Their commitment to the environment is so deep that they recently planted 70 new trees in Roads Woodland in Buckinghamshire, England to offset carbon dioxide emissions created by their employees during worldwide business travel.