Architectural Designer Thomas Button, Assoc. AIA, LEED® AP BD+C Presents Thesis on Biomimicry at International Conference
Passero Associates Architectural Designer Thomas Button, Assoc. AIA, LEED® AP BD+C recently presented a segment of his Master of Architecture thesis, “Biomimicry: A Source for Architectural Innovation in Existing Buildings,” at the Conference on Advanced Building Skins, held annually in Bern, Switzerland.
Mr. Button was honored to have been invited to speak at the conference, and says, “The conference was a great experience, it was very well structured and showcased many innovative design approaches that are not as common in the United States as they are in Europe. It was interesting to see the possibilities for architectural design in the United States.”
Biomimicry, namely innovation inspired by nature, and its use in design solutions is the focus of Mr. Button’s paper. He demonstrates solutions, through biomimicry, that identify successful adaptions found in the natural environment and in biology that can serve to better inform design. He also shows how current construction methods when broken down can be found to be comparable to the biology of many species with some aspects falling short whether due to limited development, limited possibilities, or cost. He maintains that through biomimicry, issues with current methods can be identified and solutions can be developed to resolve and improve upon them.
His full paper can be seen at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses/9174/
Mr. Button is an Architectural Designer Level 3 at Passero Associates, with over four years of experience on a wide variety of architectural projects, including work for municipal, recreational, multi-family residential, commercial, educational and institutional clients. He completed his Masters of Architecture with a specialty in sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology, earned his BS in Architectural Technology at Alfred State College of Technology, and his AAS in Architectural Drafting and Design from Finger Lakes Community College. He resides in Rochester, New York.
About the Conference on Advanced Building Skins: International platform for architects, engineers, scientists and the building industry
The aim of the Conference on Advanced Building Skins is to achieve a multi-disciplinary, integrated planning approach with architects, engineers, scientists, manufacturers and the building industry to reduce energy consumption of buildings. The annual international conference attracts 800 participants from over fifty countries. https://abs.green/home/
