Biomimicry Inspired – Janus Welton Design Works

Dragon Fly Flats at Fly Ranch, Black Rock Desert, NV.

In 2020, I entered the International LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch International Design Challenge: DragonFly Flats at Fly Ranch with engineers Lisa Wipplinger and Theresa McNulty. Our Biomimicry Design team was shortlisted and published in the International LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch Design Challenge with a Biomimicry inspired, net positive, off grid desert Shelter and Community energy and water collection center.

Among the deepest patterns, the spiral is the geometric blueprint for LIFE- from our DNA, plant growth, the shape of a shell, to our galaxy. The resilient form, modeled on the brilliance of the Desert land snail, efficiently encloses space using minimal materials, optimizes internal thermoregulation, and offers a beneficial wind profile.

Black Rock Desert’s native Flame skimmer dragonfly inspired inclusion of efficient wind management and reflective iridescence to create practical beauty. The Dragonfly dwelling is its own unique ecosystem, collecting and processing water and gathering energy while optimizing local abundant resources of frequent wind, abundant sun, and periodic rain.

Orca House- Living Building Challenge – Aleutian Island Native Home Prototype, Alaska Competition 3rd place Award

Our SBA- Sustainable Building Advisors alumni team designed a biomorphic, net zero water and net zero energy, renewable energy house prototype for Atka Island, Alaska; designed per Living Building Challenge imperatives. Sponsored by Cascadia, Aleutian Housing Authority, and International Living Building Institute, Seattle WA.

Orca House is its own self-managing Ecosystem. Our team responded to local Alaskan Island pressures for shipping all builing materials with a prefab “Kit of Parts” solution for easy assembly and replicability. It collects all its own energy and water, while optimizing local resources and utilizing native builders. Biomorphic in form and structure, it repels harsh winds, harvests water and wind, and manages all waste on site with locally available materials. The design honors and facilitates time honored native customs and living rquirements.

Orca Team Lead: Architect/ Designer Janus Welton, EcoArchitecture DesignWorks, P.C.

Team Members/Consultants:

Lighting Design: JoAnne Lindsley, FIALD, FIESNA
Landscape Architect: Barbara Restaino, RLA, LEED AP BD+C
Anthropologist/Linguist: Mary Kroul, PhD
Energy Consultant: John J. Lorino, LEED AP, CSBA
Structural Engineer: Lisa Wipplinger, PhD, PE, SE, LEED AP
Project Manager, Sustainable Building Advisor-Water Systems Consultant: Gail Beverly, CSBA, LEED GA, GRP
Sustainable Building Advisor- Materials and Sourcing: Amy Whitman, CSBA
Drafting: Kim Koeninger
Graphic Design: David Munford

Emerge Shelter- Emergent Solutions for Emergency Shelter- Biomimicry Challenge

Climate change related events such as hurricanes, floods, fires, and tornadoes have impacted hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. Globally, about 21.5 million people have been displaced each year since 2008. Providing adequate, dignified shelter is one of the most difficult challenges relief organizations face. Our team’s passion is to create a biomimetic solution to better facilitate the transition from loss to renewal. Emerge Shelter is a rapidly deployable, strong, lightweight structure to support families in the recovery phase of a major climate event.

Link to website https://emergeshelter.org/

GEMShelter- Green Education Module, Bard College Initiative, Rhinebeck, NY

In 2017, Bard College “Green Education Community Outreach program” tapped me to design a prototype for a Green Education Mobile Unit (GEMShelter). Bard College subsequently applied for a grant to conduct workshops for young women to build these units to promote education about green building and climate change in local communities.

The concept for a mobile Water-Cooling Station prototype combines Biomimicry and off -the-shelf technologies including modular green roof systems, water collection and water filtration systems for potable water and cooling misters – all solar powered. The mini ecosystem also serves as a mobile education unit. The GEMShelter provides shaded outdoor space and an exhibit explaining the water cycle while providing an off-grid hydration and a cooling station for multiple educational and recreational applications.