The Bionic Paradigm of Light in Architecture and Design: From Animal Vision to Architectural Conception

The capacity for a multi-sensorial perception is one of the most significant tools in defining the relation of living organisms with the surrounding environment. Studying the world of senses gives constant sources of inspiration in architecture and design, defining space creation and its perception. Going deeper into the study of the mechanisms of senses, we may discover unexpected instruments for creating aesthetic, efficient and bioclimatic architecture. The study of animal vision, the relationship of living beings, from the simplest species to the most developed ones, with light and color during their whole life, provides solid knowledge, applicable to architecture, design and construction. Taking into account that many species of animals have much more accurate vision than human beings (night vision, underwater perception, 180° or 360° vision, perception of light polarization, etc.), we can investigate how such a relation with light could be applied in the conception of architectural space. A classification of vision systems from the animal world is leading to conclusions that may transform in departure points for future architectural visions, considering light to be compulsory for a correct understanding of space. Original results appear as well while realizing the connection between vision accuracy and life duration of living beings, which seem to be proportional. In a future phase, a study on improved human perception of surrounding space may bring direct applicability into architectural thinking. This chapter presents as well three study cases of well-known buildings inspired by the anatomy and physiology of the eye, leading to a comparative multi-criterial analysis. The last section of this chapter presents some experimental results of architectural projects, searching an improved and more complex perception of light. The presented projects are selected from the author's academic activity developed with the students of the "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urban Planning from Bucharest and the University from Alcalá de Henares, Spain, in the last years (2021, 2022).