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How would Nature Design
Adaptive Human Communities?
Lessons from the Super-Organism
Tamsin Woolley-Barker
Ilaria Mazzoleni
Denise DeLuca
#LF15
How Would Nature Design
Adaptive Human Communities?
Lessons from the Super-Organism
Tamsin Woolley-Barker
Ilaria Mazzoleni
Denise DeLuca
A bit about your facilitators
Tamsin
Woolley-Barker
Ilaria
Mazzoleni
Denise
DeLuca
How this session works
• Intro to Super-Organism Social Structure
 Tamsin Woolley-Barker
• Designing adaptive communities - social
 Denise DeLuca (and you!)
• Adaptive Communities Inspired by Super-Organisms
 Ilaria Mazzoleni
• Designing adaptive communities - physical
 Denise DeLuca (and you!)
• Ideas and Discussion
 Tamsin, Ilaria, Denise (and you!)
Introduction to
Super-Organism Social Structure
Tamsin Woolley-Barker
How Would Nature Design a Community?
Tamsin Woolley-Barker, PhD
mycologie, SBC
Humans do surprising things.
So do social insects.
Image: Shutterstock.com
Image: Bio1100.nicerweb.com
Image: Shutterstock.com
Weaver ants
“Type a quote here.”
–Johnny Appleseed
A super-organism is a community that functions like a single
creature, much like the cells of your body.
Individuals have distinct roles.
They they can’t survive without each another.
The community has abilities far beyond the sum of the individuals within it.
Social insects are s u p e r - o r g a n i s m s . . .
People are too
Super-organisms thrive, even when resources are scarce and unpredictable.
“Type a quote here.”
–Johnny Appleseed
FIRE ANT RAFTS
COME TOGETHER
SLIME MOLD
BACK-OF-THE-ENVELOPE ESTIMATES: SUPER-ORGANISM BIOMASS
Humans and their animals = 10-15% of total global land biomass
Ants and termites and their animals = 10-15% of total global land biomass
Fungi = 25% of total total global biomass
Super-organisms are very successful.
This supports
an entire ecosystem
And sustains future generations
Photo: Alex Wild
BEIJING SMOG-POCALYPSE
It took 150 million years to evolve this
ANT NEST CAST IN ALUMINUM
W. Tschinkel
It took 500 million years to evolve this
Cultural solutions are fast and flexible compared to genetic ones.
Communication networks are key
Working on it…
1. Cultivate diversity
Diversity creates resilience.
Genetically diverse hives survive CCD 50% of the time
Genetically similar hives perish 85% of the time.
2. CREATE DENSE, DECENTRALIZED NETWORKS
Slime mold
Paper Wasps
•
Daphnia Water Fleas
Image: Functionalecology.org | Jennie S. Garbutt
4. KNOW WHEN TO CROSS-FERTILIZE
Image: Plosgenetics.org | Hajime Watanabe
5. NURTURE AN UNCOORDINATED CONVERSATION
Pheromones
Waggle-Dances
6. USE SIMPLE RULES
7. TRUST EMERGENCE
Collective intelligence
- mycologie -
a Social Purpose Corporation dedicated to creating
an accessible bio-inspired infrastructure
supporting thriving communities everywhere.
Designing Adaptive Communities
Social Features
Denise DeLuca
Designing adaptive communities…
…starts by asking
really good questions,
together!
The question:
Why are
adaptive communities
part of a Living Future?
Socratic Inquiry
Look for:
(1) built-in assumptions
(2) embedded concepts
(3) differences of kind and degree
The question:
Why are
adaptive communities
part of a Living Future?
Look for:
(1) built-in assumptions
(2) embedded concepts
(3) differences of kind and degree
What emerged?
Jot down
3 big ideas
that emerged
for your group.
Take home:
Designing a Living Future
requires asking more,
better, and different
questions
Adaptive Communities inspired by
Super-Organisms and Ecosystems
Ilaria Mazzoleni
Thank you to biologists: Lola Dompe’ & Shauna Price
SUPERORGANISM
PHOTO?
A group of eusocial individuals
belonging to one species, for example
ants and bees, that co-evolve and coexist to form an interdependent and
interconnected unit. Multiple
individuals with specialized roles
comprise a superorganism and are
often not able to exist without each
other.
Accordingly, superorganisms can play
crucial ecological functions, because
characteristics emerge from the unit
that are bigger than the individuals
that comprise the superorganism.
ECOSYSTEM
PHOTO?
All the co-occurring organisms and
abiotic conditions in a particular area,
each functioning as an integrated
unit. They function on a concept of
mutual causal interactions or
feedback loops that result in
an equilibrium and constant self
replenishment of resources.
Ecosystems are adaptive and dynamic
– species in ecosystems evolve due to
changes in the environment.
NATURE
Superorganisms + Ecosystems
Co-evolve + Co-exist
Interconnected
Biodiversity
Replenishable
Abiotic + Biotic
Resourceful
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + Adaptive
Low impact +
Cyclic feedback
Productive
Regenerative + Innovative
Adaptive Communities
ARCHITECTURE
NATURE
Superorganisms + Ecosystems
Co-evolve + Co-exist
Interconnected
Biodiversity
Replenishable
Abiotic + Biotic
Resourceful
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + Adaptive
Low impact +
Cyclic feedback
Productive
Regenerative + Innovative
Adaptive Communities
ARCHITECTURE
3 case studies: physical structures, physical interactions
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY: A Model Community at Salton Sea
WEAVER ANTS: Cultivating Up High
InHabitLA: First Cohousing Community in Los Angeles
ARCHITECTURE: 3 Case Studies
Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity
A symbiotic colony that co-evolves and co-exists
so that it is interdependent.
INPUTS
OUTPUTS
symbiotic relationships
Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY: a model community at Salton Sea
ILARIA MAZZOLENI, architect
PHILIP RA, designer
AMITABH BARTHAKUR, urban planner
VANESSA ZAJFEN, agronomist
SHAUNA PRICE, biologist
BUNGANE MEHLEMAKULU, mechanical eng.
SUNIL VARMA, environmental eng.
YVONNE LAU, CA reg. architect
HAROLD PORTILLO, arch. student
SKY MILNER, arch. student
SAREEN PROUDIAN, arch. student
ECO-SYSTEMIC TEAM
1000 people
community
Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity
WEAVER ANTS (Oecophylla smaragdina): Cultivating Up High
Role of major workers, minor workers and queen
Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity
WEAVER ANTS: plANTS - Cultivating Up High
Forest and Agriculture against deforestation
Symbiotic Relationship - Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
Co-evolve + Co-exist
INTERCONNECTED
Biodiversity - all elements are equally important
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
Replenishable source of Abiotic + Biotic
RESOURCEFUL
Low impact + Cyclic feedback
Using the minimum amount of Abiotic (sun, water) and Biotic
(leaves, pollen) resources and creating cyclic feedback system
create low waste/impact
RESOURCEFUL
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY:
a model community at Salton Sea
replenishable source
of biotic and abiotic
resources
RESOURCEFUL
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY:
a model community at Salton Sea
cyclic feedback systems
RESOURCEFUL
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY:
a model community at Salton Sea
Replenshiable Abiotic + Biotic
RESOURCEFUL
Low impact + cyclic feedback
WEAVER ANTS: Cultivating Up High
Replenshiable Abiotic + Biotic
RESOURCEFUL
cyclic feedback - forest, city and farming
WEAVER ANTS: Cultivating Up High
Replenshiable Abiotic + Biotic
RESOURCEFUL
low impact – smaller units / smaller ecological footprint
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
replenshiable Abiotic + Biotic
RESOURCEFUL
cyclic feedback
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
Resilient nature, diverse collaboration, and the ability to adapt
create regenerative and innovative communities
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive – nutrient cycling, pollination
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY: a model community at Salton Sea
Agricultural run-off
causes high salinity
and over-abundance
of nutrients, leading to
algal blooms and fish
die offs
Avian
diseases
Botulism
Cholera
Newcastle
Disease
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
ECO-SYSTEMIC RECOVERY: a model community at Salton Sea
restoring scarred landscapes
Collaborative model of agriculture – closer to community gardens
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative Inspired by ants
different jobs to build these nests
WEAVER ANTS: Cultivating Up High
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
WEAVER ANTS: Cultivating Up High
Forest survival…providing food to the city = they both thrive
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
governance – intergenerational
Collaborative + Diverse +
Resilient + adaptive
PRODUCTIVE
Regenerative + Innovative
INHABITLA: First Co-Housing Community in Los Angeles
Process of making the project happening
conclusions
Revealing the potentials of the environment,
the Architecture of the XXI Century is called
for a resilient, interconnected interplay with nature.
THANK YOU
www.imstudio.us | info@imstudio.us
Designing Adaptive Communities
Physical Features
Denise DeLuca
Designing adaptive communities …
…starts by
collaborating,
adaptively!
Design challenge:
Design the physical features
of an adaptive community.
Design challenge:
Design the physical features
of an adaptive community.
•
•
•
•
•
multi-family housing unit
45 people (min)
6,000 sq ft building footprint (max)
up to 3 stories tall
(no parking)
To be answered:
• How much private space?
• How much public space?
• What are the inter-connections?
Pass the Pinecone
Yes, what I like about your idea is….
And we could ….
Design challenge:
Design the physical features
of an adaptive community.
•
•
•
•
•
multi-family housing unit
45 people (min)
6,000 sq ft building footprint (max)
up to 3 stories tall
(no parking)
To be answered:
• How much private space?
• How much public space?
• What are the inter-connections?
What emerged?
Jot down
3 big ideas
that emerged
for your group.
Take home:
Designing a Living Future
requires collaborative and
adaptive design processes.
Ideation and Discussion Panel
Insights for your
Adaptive Community
Tamsin Woolley-Barker
Ilaria Mazzoleni
Denise DeLuca
Thank you!
Tamsin Woolley-Barker
Ilaria Mazzoleni
Denise DeLuca
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