simulariTREES

It's quite amazing how the most mundane action can unexpectedly trigger thought processes. For example, plucking a leaf off a bush as you walk past it.

The underside of a leaf and the underside of a forearm. Both teaming with veins that constrain against the containing skin membrane that covers and protects them. Is it coincidental just how similar humans are to plant life? We breath the same air (though in reverse).We grow through the division of cells powered by the intake of water and nutrients. We reproduce and populate our surroundings. We eventually start to break down, weaken, and eventually die.

The only factor is the human sapience - our language and information processing when it comes to reacting to our environment. But plants react, too. Plants grow in the direction of the sun. Some plants can trap attacks, while some release pollens and other particulates when threatened. I consider that reaction to one's environment. And to be fair there are some animals that communicate and exhibit traits of intelligence, we as a species can't even claim that.

So there is some common corporal connection between us and what we consider our environment. People have even come to design the structures which house them through the same understanding. The physical construction of a human body and that of a dwelling is roughly analogous in function.

Structure: rigid framework that provides form
Humans - skeletal system. Houses - wood frame

Membrane: protection from outside environment
Humans - skin layer. Houses - drywall and insulation

Ventilation/Circulation: the filtration and distribution of oxygen
Humans - lungs and veins/arteries. Houses - HVACs and ducts

Circulation: delivery systems from a central processing area
Humans - nervous system. Houses - electricity wires

Hydration: source and removal of water
Humans - digestion system. Houses - supply and return pipes

Am I saying that there is a problem with this conception of a building? Not really. After all, the human body is an amazing machine, calibrated perfectly to functioning in many different extremes of environments. And I've heard that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I do, however, think that this realization is the first step in the creation of an entirely new method of construction and the key to revolutionizing the idea of a building.

If Google.Maps has taught me anything, it's that the first step in figuring out how to get where you are going is to find out where you are now.