| Structures and forms found in nature have evolved over billions of years and only the most structurally adaptable forms have survived. Their resourcefulness in utilizing material, innovative structural systems and their optimum response to a variety of climatic and environmental forces has made nature's evolving structures and forms inspiring exemplars for design.; This thesis focuses on structures and forms existing in nature that have and continue to serve as inspirational tools for man-made architecture. Examples such as the natural design and composition of the underside veins of a lily leaf and the outer and inner composition of bones and cells, all contribute to inspire architects to understand the principles that lead to strong, economic, efficient and elegant structural solutions in architecture.; Architectural feats such as the Crystal Palace constructed for the great exhibition of 1851, Eden project in Cornwall, England (completed in 2001) and the Museum of Science in Valencia, Spain (2001), are all examples reflective of architecture inspired by the structural principles that are common in nature and that became an integral part of man-made structural forms.; With the proposed design of the Museum of Nature along with accompanying research on the significance of natural forms for understanding architectural structures, this thesis argues that nature continues to be a relevant and appropriate inspirational medium for designing buildings that share structural principles common to both. |
