Freezing: The Right Way
-
Rena T. Schott
Abstract
Plants growing in areas with cold winters use numerous strategies to cope with low temperatures and alternating freezing and thawing events. In one of these strategies, the plants die off and survive the winter with underground storage organs or seeds. However, numerous species do not discard the parts aboveground. Rather, dense forests exist in areas with very cold winters, and we are familiar with the image of trees deeply covered in snow. Frost-resistant trees and shrubs can even be evergreen, such as most conifers, boxwood, and rhododendron. Similarly, various types of bamboo and many other grasses are “frost-resistant.” The same applies to some climbing plants such as ivy, and even to various herbaceous plants such as the winter aconite and the popular snowdrop. Even though these are deciduous, they appear very early in the season and flower at a time when snowfall and frost are still very likely.
Abstract
Plants growing in areas with cold winters use numerous strategies to cope with low temperatures and alternating freezing and thawing events. In one of these strategies, the plants die off and survive the winter with underground storage organs or seeds. However, numerous species do not discard the parts aboveground. Rather, dense forests exist in areas with very cold winters, and we are familiar with the image of trees deeply covered in snow. Frost-resistant trees and shrubs can even be evergreen, such as most conifers, boxwood, and rhododendron. Similarly, various types of bamboo and many other grasses are “frost-resistant.” The same applies to some climbing plants such as ivy, and even to various herbaceous plants such as the winter aconite and the popular snowdrop. Even though these are deciduous, they appear very early in the season and flower at a time when snowfall and frost are still very likely.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter 1
- Contents 5
- Preface 6
- Why biomimetics? 8
-
Everything Moves
- Introduction 12
- Plants In Action 14
- Movement Without Joints: (How) Does It Work? 22
- No Joint Ailments: How Plants Move And Inspire Technology 32
- From Pure Research To Biomimetic Products: The Flectofold Facade Shading Device 42
-
Lightweight Versatility: Structure Instead Of Mass
- Introduction 52
- Reliably Withstanding High Loads 54
- Freezing: The Right Way 74
- Nature As Source Of Ideas For Modern Manufacturing Methods 84
- Rosenstein Pavilion: a lightweight concrete shell based on principles of biological structures 92
-
Elegance And Lightness: Bio-Inspired Domes
- Introduction 102
- Building principles and structural design of sea urchins: examples of bio-inspired constructions 104
- Potential applications of segmented shells in architecture 116
- Snails as living 3D printers: free forms for the architecture of tomorrow 126
- Evolutive approaches to explorative design methods in architecture 134
-
Branched Load Support Systems
- Introduction 142
- From plant branchings to technical support structures 144
- New branched loadbearing structures in architecture 153
- The plastid skeleton: a source of ideas in the nano range 163
- Abstracting instead of copying: in search of the formula for success 167
- Functionalist, organic, and biomimetic architecture 172
- The biomimetic promise 180
- Appendix 188
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter 1
- Contents 5
- Preface 6
- Why biomimetics? 8
-
Everything Moves
- Introduction 12
- Plants In Action 14
- Movement Without Joints: (How) Does It Work? 22
- No Joint Ailments: How Plants Move And Inspire Technology 32
- From Pure Research To Biomimetic Products: The Flectofold Facade Shading Device 42
-
Lightweight Versatility: Structure Instead Of Mass
- Introduction 52
- Reliably Withstanding High Loads 54
- Freezing: The Right Way 74
- Nature As Source Of Ideas For Modern Manufacturing Methods 84
- Rosenstein Pavilion: a lightweight concrete shell based on principles of biological structures 92
-
Elegance And Lightness: Bio-Inspired Domes
- Introduction 102
- Building principles and structural design of sea urchins: examples of bio-inspired constructions 104
- Potential applications of segmented shells in architecture 116
- Snails as living 3D printers: free forms for the architecture of tomorrow 126
- Evolutive approaches to explorative design methods in architecture 134
-
Branched Load Support Systems
- Introduction 142
- From plant branchings to technical support structures 144
- New branched loadbearing structures in architecture 153
- The plastid skeleton: a source of ideas in the nano range 163
- Abstracting instead of copying: in search of the formula for success 167
- Functionalist, organic, and biomimetic architecture 172
- The biomimetic promise 180
- Appendix 188
