Biomimicry in Architecture, 2nd Edition

Chapter TwoHow will we manufacture materials?

69. Spinneret glands on the abdomen of a spider from which a fibre is spun that is tougher than steel but made with a fraction of the energy

This chapter is all about assembly: using the right elements and putting them together in the right way. Let’s first look at some contrasts between the way biology assembles, and what this offers in preference to what Janine Benyus describes as the ‘heat, beat and treat’ way we conventionally manufacture.⁵⁸

To produce strong fibre, spiders make their silk with an array of spinnerets⁵⁹ that produce an aligned stream of polymers which are then ‘spun’ into a thread ...