For my final project, I want to experiment with panel systems for buildings that react to changing sun conditions. Flowers seem to perform this function by tracking the sun and blooming under certain desired conditions. I want to learn about the mechanisms that make flowers bloom. From initial research, flowers petals seem to grow in a cup shape and have a skewed growth pattern where the outside grows faster than the inside. The flowers petals grow inside the bulb until there are so many petals that the flower opens. Through a combination of pressure of internal petals and the cup nature of the flower, the petals invert causing the structure to bloom.

I might look into the translucent nature of the flower, as well as the principles that make the flower glow with color and bounce light. This effect seems to have an hypnotic effect on insects, birds, humans, and other animal life.

The last step would be to combine this with space filling patterns so that the panels can link together.  Nancy directed me to Peter Pearce and his investigation of these patterns.  His book is called “Structure in Nature is a Strategy for Design.”  Another article titled “Geometry of Environment” by Lionel March and Philip Steadman may yield some interesting investigations.