Evolutionary Architecture: Nature as a Basis for Design

  • Eugene Tsui
Wiley, $54.95

This is not a fossilized art nouveau dinosaur, but a piece of so-called evolutionary architecture. The house shown above, created by Eugene Tsui for his parents, is built with materials and with a structure that will withstand earthquakes, flooding, windswept fires and vermin, while a south-facing ‘eyeball window’ acts as a heat- and light-magnifying device. But only time will tell whether it is truly adapted to its environment. In his book Evolutionary Architecture: Nature as a Basis for Design (Wiley, $54.95), Tsui suggests that the natural world, for instance a termites' nest or dinosaur bone, can become models for architectural problem-solving.