More thoughts on the Villa Girasole

My article “The Villa Girasole and the Limits of Biomimicry” is published in the March issue of Italy's Cameracronica magazine, available here.

In it I suggest that Invernizzi’s revolving house probably overheated and that ‘sunflower’ is probably a metaphor that architects ought to give up. I write: “For most buildings on most days, the problem is not solar access, but solar control.”

I should hasten to add that the general concept of Biomimicry in Architecture—learning and applying principles from nature—is a valid area of exploration, and I endorse it when it works. But to practice Biomimicry in Architecture requires a degree of scientific rigor, or if it is purely figurative it should not be expected to succeed on any level other than formal.

Previously I discussed the Villa Girasole here: “Freak Houses Mounted on Turn-tables”