International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

International Journal of Urban Management and Energy Sustainability

Modeling, Analysis and Comparison of Optimal Adaptive Patterns in High rise Buildings Inspired by the Biological Structure of Bamboo Plant

Authors
Alireza Moshabaki Isfahani 1
Mostafa Hadavand Mirzaei 1
Behnam Nateghi Gargari 2
Alireza Attarhai Tehrani 2
1 Department of Art and Architecture, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Art and Architecture, ST.,C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/ijumes.2025.735602
Abstract
In recent decades, the rapid growth of high-rise buildings in large cities has become one of the main aspects of the vertical development of cities. These structures are of particular importance due to their specific design and structural requirements. They also play a fundamental role in defining spatial identity as prominent elements in the urban landscape. One of the greatest challenges in designing tall buildings is choosing architectural forms that can simultaneously meet the needs of aesthetics, structural efficiency, and stability against lateral loads such as earthquakes. Using natural patterns is one of the common ways to use nature's experiences in selecting the best options. In nature, structure and form mutually define and complement each other. Bamboo, with its unique characteristics in terms of resistance to environmental conditions, despite its slender structure, can be a suitable source of inspiration for the design of tall structures. The aim of this paper is to use the biological structure of bamboo, especially its stem and venation, to achieve an optimal form in the design of high-rise structures and to compare the behavior of these structures with conventional structures. For this purpose, in two stages, structures modeled after bamboo stem and conventional urban buildings have been selected and analyzed. In this study, variable parameters such as material specifications and weight, area, height and number of floors, loading conditions, type of connections and support conditions have been considered the same for all samples. Nonlinear pushover analysis has been used to examine the designed forms. The results showed that modeling the structure of bamboo walls significantly increases stiffness and ductility and reduces material consumption and ultimately reduces construction costs.

Graphical Abstract

Modeling, Analysis and Comparison of Optimal Adaptive Patterns in High rise Buildings Inspired by the Biological Structure of Bamboo Plant

Highlights

·         Presenting an optimal structural pattern for high-rise buildings inspired by the biological structure of bamboo stem and venation

·         Significant increase in stiffness and ductility of bamboo-inspired high-rise structures compared to conventional urban buildings

·         Reduction in material consumption and construction costs using bio-inspired patterns in high-rise structural design

·         Application of nonlinear pushover analysis to evaluate seismic performance of bamboo-inspired forms

·         Providing quantitative evidence of the superiority of bio-inspired structures over conventional structures in terms of stability and structural efficiency

Keywords
Bamboo
form finding
high-rise buildings
optimization
structural design
·         Chen, X., & Zhang, Q. (2025). AI-driven design framework for bamboo-inspired adaptive high-rise facades. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 14(1), 112-128.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foar.2024.08.002
·         Chen, Z., Wang, J., & Li, H. (2024). Buckling analysis of bio-inspired thin-walled structures based on bamboo node geometry. *Thin-Walled Structures, 198*, Article 111678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2024.111678
·         Fu, J., Liu, Q., Liufu, K., Deng, Y., Fang, J., & Li, Q. (2019). Design of bionic-bamboo thin-walled structures for energy absorption. *Thin-Walled Structures, 135*, 400-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2018.10.003
·         Golabchi, M., & Khorsand Niko, M. (2013). Bionic architecture. Tehran University Press. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391231945_Bionic_Architecture
·         Han, S., He, Y., Ye, H., Ren, X., Chen, F., Liu, K., Shi, S. Q., & Wang, G. (2024). Mechanical behavior of bamboo, and its biomimetic composites and structural members: A systematic review. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 21(1), 56-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42235-023-00430-1
·         Hildayanti, A., & Wasilah. (2023). Optimizing bamboo as an alternative building material to respond global architectural challenges. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1157(1), Article 012011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1157/1/012011
·         Huang, P., Wu, J., & Yang, F. (2024). Gradient mechanical properties of bamboo vascular bundles and their application in functionally graded structural design. Composites Part B: Engineering, 275, Article 111302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.111302
·         Ji, S., Mou, Q., Li, T., Li, X., Cai, Z., & Li, X. (2024). The novel applications of bionic design based on the natural structural characteristics of bamboo. Forests, 15(7), Article 1205. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071205
·         Kim, J., Park, S., & Lee, H. (2023). Generative design of bamboo-inspired high-rise structures using deep reinforcement learning. Automation in Construction, 155, Article 105058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.105058
·         Li, P., Wang, G., & Xu, J. (2023). Crashworthiness and lightweight design of bamboo-inspired hierarchical thin-walled structures. *Thin-Walled Structures, 192*, Article 111174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2023.111174
·         Liu, X., Wang, C., & Chen, Y. (2023). Energy absorption characteristics of bionic bamboo thin-walled tubes under oblique impact. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 179, Article 104656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2023.104656
·         Ma, J. F., Chen, W. Y., Zhao, L., & Zhao, D. H. (2008). Elastic buckling of bionic cylindrical shells based on bamboo. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 5(3), 231-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(08)60133-3
·         Mohamed, A., Elsayad, K., & Al-Sabah, S. (2025). Environmental and structural performance assessment of bamboo-inspired tall building typologies. Sustainable Cities and Society, 112, Article 105789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105789
·         Osorio, L., Trujillo, E., Lens, F., Ivens, J., Verpoest, I., & Van Vuure, A. W. (2018). In-depth study of the microstructure of bamboo fibres and their relation to the mechanical properties. Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 37(17), 1099-1113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731684418783062
·         Palombini, F. L., Mariath, J. E. A., & de Oliveira, B. F. (2020). Bionic design of thin-walled structure based on the geometry of the vascular bundles of bamboo. *Thin-Walled Structures, 155*, Article 106936. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tws.2020.106936
·         Penellum, M., Sharma, B., Shah, D. U., Foster, R. M., & Ramage, M. H. (2018). Relationship of structure and stiffness in laminated bamboo composites. Construction and Building Materials, 165, 241-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.12.166
·         Qarouni Esfahani, F. (2015). Bionic architecture designing nature. Author Publisher. https://www.armanshahrjournal.com/article_33470.html?lang=en
·         Qarouni Esfahani, F., & Tirgarian, M. (2014). Structural design of tall buildings inspired by bamboo structure. In Proceedings of the National Conference on Urban Planning, Urban Management and Sustainable Development. https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB17334.pdf
·         Qiyabklo, Z. (2013). Acoustic design of a multipurpose conference hall inspired by sea shell. Journal of Fine Arts: Architecture and Urbanism, 18(3). https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/THE-ACOUSTIC-DESIGN-OF-A-MULTIPURPOSE-HALL-Vehviläinen/2d18c3007f5e7434f881b594ab23284850ef8667
·         Titilayo, E., Kwame, A., Fenin, A., & Akwada, D. R. (2017). Bamboo the multipurpose plant. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56808-9
·         Trujillo, D., & López, L. F. (2016). Bamboo material characterization. In K. A. Harries & B. Sharma (Eds.), Nonconventional and vernacular construction materials (pp. 365-392). Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100038-0.00013-5
·         Wang, T., Liu, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Parametric modeling and optimization of bamboo-inspired branching columns for high-rise buildings. Engineering with Computers, 40(3), 1845-1862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-023-01845-2
·         Wang, X., Keplinger, T., Gierlinger, N., & Burgert, I. (2014). Plant material features responsible for bamboo's excellent mechanical performance: A comparison of tensile properties of bamboo and spruce at the tissue, fibre and cell wall levels. Annals of Botany, 114(8), 1627-1635. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu197
·         Wang, Y., Zhang, L., & Liu, S. (2025). Multi-objective optimization of bamboo-inspired high-rise building forms under seismic loading. Engineering Structures, 322, Article 119156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2024.119156
·         Xu, Q., Harries, K., Li, X., Liu, Q., & Gottron, J. (2014). Mechanical properties of structural bamboo following immersion in water. Engineering Structures, 81, 230-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2014.09.044
·         Yan, W., Fu, W., Zhang, B., & Zhou, J. (2020). Hygrothermal effect on axial compressive properties of bionic bamboo element. Wood Research, 65(1), 37-50. https://doi.org/10.37763/wr.1336-4561/65.1.037050
·         Yang, X., Wang, H., & Zhou, T. (2024). Comparative study of lateral load resistance in bamboo-inspired and conventional diagrid structures. Journal of Building Engineering, 87, Article 109023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2024.109023
·         Yin, H., Xiao, Y., Wen, G., Qing, Q., & Wu, X. (2015). Crushing analysis and multi-objective optimization design for bionic thin-walled structure. Materials & Design, 87, 825-834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2015.08.095
·         Zhang, R., Liu, Y., & Sun, W. (2024). Bionic design of energy-dissipating connections for tall buildings inspired by bamboo node structures. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 53(5), 1789-1808. https://doi.org/10.1002/eqe.3965
·         Zhao, L., Ma, J., Wang, T., & Xing, D. (2010). Lightweight design of mechanical structures based on structural bionic methodology. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 7(Suppl.), S224-S231. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1672-6529(09)60235-7
·         Zhao, Y., Li, S., & Zhang, X. (2025). Seismic performance of bamboo-inspired diagrid tall buildings: A parametric study. The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, 34(2), e2125. https://doi.org/10.1002/tal.2125
·         Zhou, L., Chen, M., & Huang, J. (2023). Bio-inspired optimal design of high-rise building outrigger systems based on bamboo internode morphology. Structures, 58, Article 105456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2023.105456
·         Zivori Afzal, V., & Karimi Moshaver, M. (2014). Optimal analysis of the form of tall buildings in order to improve urban livability and energy efficiency using the Karamba plugin. Manifestation of Art in Architecture and Urban Planning, 2(4), 120-140. https://www.jgeoqeshm.ir/article_222512.html

  • Receive Date 02 March 2025
  • Revise Date 08 April 2025
  • Accept Date 27 June 2025