Nature has a lot to teach us, especially when it comes to architecture, so when it comes to buildings our best teacher is often the natural environment. Take these amazing buildings, some already built and some still concept designs, that were inspired by nature - bugs, rocks, shells, and plants. The natural world has had millions of years to improve and it makes sense to use the same concepts to create a more sustainable and energy efficient building.

United Nations Memorial Inspired by Cells

Designed by ACME for a competition for a UN Peace Park in city of Chungju in South Korea, this building is a cube filled with cellular rooms. The building is meant to reflect how the UN is made up of individual countries that come together to create a unified body. Additionally, the cellular inspired structure has a green roof on top and lots of windows and courtyards for natural daylight.

Yellow Treehouse Restaurant Inspired by Moth Cocoons

This amazing restaurant in Aukland, New Zealand is affixed into the trees much like a moth would build his nest. Enchanted and beautiful, the restaurant glows at night when lit up and can be accessed via a walkway. Built out of pine and poplar, the dining facility is 12 m above ground while the kitchen and facilities rest on the ground.

Eastgate Center In Zimbabwe Inspired by Termite Mounds

Zimbabwe’s largest office and shopping complex was built using the same principles that a termite mound is based on. The building has neither heating nor cooling equipment and stays regulated year round due to the use of a ventilation system similar to that of a termite mound, where air is drawn in from the bottom and released out through the top, thus significantly reducing energy use inside the building.

Calatrava’s Chicago Spire Inspired by a Shell

Famous architect, Santiago Calatrava, designed this skyscraper for Chicago based on a spiraling snail shell. When complete in 2011, the skyscraper will spiral up 600m and contain 150 floors of residential space. The building is seeking to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Tanzania Hotel Inspired by Rock Formations

This hotel, designed by Australian-based WOW Architects, was envisioned as a rock formation that had been created over thousands of years. Like a piece of earth that is weathered and worn down over time by the wind and rain, this hotel is designed as a stratified and organic rock and then overtaken by nature. The hotel has flowing pools of water, stratified floors and hanging gardens.

Centre for Disease Control Complex Inspired by a Nautilus Shell

The new CDC Complex in Taiwain takes on my elements of the nautilus shell with its hard outer shells on the two domes. The outer skin pattern is made up of geometric interlaced patterns, which represent the 4 symbols of the DNA sequence of the bacteria being studied inside. Additionally inside the shells are a series of interconnected chambers spiraling in towards the center.

Vertical Farm Concept Inspired by a Dragonfly Wing

This vertical farm designed for New York by Vincent Callebaut is meant to emulate a dragonfly wing. With a steel and glass exoskeleton, the building is designed to be self-supporting, with an indoor produce farm and powered with renewable energy, and supported by rain water collection.

Brazilian EcoHouse Inspired by Giant Leaves

On the coast of the Atlantic in Brazil, is a gorgeous home with a giant roof shaped like a leaf or a palm frond. This roof shades and protects the interior of the home, allowing ample natural ventilation and a cool shady respite. The roof also collect rainwater for use in the home.

The Water Cube Olympic Stadium Inspired by Bubbles

The famous Water Cube Stadium in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics was inspired by bubbles and how the interact with each other. Built out of lightweight Teflon-like translucent plastic ETFE, the building takes in light for daylighting, but doesn’t take in much heat, allowing it to be incredibly energy efficient. The Cube is lit at night with energy efficient LED lights for a dazzling and colorful show.

Masdar City Center Inspired by Sunflowers

LAVA Architects was chosen to design the city center for Masdar City, a burgeoning city in the heart of the desert. With solar panels on the roof and a naturally ventilated courtyard, the complex will require little energy to remain cool. Solar sun shades open up during the day like sunflowers to protect the courtyard from the blazing sun, and at night the shades collapse to release heat out into the air.