Biology Major Research

In the design process, it was found that the requirements of different biological laboratories are very different, so they should be roughly classified and summarized, because the general laboratory I envisaged before was proved to be suitable only for biotechnology large categories, and microorganisms require additional design.

All information from wiki.

There are following several subjects in the biology department of the University of Auckland on its website.

• Biomedicine
• Biotechnology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary biology
• Genetics
• Marine, freshwater and animal biology
• Microbiology
• Molecular biology
• Plant sciences

1.Biomedicine 

Biomedicine is a branch of medicine responsible for applying biotechnology and other natural science theories to clinical practice. Biomedicine mainly uses knowledge of biology and physiology. Biomedicine is related to health and biology related fields, and has been playing an important role in the health system since the last century.

Biomedicine has many sub-disciplines and professional fields, and its name usually starts with "bio-" (bio-), such as:

• Molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology, embryology,

• Nanobiotechnology, bioengineering, laboratory medical biology,

• Cytogenetics, genetics, gene therapy

• Bioinformatics, biostatistics, systems biology,

• Microbiology, virology, parasitology

• Physiology, pathology,

• Pharmacology and toxicology, many people think that life science can be applied to medicine.

General category, practical category, including molecular biology, biotechnology, genetics, microbiology, etc., is a large concept group

2.Biotechnology 

Biotechnology is a broad area of biology, involving the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products. Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with related scientific fields. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, biotechnology has expanded to include new and diverse sciences, such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied immunology, and development of pharmaceutical therapies and diagnostic tests.

Sub-category, practice, insulin, yeast, antibiotics, etc., specific pharmaceutical disciplines

3.Ecology 

Ecology is a branch of biology^[1] concerning interactions among organisms and their biophysical environment, which includes both biotic and abiotic components. Topics of interest include the biodiversity, distribution, biomass, and populations of organisms, as well as cooperation and competition within and between species. Ecosystems are dynamically interacting systems of organisms, the communities they make up, and the non-living components of their environment. Ecosystem processes, such as primary production, pedogenesis, nutrient cycling, and niche construction, regulate the flux of energy and matter through an environment. These processes are sustained by organisms with specific life history traits.

The main category, which contains the ecology of animals and plants, is mainly based on macro research. Because the micro is divided into other majors, I feel that I need to go to the field frequently.

4.Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biology (English: evolutionary biology) is a branch of biology, which is concerned with the study of the evolution of the diversity of life on the earth. People who study evolutionary biology are called an evolutionary biologist. Evolutionary biologists study the origin of species and the origin of new species.

Subcategories, for studying the origin of species, Prometheus warning, engineer warning

5.Genetics

Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.

Though heredity had been observed for millennia, Gregor Mendel, a scientist and Augustinian friar working in the 19th century, was the first to study genetics scientifically. Mendel studied "trait inheritance", patterns in the way traits are handed down from parents to offspring. He observed that organisms (pea plants) inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of what is referred to as a gene.

Sub-category, research genetics, included in the biomedical category, requires a lot of cultivation, requires accurate artificial conditions

6.Marine, freshwater and animal biology

Marine biology is the scientific study of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy.

Many species are economically important to humans, including both finfish and shellfish. It is also becoming understood that the well-being of marine organisms and other organisms are linked in fundamental ways. The human body of knowledge regarding the relationship between life in the sea and important cycles is rapidly growing, with new discoveries being made nearly every day. These cycles include those of matter (such as the carbon cycle) and of air (such as Earth's respiration, and movement of energy through ecosystems including the ocean). Large areas beneath the ocean surface still remain effectively unexplored.

Zoology is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. The term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion, i.e. "animal" and λόγος, logos, i.e. "knowledge, study".^[1]

Main category, practical class, dealing with animals

7.Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, those being unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking cells).^[1][2] Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology and parasitology.

Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea.^[3][4] Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy. However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means.^[5] Microbiologists often rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence based identification, for example 16s rRNA gene sequence used for bacteria identification.

Sub-category, research on microorganisms, biohazard warning

8.Molecular biology

Molecular biology /məˈlɛkjʊlər/ is the branch of biology that concerns the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including molecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms and interactions.^[1][2] The central dogma of molecular biology describes the process in which DNA is transcribed into RNA then translated into protein. ^[2][3]

Some clinical research and medical therapies arising from molecular biology are covered under gene therapy whereas the use of molecular biology or molecular cell biology in medicine is now referred to as molecular medicine. Molecular biology also plays important role in understanding formations, actions, and regulations of various parts of cells which can be used to efficiently target new drugs, diagnose disease, and understand the physiology of the cell. ^[5]

Subcategories, studying cell-cell interactions, new-type warning

9.Plant sciences

Botany, also called plant science(s), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek word βοτάνη (botanē) meaning "pasture", "grass", or "fodder"; βοτάνη is in turn derived from βόσκειν (boskein), "to feed" or "to graze".^[1][2][3] Traditionally, botany has also included the study of fungi and algae by mycologists and phycologists respectively, with the study of these three groups of organisms remaining within the sphere of interest of the International Botanical Congress. Nowadays, botanists (in the strict sense) study approximately 410,000 species of land plants of which some 391,000 species are vascular plants (including approximately 369,000 species of flowering plants),^[4] and approximately 20,000 are bryophytes.^[5]

Subcategory, Research Plants, Teldrassil Warning

Reading7 The possibilities of contemporary design Q&A

“As technology becomes more sophisticated, more of the human input is delegated to the tool, first, typically, the power source and then gradually the controls, until we arrive at the fully automated black-box machine from which – at the touch of a button – ‘finished products’ magically appear […]
As less and less embodied knowledge is produced during both the educational and professional experience of the practising architect, it is no surprise that [..] Venturi’s ‘decorated shed’ has become one of the dominant architectural paradigms – a supposedly functional but anonymous box wrapped in a slick and seamless signifying skin […]
Given that so much of our productive life is spent in front of a computer screen, it may be that a newly re-embodied digital interface may yet allow us to rediscover it.”
- Hale, Jonathan. 2012. "Architecture, technology and the body: from the prehuman to the posthuman." In The SAGE handbook of architectural theory. Eds. Crysler, C. Greig, Stephen Cairns, and Hilde Heynen, 513-526. Los Angeles: SAGE

Q) Reflecting on your own design challenges with this project, is it possible to create an educational facility that is not “a supposedly functional but anonymous box wrapped in a slick and seamless signifying skin”?

     At the very beginning when our ancestors walked out of the cave and built their first refuge with branches or stones, the shelter itself could not escape the limitations of gravity. From Vitruvius in the west to “Construction Methods” （营造法式）in the east, ancient architects worked tirelessly to explore the possibility of using stone and wood as materials to overcome the limitations of gravity. The flesh and blood eventually decay, while many great architectures stand for thousands of years.

    From the birth of glass, it began to be used as a building material, from flower windows in churches to greenhouses, and be combined with steel to support commercial streets or exhibition halls. In contrast, the history of glass curtain walls is not long. The 1918 American Khalid Building was the first building to use modern architectural curtain walls. Taking this as a starting point, the explosive growth of the glass curtain wall has become the most mainstream facade form in modern cities.

     Due to technical limitations in China, it was not until the main venue of the Guangzhou Trading Conference in 1981 that the use of glass curtain walls began. But nowadays, countless towering towers wrapped in transparent clothes stand on this ancient land.

     The benefits of glass curtain walls are obvious. Good lighting makes the room full of light and the space seems more open. People can directly see the outside scenery inside the building, can enjoy the beautiful scenery in a transparent space, and bring people visual and spiritual comfort. This is beyond the reach of traditional window and wall systems.

     On the other hand, when the height of the building continues to set a new record and the branches of steel are extended to the sky, the glass curtain wall becomes the most advantageous form of high-rise facade due to its lightness of structure.

     Now, when building a hotel or office building, the first thing that comes to mind is the glass curtain wall. When designing an airport, you can't even imagine other alternatives (at least I can't).

     Returning to my own design, first of all, I think that as a biological building, it is not necessarily a building that has a connection with the glass curtain wall. Some laboratories and storage rooms even require no direct sunlight. This brings me the possibility of exploring other facade forms. At the beginning of the design, I tried to use the arch to achieve the unity of the foundation and structure.

     In the mid-term report, many people, including myself, felt that simply repeating different variants of a single element was too formal. I think this reason is complicated. First of all, New Zealand is not like some European cities that still retain many buildings with round arches windows. Therefore, the arch does not appear as a unified form of vocabulary with the surrounding buildings. It is more like a tribute to the degenerate elements Venturi said. Modern building structures no longer have to rely on arches to support a very high space. (You only need to make the beam bigger.)

     On the other hand, the arch itself is not very suitable for a space for research and technology. People's impressions about scientific research are influenced by science fictions and films which are full of a sense of the future. The arch is just the opposite, and the contradiction arises here.

     I think this psychological contradiction will cause people to question why so many arches are used in the design of a biological building. To take the opposite example, if an arch is used to design an art gallery or museum, or an office building uses glass curtain walls, it will not be questioned.

     But does this mean I have to give up the arch? Not too. The arch can bring large-scale possibilities to public spaces, just as it was invented. Therefore, I will use this element to shape my public space, and at the same time use its cultural characteristics to neutralize the futuristic science and technology laboratory part.

     Therefore, when I look at this issue, first of all, I don't think that the glass box is bad. It just reflects people's objective needs for lighting and space. But this is at the expense of the facade characteristics of the building, and the building loses its sense of recognition. One cannot psychologically associate the same glass curtain wall with different functional spaces. From seeing flower windows to churches, from seeing bucket arch （斗拱） to Chinese wooden palaces. Today, A is glass, B is glass, and C is also glass.

     So my thought is also very simple, re-establishing the relationship between the form and function of the facade. Concrete arches are used to shape public spaces, libraries and lecture halls. Use glass curtain walls to shape scientific research laboratories, greenhouses and offices. The result of this idea remains to be tested in the final report.

Reading6 Towards embodied architectural perceptions Q&A

Since Vitruvius, architects have always undergone years of training in traditional modes of architectural communication, such as physical small scale models and orthographic drawings. 

Q1. What are the limitations of these methods?

Today, advances in digital deign and fabrication technologies have enabled a more immersive and accessible means of architectural perception.
Examples have entered popular culture via television programs and YouTube videos. These include:

1) VR (Links to an external site.) for clients to perceive their new homes before they're built and make an informed decision about how the perceived space feels: Your Home Made Perfect (Links to an external site.)

2) 1:1 scale plans enable clients to walk onto/into their homes and see how changes in layout may effect how they use the space: Renovate Don't Relocate (Links to an external site.)

3) Finally, the fly-through that we looked at last week offers some degree of access but had issues that we discussed. The same project has been physically developed at 1:1 so that users can explore the physical site and how they might use a space before anything is installed:Hospital of the University of Penn
Question: Which process do you think is most effective and why? How could this be improved further?

1. There is an old saying that seeing is believing.  Vr technology is undoubtedly very efficient and can give people an intuitive and real impression.
     I think this VR is the future direction of interior design. No matter how high the designer's ability is, it can't be displayed to customers intuitively. For customers who do not have relevant architectural knowledge, this is just a piece of paper painted with patterns. This is why the current architects can't report their projects without renderings.
      I think that with the development of technology, the current limitations of VR technology are mainly equipment problems. The clarity of existing consumer products is not enough to give users a good experience. People who are used to high-definition picture quality may get dizzy. I can not wear Vr glassed more than five minutes, otherwise, i will feel dizzy as if  just got off the roller coaster.

     I think that VR is the most effective method considering the cost. For customers, the VR device breaks through the time and geographical limitations, and they can see a model room thousands of miles away from home to meet their psychological needs. For architects or developers, VR can reduce costs of building model rooms. And the decoration styles can be varied and adjusted according to the different preferences of customers. Units can also be rich and changeable. These are things real houses couldn't do before.
     And I think the most important point is that VR cooperates with the Internet allow customers to become amateur designers (regardless of whether they are good or bad). There are many mature vr virtual experience methods in China. The following video is an example. It can automatically identify the floor plan provided by the property developer. So that customers can decorate in the software by themselves. It is named Kujiale (Links to an external site.), and there are many similar products.

     It is just like players decorating their virtual home in games (Simulation or Animal Friends Association). The customers can choose the furniture, paint, decoration and so on in the website. These dimensions are real and can be modified, directly from various furniture manufacturers. And the software can directly render the final product as the video shows. It can also be used on mobile phones or Ipads.
Of course, the final results of this kind of design often have many problems, because ordinary people can’t fully consider their demands. But after the designers get the renderings that the customers designed themselves, architects can quickly understand the customer’s needs and improve on this basis. Maybe such modificiations can be done by AI in the future, so that ordinary interior design does not require a human designer.

2. After watching the video, i am deeply impressed by the use of heat map to show the usage in single room. I find it very interesting. But in general, I don't think this is a very effective method.
     Only 2d layout can't make people build a realistic and intuitive impression. Ignore the different effects of furniture height on reality leads to inaccurate judgment about the reailty feeling of renovation.
     Holographic projection can help it to convert 2d to 3d. But neither the cost nor the actual effect has a distinct advantage over VR. ( it may be pretty good for 3d vertigo patient like me) Such result will a bit like Ar, but Google's glass plan had been shut down serveal years ago. May be AR does not have a clear future right now.

     This technique is more suitable for research projects. In China, because many newly-built apartments or villas have the same layout in single project, developers often decorate two or three or them first as a model room to show to other potential customers. Therefore, large-scale developers will have their own design team to investigate the needs of the market to design the model room. In this kind of work, I think that research methods may be meaningful.

     The model room is like a decoration reference, giving customers experience how much furniture this layout can put in. But designers often use small-scaled furniture to give customers a sense of big space. There are even developers who artificially increase the floor height by half a meter when manufacturing model rooms in purpose. In actual life, there will not be such a simple and beautiful decoration, it is more like a fake advertisement.

3. A very effective method. Most modern architects may be dream of such opportunities.
     I think this is undoubtedly an excellent way to set design standards. Personal practice and interaction with professionals can quickly enhance the scientific of specific fields design.

    If we attend biology experiments in the biology building for one year, no doubt we would better design a new biology building. But obviously, this is not realistic.
    So, the disadvantages are very obvious, the huge demand for time and money. I believe there are not so many projects that can withstand such a large capital investment, let alone the requirement of time. Most projects have more urgent time cycles, and many times many projects are advancing simultaneously, and there is no energy to implement such method.
     I think that if the vr technology is more mature, it may be a compromise to build such a scene in a virtual environment so that people can simply simulate it.