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The biomimetic field in architecture is developing tools for transferring processes and functions from biological systems to buildings. Buildings, like ecosystems, are dynamic and complex systems, thus studying their dynamics from a systems thinking perspective might bring insight to some environmental problems. STELLA®, a software commonly used to model environmental dynamics, was used to identify approaches for energy optimization in the Great River Energy Building. Long-term energy flows and thermal properties of the building were modeled to understand the feedback loops that control the behavior of the building system. The simulation showed that optimization of passive building parameters produced considerable energy savings, but more active strategies would be necessary to make the Great River Energy building a net-zero energy building. This exercise showed how the STELLA® software can represent the dynamic behavior of buildings as well as the dynamic behavior of environmental systems, and the potential of this tool for biomimetic research in architecture.
