Tiled material systems: Exploring biodiversity and multifunctionality of a universal and structural motif.

ABSTRACT: Humans are drawn to patterns and hierarchies in nature, mimicking them particularly in decoration and architecture. Natural patterns, however, are never purely esthetic and, since evolution works on a variety of factors simultaneously, natural structural systems are intrinsically multifunctional. In order to understand the roles that structural patterns play in biology (and therefore their potential capabilities and utilization in design, architecture and engineering), we need to catalog and encapsulate the diversity of examples and the materials involved. Here, we provide a first classification of biological "tilings," tessellated natural architectures that involve the repeated pattern of geometric, discrete elements bound by a joint material. By examining 100 examples across the Tree of

SUBMITTER: Ciecierska-Holmes J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12604013 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature