Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-10-10
H~exagOnaI Buildings.

A correspondent of the AmeFicGn
ATtizda says: / have had the
pleasure of looking over some draw
ings, executed for the purpose of show
ing how the principle of 6ee5aitding
may be applied to human architecture.
1t is really a very beautiful and origi-
nal idea, yet, on refiectioni the only
wonder is that it has never been
thought Of before. Ithas been known
for many years, to geometricians and
apiarians, that bees construct the cells
of their honeycombs of the largest size
AID greatest strength possible, ft pro-
portion to the quantity Of material en-
Dtoyed IN building. Maraldi deter
mined, hy infinitely measuring the
angles of a bee-cell, that the greater
angles were 1899 2S,, and the smaller
/ 7OO 80; and NJ. Reaumer, being
anxious to know why these particular
angles are selected, requested NJ.
| Kenig, a skillful mathematician
/ without informing him of his design,
or telling him of Maraldi's re
searches,) to determine, by calcula-
ton, what ought to be the angles of q
siX-sided cell, with a cOncaYe pyra-
midal base, formed of three similar
and equal rhomboid plates, so that
the least possible matter should enter
into its construction. By employing
what geometricians denOminate the
ilJiRitesiHldi calculus, NJ. K9nig found
that the angles should be 1902 26< for
the greater, and 700 81 for the smaller,
or about twO-sixtieth of a degree more
or less than the actual angles made
choice of by the bees-a surprising
agreement between the solution of
the problem and the actual measure"
In constructing a rOOm for human
occupation, the cOncave pyrimidal
base cannot be used, but the six-sided
or heXagOnal form can. Octagonal
houses were a failure, but / think that
these hexagonal buildings are going
to be a decided and beautiful success.
The octagonal form could only be APP
piled to the external wall, but the
hexagonal form is here given to each
individual room, and may be applied
to cottage or palace. The ingenuity
shown in reaching every room from
the halls and passages is really admit
rable, and the great economy in space
may be shown by comparing a square
room with q heXagOnal one. a room
twenty feet square has "A length of
eighty feet of wall, and four hundred
square feet of floor. Put the same
eighty feet of wall into a heXagonal
shape, and there viii be inclosed four
hundred and sixty square feet OF floor
gain of sixty square feet; ana
when We recOllect that these heXagO-
nal rooms tit into each other without
any loss of space, the great gain in the
whole building may be estimated.
The drawings were in the hands Of
James p. Irwin, Esq, OF Charlotte,
North Carolina.
1t is interesting to note how many
valuable lessons may be learned by
man from the instincts of animals,
and even plants. 1t is said that Sir
Joseph Paxton designed the celebra-
ted Crystal Palace in London accord
ing to some knowledge he obtained
the curious conformation of the
of the gigantic w~ater-lily, the
ITctorin RegiG. The under sides Of
these leaves are 50 constructed as to
them to bear enOrE!OHs weights.
Ii is also stated that Brunei obtained
Inc idea which made his great work,
The Thames Tunnel, a success, from
observing the tunnels of some little
animal, of which / have forgotten the
name, but think it was probably the
ndrdLis, q small mollusc, which
)urrOWs in the wood of ships and
piers of bridges, and whose tunnels
ire frequently placed 50 close together
hat the partition between them is not
than the paper on which this
is written. AS the teredO
DOres, it lines the tunnel with a thin
hell of c~alcareOus matter" Insect
architecture. By James Rennie.
London, 1851 In navigation and
hip building, the shape and move
nent of fishes have furnished the best |
Instructions. Instinct makes no mis- !
axe; and we see how many valuable
essOns it may convey to the proud
eason OF man if he will but stOOp to
earn. The bee is natures master
.rchitect, and l am glad to see at last
he principle of bee building applied
o human architecture. :