Why don’t sunflowers fall over?

With huge heads on top of spindly stalks, how do sunflowers defy gravity to stay standing? That was a question sent to CrowdScience by listener Frank, whose curiosity was piqued by the towering sunflowers on his neighbour’s deck. They stay up not only when the weather is fine, but, even more impressively, during strong winds. Could this feat of strength, flexibility and balance inspire the construction of tall buildings?

It's a question that takes presenter Anand Jagatia to a sunflower festival in England, to see how the sunflower’s long evolutionary lineage has honed its structure. And from tall flowers to tall buildings, we turn to structural engineers, asking how these concepts factor into the design of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Can ideas drawn from sunflowers or other natural structures help buildings withstand wind, or even storm surges?

Contributors:

Stuart Beare, partner and grower at Tulley’s Farm

Roland Ennos, Visiting Professor in Biological Studies, University of Hull

Sigrid Adriaenssen, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University

Koichi Takada, founder of Koichi Takada Architects

Presenter: Anand Jagatia

Producer: Tom Bonnett

Editor: Cathy Edwards

Production Co-ordinator: Ishmael Soriano

Studio Manager: Bob Nettles

(Image: Tall Sunflower blooming in a field, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Credit: Naomi Rahim via Getty Images)