Pattern: Cellular architecture

Description: A large scale structure is built from a large number of individual much smaller elements of a common type

Theorized solution to:

• Resistance to degradation: damage to random or confined small areas does not disable function of the structure because many equivalent such elements remain
• Scalability: ?

Found in:

• information technology: data centers are built from individual compute units

Pattern: Cellular architecture with self-replicating elements

Description: A large scale structure is built from a large number of individual much smaller elements of a common type that can self-replicate

Theorized solution to:

• Enhanced resistance to degradation: damage to random or confined small areas does not disable function of the structure because many equivalent such elements remain
• Solving information propagation through time
• Adapting to the environment
• Exploring the environment

Found in:

• biology: organisms built from individual cells
• business: corporations are built from individual workers with defined roles
• government: nations constituted of individual citizens
• ecology: plant and animal populations are composed of individual plants and animals