Similar to the processes of aircraft wings, whales use their fins at different steepening angles to increase their lift. Too much tilt though, and the opposite will occur and they’ll stall – a loss of lift due to current turbulence and the formation of eddies in the water.

By comparing bumpy blades to smooth-edged ones, Fish and colleagues found that stalling occurs at a much higher angle with tubercles – an increase by nearly 40 per cent, in fact. They deduced this higher angle proficiency was beneficial for the whale in allowing it to manoeuver in tight circles, hence how they circle and entrap their prey in a ‘net’ of bubbles.

Further testing by Fish also revealed that serrated-edge wind turbines proved to be more efficient and quieter than the typical smooth blades. This led to the formation of WhalePower tubercle technology, a company developing a range of tubercle technology products, with a range of blade applications, including wind turbines, hydroelectric turbines, irrigation pumps, ventilation pumps.

However, the environmental benefits of riblets are broad in reducing friction as it conserves energy and money (e.g. in fuel). This has led to its further development and utilisation in coatings for ship's hulls, submarines, aircraft, and even swimwear for humans.

There is also a huge financial incentive, as reducing drag can save thousands of pounds. For instance, researchers estimate that a 1 per cent drag reduction can save one aircraft an approximate 25,000 gallons of fuel per year.

There are multiple elements of biomimicry in the structure inspired by its location facing the lake: mobile steel blinds inspired by the wings of a bird, a wired pedestrian bridge with a raised mast inspired by the shape of a sailboat, and a curved gallery of a single floor resembling a wave.

A German company, Ispo, spent four years researching this phenomenon and has developed a paint with similar properties. The micro-rough surface of the paint pushes away dust and dirt, diminishing the need to wash the outside of a house.

The huge semi-circular modules were inspired by the shape of soap bubbles. The efficient structural system consisting of hexagons and pentagons was derived after studying pollen grains, radiolaria, and carbon molecules. The biomes were made of ETFE (Ethyl tetrafluoroethylene) and steel.