See How Termites Inspired a Building That Can Cool Itself | Decoder

How do you cool a building without air conditioning? Using an approach called biomimicry, see how architect Mick Pearce harnessed the ingenuity of termites to design a natural cooling system for the largest commercial building in Zimbabwe.

#NationalGeographic #Decoder #Termites

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In nature, termites build skyscraper-like mounds that are ventilated by a complex system of tunnels. By emulating the ingenuity of termites, Zimbabwean architect Mick Pearce used an approach called biomimicry to design a natural cooling system that harnessed nature. The result is an architectural marvel that achieves 90 percent passive climate control by taking cool air into the building at night and expelling heat throughout the day.

In this first installation of the Decoder series, see how the Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe utilizes a termite-inspired climate control system. To learn more, read "Termite Climate Control" from the May 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine.

See How Termites Inspired a Building That Can Cool Itself | Decoder

National Geographic

[NatGeo]

The largest commercial building in Zimbabwe can cool itself thanks to inspiration from termites. What do you think about the building's unique design?

[ahmadxrizvi]

When she said 82° I literally cried in Celsius.

[clarencemaseko]

I worked in the eastgate building everyday 8am-5pm for a year. I would say in hot weather temperatures inside the building (around 25°) were pleasant compared to those outside (around 30°). Hot weather is 9 months in Zimbabwe. However, during 3 months of winter the lower temperatures inside the building were uncomfortable for many. It was better to be outside

[shmorkshmire]

Fahrenheit=1.8(Celsius)+32
Celsius=(Fahrenheit - 32)/1.8

82F = 27.8C
95F = 35C

[dennisdonovan]

For those of you are interested in this topic of architectural passive cooling designs I would suggest looking into what was used in Persia (now known as Iran) many centuries ago. “Badgirs” (cooling towers) were an ingenious use of local materials and the dynamism of nature’s thermal homeostasis to provide “air conditioning” that didn’t rely on electricity.

[Allinone-]

Great minds, really these guys are Gem for our world

[RogerFedRocks]

People are saying that 82 degrees fahrenheit is not comfortable, while not understanding that this is Zimbabwe and for them it probably is.

[MrQhuin]

Freezing point=0°C
Boiling point=100°C
We don't need Fahrenheit

[toshley]

"The concrete blocks absorb the cold". Cold isn't a property, heat (thermal energy) is. The cold air transfers heat away from the concrete and vents it out of the building during the night, which lowers the concrete's temperature. Then the concrete acts as a giant heat-sink during the day, absorbing and storing heat from the air.


I'm not sure how this relates to termite mounds though, other than the fact that the ground acts as a heat sink in the same way the concrete does, but that can be said of rabbit warrens, ant nests, and even your parent's basement. I was under the impression that termite mounds in particular make use of complex ventilation shafts that make use of wind and thermal expansion to bring fresh air deep into the nest and vent waste gasses. I'm pretty sure they don't have ventilation fans.

[scienceandvlogs]

I heard about this termites construction and Zimbabwe building 8 years ago and now I'm watching it's construction through video. It's amazing. Thanks for this video

[nicholasreceveur]

I had the pleasure of meeting the architect once. A very humble and down-to-earth person. If you liked this building, you might also want to check out the CH2 he designed in Melbourne. Sensible passive design principles augmented by modern technology can yield some amazing results in terms of aesthetics and energy efficiency.

[jesse]

Please add SI units next to imperial units. While lbs/kg and ft/m conversion are fairly straightforward in a ball park figure kind of way, F to C is very non-intuitive for someone who isn’t familiar with it.

[lawrencestanley]

As an architect myself, while this structure is interesting, it isn't really the ideal building construction method for a "self-cooling" structure. Built from at least the 3rd century BC, the house style now recognized as a Moroccan riad is by far one of the best designs for a "self-cooling" structure. It is a multiple storied building that surrounds an open courtyard containing a water feature like a fountain or a soaking pool. Riads are inward focused buildings that have few, if any features on the exterior façade; small exterior facing windows let air in along the first floor which cools in the shaded and humid courtyard. All of the rooms are open to the courtyard, letting in this cool air; the courtyard also acting as a chimney of sorts to direct warmer air up and out of the structure.

Termites are OK, but the structure still requires heavy use of fans to duct air away, so it isn't really "self-cooling." When a water feature is added into a shaded central courtyard, the difference in temperatures is much more dramatic, and usually, no fans are needed.

[rockeygarcia]

Kudos to the Termite architects and Engineers. They gave humans a brilliant idea 👏

[Life_is_Awesome_Civil]

Iam proud that iam the engineer of that building

[snowleopard]

Human copies termite cooling system




Termites: *issues copystrike*

[janofb]

I pulled up the weather there. For all but 3 months the outside temp is less than 86 degrees while the night temp is never above 64 degrees. It's gets up to 90 in Sep-Nov. Seems like the building should be a lot cooler than 82 degrees.

[nicholaswatson]

Not only effective but it looks awesome too! This architect is brilliant

[erwinsaputra]

American : Make America great again!
rest of the world : Make America use the metric system!

[johnmyviews]

Termites also orientate their structures to make the best advantage of the suns radiation, something that is still beyond most building designer/architects