Biomimicry: Termites

The ultimate consumers, humans are notorious for extracting as much as they can from the earth and environment. So it is a nice change to talk about not what we extract from the environment, but what we can learn from it. Biomimicry translates from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate. A relatively new science, biomimicry aims to take inspiration from nature to increase innovation, maximize resource use, and reduce energy consumption. Examples of how humans have utilized biomimicry in everyday life can be seen in office buildings constructed to mimic the structure of termite mounds (referred to as biomimetic architecture), where energy consumption can be reduced up to 70% (Schroeter, 2010). 

 

Image:  The Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe is a shopping complex and office building which has no air conditioning or heating yet maintains comfortable temperatures through out the year. By copying the construction of the termite mound, it is estimated that the Eastgate Centre uses 35% less energy used by similar sized buildings (Scobey-Thal,  2014) (Anonymous, 2012).

  

The reduction in energy seen in the Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe is especially important in today's climate, both figuratively and literally. The African termites Macrotermes bellicosus, who have produced some of the most sophisticated animal built structures observed by humans, have mastered thermoregulation and ventilation within their mounds. This ventilation helps to reduce metabolic heat loss during cooler months and maximize the circulation within the mound in the warmer months (French & Ahmed 2010). 

Rinaldi (2007) writes:

“Those who draw inspiration from nature are aware that simple imitation alone is not necessarily the way forward, rather combining naturally inspired design and human inventiveness”. 

References:

Anonymous, 2012.  BIOMIMETIC ARCHITECTURE: Green Building in Zimbabwe Modeled After Termite Mounds. http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/. Retrieved 28/03/15

French, J. & Ahmed, B. 2010, "The challenge of biomimetic design for carbon-neutral buildings using termite engineering", Insect Science, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 154-162.

Rinaldi, A. 2007, "Naturally better", EMBO reports, vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 995-999.

Schroeter, D.L. 2010, "Introducing Biomimicry", Green Teacher, no. 88, pp. 13.

Scobey-Thal, J. 2014, "Biomimetics", Foreign Policy, , no. 209, pp. 20.

Image: http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/