In homes, business buildings, shopping centers …basically anywhere we spend much time, we like to be comfortable.
Depending of what part of the country you live in, this means trying to cool our homes during the heat of summer and keeping things warm during the long, frigid days of winter.
As any home or building owner knows, cooling and heating can be expensive. Not to mention the natural resources used in the process. If only there were a better way.
In the capital of Zimbabwe, the 350,000 square foot Eastgate Centre is the country’s largest office and shopping complex. Designed by architect Mick Pearce, the building has no air-conditioning or heating systems but stays perfectly comfortable year round and uses 90% less energy than similar sized buildings in the area.
How? Thanks to replicating the ingenious temperature regulation system found in African Termite mounds.
The termites are essentially farmers, building massive mounds to house the termite colony and the fungus they grow as their primary food source. The fungus grows best at a constant temperature of 87 degrees while outside temperatures can swing from lows near freezing to well over 100.
These six-legged architects regulate the mound’s internal temperature by opening and closing heating and cooling vents they constructed throughout their home, enabling them to adjust air currents to keep their insect skyscraper at the ideal temperature.
After studying how termite’s construct their temperature controlled domains, Mick Pearce designed the Eastgate Centre’s ventilation system in a similar way.
In addition to being an eco-friendly design, the savings from not needing temperature control systems are passed on to the tenants, with their rents being lower than in surrounding buildings.