22 Sep 2004
Termites could hold the key to self-sufficient buildings

I could give them a big hint - rather than studying termites, they could ask some master builders from the last century. They did pretty much the same thing these bugs allegedly accomplish.

Our house was built in 1912 - and it's far more energy efficient than "modern" homes of the same size.

It's sited correctly - on a small rise, to take advantage of both the natural drainage, and the higher wind speeds. Those breezes act to cool the house in summer. The north and west are heavily shaded/recessed, while the south face is open. Today we call that "passive solar", back then they called it common sense.

Mounds built by highly-evolved African termites could inspire new types of building that are self-sufficient, environmentally friendly and cheap to run. The mounds provide a self-regulating living environment that responds to changing internal and external conditions. A multidisciplinary team of engineers and entomologists is looking at whether similar principles could be used to design buildings that need few or no mechanical services (e.g. heating and ventilation) and so use less energy and other resources than conventional structures.

(link) [Science Blog]

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