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A Lesson from Insects

The Eastgate Centre is an office building and shopping complex in Harare, Zimbabwe. Built in 1996, it might not be as visually impressive as the Sagrada Familia. However, the building is an excellent example of biomimicry. Due to the hot climate of Harare, air conditioning systems can be very costly to install, run, and maintain. To solve this problem, the building’s architect, Mick Pearce, turned to *termite mounds for an alternative.

Termite mounds are large structures built by certain termite species. Scientists believe that the mounds stay cool due to a constant f low of air. Each mound has a network of holes referred to as chimneys. It has a large central chimney and smaller outer chimneys that are close to the ground. The heat generated by the daily activity of the termites rises up through the central chimney, eventually escaping through the top of the mound. In the meantime, cooler air is pulled in through the smaller chimneys, keeping the termites’ home at a comfortable temperature during the hot day.

*termite 흰개미

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ARCHITECTURE / Nature : The Great Inspiration of Architects

Nature is all around us. It impresses us with its beauty and supplies us with everything we need to survive. It also provides some people with the inspiration to create things in a new way. The act of creating things based on nature is called “biomimicry.” This term is derived from the Greek words bios, meaning “life,” and mimesis, meaning “imitation.”

Architects who use biomimicry look at nature as an incredibly successful engineer who has already come up with answers to some of the problems they now face. They carefully study plants, animals, and other aspects of nature to learn how they work. As a result, they have been able to find some innovative solutions to engineering and architectural challenges.

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Also, the soil surrounding the mound absorbs heat in the hot daytime hours. Therefore, the temperature inside the mound does not increase greatly and stays relatively cool. At night, when the outside temperature goes down, the heat is finally released. This process inspired Pearce to design an innovative climate control system.

The Eastgate Centre was constructed without a conventional cooling system. Instead, Pearce used building materials that can store large amounts of heat. The floors and walls of the building absorb heat during the day, just like the soil of a termite mound. The heat is released at night, and the walls cool down, ready to store heat again by the next morning.

The structure of the building also helps keep the building cool. There are openings near the base of the building, and outside air comes into the building through them. This air is moved through the building by a system of automatic fans. Eventually, the air, along with heat generated by human activity during the day, rises upward through the building’s internal open spaces and is released through chimneys on the roof. As a result,

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The Curving Beauty of Nature

The Sagrada Familia is an enormous church in Barcelona, Spain. Designed by the world-famous architect Antoni Gaudi, the church is one of the most prominent buildings in the world. Construction of this remarkable building began in 1882, and Gaudi took over responsibility for its design in 1883.

Believe it or not, the building is still under construction. Some people love the Sagrada Familia and others hate it, but nearly everyone is fascinated by its unique design.

Gaudi believed that all architects should look to nature for inspiration.

He preferred the curves found in natural objects to the straight lines found in artificial ones. This preference can be seen in all his buildings, including the Sagrada Familia. Many parts of the church incorporate images and forms from nature. For example, the church’s spires are topped with spheres that resemble fruits. There are also turtles carved into the stone bases of columns and spiral stairs that resemble the shells of sea creatures.

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the building has not only cool temperatures but also fresh air. More importantly, the Eastgate Centre uses far less energy than other buildings, which saves money and helps protect the environment from pollution. Without the inspiration Pearce received from tiny termites, none of this would have been possible.

Using biomimicry in architecture is just one way that humans are utilizing the lessons of nature to improve the way we do things. Biomimicry is also being used to solve problems in the fields of robotics, agriculture, and many others. Imitating the ideas of nature not only helps solve problems, but it also makes us feel closer to nature. As a result, humans are more likely to stop destroying the environment and start becoming part of it instead.

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Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Sagrada Familia is the ceiling. Gaudi designed the columns inside the church to resemble trees and branches, so visitors who look up can feel as if they were standing in a great forest. The light that comes through the small holes all over the ceiling even resembles the light beaming through leaves in a forest. These tree-like columns are not just for decoration, though. Inspired by trees, Gaudi gave the columns a single base that splits off into branches near the top. This allows them to support the roof better by distributing its weight evenly. Because Gaudi recognized the superiority of natural forms, he was able to design a building that is both beautiful and functional.