From treehugger
From Japahfs - use of termite mound technology at Eastgate center a 9 story building in Zimbabwe Africa
The above building uses natural ventilation and is bio mimetic. It mimicks the termite mound design.
It thus saves on air conditioning costs. There is flue at the top where hot air gets out, and has holes at the side wich catches the breeze.
"The Eastgate Centre is a shopping centre and office block in central Harare, Zimbabwe. The building was designed to be ventilated and cooled entirely by natural means — it was biomimetically modeled on local termite mounds. It was probably the first building in the world to use natural cooling to this level of sophistication. Because of its altitude, Harare has a temperate climate despite being in the tropics, and the typical daily temperature swing is 10 or 14° C. This makes a mechanical or passive cooling system a viable alternative to artificial air-conditioning. But long before the building was created, passive cooling was being used by the local termites. Termite mounds include flues which vent through the top and sides, and the mound itself is designed to catch the breeze. As the wind blows, hot air from the main chambers below ground is drawn out of the structure, helped by termites opening or blocking tunnels to control air flow.
Via: Z + Partners"
From medscape -alternatives to keeping buildings cool and reducing power costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment