Plate 5 Termite Ventilation Chambers

(Source: http://inhabitat.com/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/ ; Nov.6, 2012)

Read more, “…to build a mid-rise building in Harare, Zimbabwe that has no air-conditioning, yet stays cool thanks to a termite-inspired ventilation system. The Eastgate building is modeled on the self-cooling mounds (plate 5) of Macrotermesmichaelseni, termites that maintain the temperature inside their nest to within one degree of 31 °C, day and night, - while the external temperature varies between 3 °C and 42 °C. Eastgate uses only 10 percent of the energy of a conventional building its size, saved 3.5 million in air conditioning costs in the first five years, and has rents that are 20% lower than a newer building next door.”

(Ref. http://biomimicryinstitute.org/case-studies/case-studies/termite-inspired-air-conditioning.html ; Nov.6, 2012)