{"id":265970,"date":"2023-07-07T19:48:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T17:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265970"},"modified":"2023-07-07T19:48:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T17:48:26","slug":"if-were-going-to-act-like-insects-lets-at-least-be-smart-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=265970","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf We\u2019re Going to Act Like Insects, Let\u2019s At Least Be Smart About It\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fascinating, isn\u2019t it? The latest, greatest idea to hit the \u2018green movement\u2019 \u2013 and it\u2019s borrowed from termites. Lund University just released a study stating that we can emulate the climate control used by termites in their mounds to create climate-smart buildings with a greater energy efficiency and a negligible carbon dioxide footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These termite mounds are lauded for their sophisticated ventilation systems that supposedly regulate temperature and humidity. David Andr\u00e9en, senior lecturer at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at Lund University, waxes eloquent about the digitalisation of design, biological systems, and how they<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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provide an important model for how we can best utilise these possibilities.https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/994749<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

According to the research published in Frontiers in Materials, the interiors of termite mounds consist of interconnected channels, tunnels, and air chambers. These are believed to capture wind energy for respiration \u2013 or exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment. The researchers suggest that similar structures could be integrated into building walls to facilitate a new method of controlling airflow, heat, and moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andr\u00e9en introduces the concept of creating climate-smart buildings by developing turbulent, dynamic, and variable systems. These systems would require minor energy provision and could be controlled by very small equipment. The control of these systems would only necessitate electronic control,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cwithout using mechanical components such as fans, valves.\u201dhttps:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/994749<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The research team evidently demonstrated how airflow interacts with geometry \u2013 how the parameters in a structure cause flows to arise and how these flows can be selectively regulated. Andr\u00e9en suggests that this system could be a prerequisite for a<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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distributed system in which many small sensors and regulating devices are placed in the climate-adaptive building envelope through miniaturisation, durability\/sustainability and cost reduction.https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/994749<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At this point, it must be asked: Can these principles really be applied to human architecture in a meaningful, scalable, and cost-effective manner? The report casually suggests that this revolution in architecture would be possible only with complex internal geometries achieved via 3D printing. Has anyone accounted for the resource requirements, carbon footprint, and scalability of such an approach? In light of these questions, one can\u2019t help but recall a similar time when \u201cbio-inspired\u201d design led to a spate of buildings shaped like pinecones and seashells, with little to no practical benefits or sustainability improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andr\u00e9en concludes with an almost reverent admiration for the termites\u2019 \u201cbuilding process\u201d that results in \u201cextremely complex well-functioning \u2018engineering masterpieces’\u201d without centralised control or drawings. Well, insects they might be, but one must remember that termites have been around for millions of years, fine-tuning their constructions to their specific needs and environment, without the constraints of urban planning regulations, building codes, or market forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the concept itself is intriguing, one must not forget to take into account the inherent complexities and realities of human architecture and urban development before crowning termites as our architectural messiahs. Until these climate-smart designs can demonstrate their viability in real-world applications \u2013 scaled up from termite-sized mounds to human-sized buildings, accounting for the myriad of regulations, cost considerations, and human comfort needs \u2013 one might take this research with a grain of sand\u2026 or should we say, a piece of wood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Lund University. \u201cClimate-friendly air conditioning inspired by termites.\u201d Lund University News, 2023. DOI:\u00a010.3389\/fmats.2023.1126974.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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