Nature-Inspired Innovations: How Studying Termites Could Revolutionize Sustainable Building Design

12th June 2023

Did you know that nature may hold the key to creating more sustainable buildings? A recent piece of research published in Frontiers in Materials, reveals scientists have discovered how to create living and breathing buildings that consume less energy, by studying nature’s designs and the key may lie in termite mounds!

Nature has a wealth of examples of sustainable solutions that we can emulate for modern building design. For instance, termites have built-in HVAC systems in their towering mounds, which regulate air flow to maintain a constant internal temperature. Researchers have discovered that this principle can be applied to create energy-efficient and sustainable buildings – ones that function more like living organisms, adapting to their surroundings.

This breakthrough has the potential to massively change the way the construction industry builds structures. With a buildings consuming a notable percentage of global energy consumption, this can have a profound impact on our environment given the right adoption. But this is just the beginning. As we continue to explore nature’s design innovations, who knows what other sustainable solutions we may discover? From biomimicry to circular economy principles, there is so much potential for creating a more sustainable future.

As sustainability professionals, we have a responsibility to embrace innovative and sustainable building practices to do our part for the environment. This development is another great example of how biomimicry can deliver revolutionary solutions that were originally hidden in plain sight.

Let’s keep pushing for innovative and sustainable solutions inspired by nature, to ensure we build a better and more sustainable future.

Read the full research article here https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2023.1126974/full