In 1991, architect Mick Pearce had a problem.// An investment group in Harare, Zimbabwe hired him to design the largest office and retail building in the country.// But they didn’t want to pay for the expensive air conditioning needed to cool such a large building.// So that left Pearce with a seemingly impossible challenge: How do you design a building that cools itself?//
　　This is a termite mound.// Millions of termites live inside these structures, some of which stretch an astonishing 30 feet high.// Although these termite skyscrapers may look solid from the outside, they are actually covered in tiny holes that allow air to pass through freely.// Like a giant lung, the structure inhales and exhales as temperatures rise and fall throughout the day.// This termite ventilation inspired Pearce to use an approach known as biomimicry, imitating the ingenuity found in nature to solve human problems.//
　　Meet the Eastgate Center.// The building is made from concrete slabs and brick.// Just like the soil inside a termite mound, these materials have a high “thermal mass”— which means they can absorb a lot of heat without really changing temperature.// The exterior of the building is prickly like a cactus.// By increasing the amount of surface area, heat loss is improved at night, while heat gain is reduced during the day.// Inside the building, low-power fans pull in cool night air from outside and disperse it throughout the seven floors.// The concrete blocks absorb the cold, insulating the building and chilling the circulating air.// When the morning comes and temperatures rise, warm air is vented up through the ceiling and released by the chimneys.//
　　Thanks to this innovative design, temperatures inside stay at a comfortable 82 degrees during the day and 57 degrees at night.// Not to mention, it uses up to 35% less energy than similar buildings in Zimbabwe.// Since opening its doors in 1996, Mick Pearce’s 90% natural climate control system has made the Eastgate Center a global landmark for sustainability.//
　　So, we must ask ourselves: if an architect could design a self-cooling building with termite-inspired climate control, what other innovations can Mother Nature inspire if we just paid closer attention?//