Imitating nature in man-made systems. One of the most notable examples is the Eastgate Center in Harare, Zimbabwe, a shopping center built in 1996 that was constructed using principles discovered in termite mounds in the desert. The termites maintain an almost perfectly uniform temperature for their food inside, even though outside temperatures range from near freezing at night to over 100 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the day. The even temperature is accomplished by continuously opening and closing a series of vents throughout the day. The Eastgate Center uses 10% of the energy of a traditional building to keep cool. See bionic.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Turning nature's design into scientific breakthrough
- Turning nature's design into scientific breakthroughSo Very Cool pun intendedOne of the emerging laws of self-organization is that efficiency, as measured by sustainability is a major driver of evolution. Ultimately more efficient designs are more sustainable with less energy expenditure, and that means better survivability in times of limited resource....
- Discussion threads 2006-03-01
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