The termite mound: a “burrow” of genius

Termite mounds have fascinated entomologists, scientists and architects for many years… Let’s see why the termite house fascinates so many specialists.

N.D.L.R. this article looks at termite mounds around the world. For example, many of the most unusual termite mounds are found outside Europe.

Termite mound: immersion is necessary

Can you see what a termite mound looks like from the outside? Very good. What about inside?
You’re not alone: even the experts are still debating how these blind little beasts build such habitats… and the debate continues over “how and why” the inside of a termite mound is so perfectly organised… Yes, we can assure you, and you’ll understand why.

Why do we talk about perfect organisation?
Regardless of the size of the termite mound (in some countries termite mounds can be two or three metres high), the society of millions of termites that live there do so in perfect symbiosis. Termite mounds are examples of architecture, structure and society. Take the example below:

In Africa, termite mounds face a particularly hostile climate… During the day, the temperature can rise to over 40° Celsius, only to fall back to around 0° Celsius at night. The most impressive thing is that the temperature inside a termite mound remains at 27° Celsius… This feat is made possible by a large number of tunnels, ventilation ducts and insulating materials that allow controlled optimisation of the incoming and outgoing air. African termites have the ability to build buildings, live in colonies and control air conditioning!
In addition, African termites develop a fungus (Termitomyces) in their habitat that is essential to the colony.

The termite mound, a true source of architectural inspiration

Does the concept of bio-mimicry mean anything to you? This is the :

A sustainable innovation approach that consists of transferring and adapting solutions already developed by nature (fauna, flora, etc.) to the human species  Larousse.

Let’s take a simple example of little-known bio-mimicry… Originally, it was a plant, burdock, that enabled a Swiss man to invent Velcro that enabled a Swiss man to invent Velcrosimply by imitating the plant’s hooks (which stick everywhere)!

So why shouldn’t the termite mound be the source of future advances? For example, in the construction industry.
Architects have already studied the subject, and the “future of building” does exist today… One of its representatives is the Eastgate Center.
Let’s go back to Africa, to Zimbabwe to be precise. Architect Mike Pearce was inspired by termite mounds to construct a building without air conditioning. However, by reproducing the model of a termite mound, the temperature remains stable at around 27° Celsius..

A network of mounds built by termites was recently discovered in north-east Brazil. There’s nothing special about it, apart from the fact that it covers an area of 230,000 km2! In comparison, it’s the size of Great Britain..

According to the researchers on site, this is the largest structure built by a single species over thousands of years. Strictly speaking, it’s not a group of termite mounds, but it’s underneath that a city of termites is hidden. You can imagine the size of this population..

While termites are the cause of many problems in our homes, we have to admit that theirs are astonishing… Of all sizes, adapted to a constant flow of millions ofwood-eating insectsperfectly regulated in terms of temperature and space, it’s logical to see so many experts trying to understand how this world works..