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The basic look and shape of American houses and business places haven't changed much for a long time. Now, however, energy and
environmental challenges are encouraging new building materials, new ways to design buildings, and new respect for nature.
How would Mother Nature design a building?
Through 4 billion years of evolution, organisms have come up with some neat designs. Architects are beginning to look to nature for clues
to building sustainability
Perhaps most famous among biologically informed buildings is the Eastgate shopping center and office building in Harare, Zimbabwe. The
design was inspired by African termite mounds, where termites maintain a constant temperature of 87 degrees (to preserve a fungus that they
cultivate to eat) by opening and closing flues that vent hot air.
The concrete Eastgate building has no air-conditioning system. During the night, big fans draw cool outside air up through spaces between
the building's floors. During the day, smaller fans drive the warmer outside air through the same spaces, where the cool concrete moderates the
temperature. As the air warms, it rises through 48 round brick funnels and out the roof. Fresh air circulates through the building twice an hour
during the day. The building reportedly uses only 10 percent of the energy that a conventional building of the same size would use.
How about building materials inspired by nature? Architects and engineers are looking at the almost indestructible conch shell.
A conch grows itself by assembling bits of calcium carbonate into sheets and layers. It adds each new bit at a right angle to the finished bit.
inclusion about natural designs is most valid?
