Why was the Eastgate Centre built with brick and concrete?
Why was the Eastgate Centre built with brick and concrete?
The Eastgate Centre. [Photo from Wikimedia commons.] The building is made from concrete slabs and bricks. Just like the soil inside the termite mound, these materials have high “thermal mass” — which means they can absorb a lot of heat without really changing temperature.
Who designed Eastgate?
Mick Pearce
Eastgate Centre, Harare./Architects
When was the Eastgate building built?
1996
I’ve been looking at sustainable architecture examples from Africa recently, and the Eastgate building in Harare, Zimbabwe, is an iconic example. Opening in 1996, this shopping centre is a leading example of biomimicry – its design is famously inspired by the ventilation of termite mounds.
What insect inspired the building plans for the Eastgate Centre building?
Termites
What’s Eastgate Centre’s secret? Termites. In the 1990s, Mick Pearce, the building’s architect, took his inspiration from mounds built by fungus-farming termites he saw on a nature show. The insects created their own air conditioning systems that circulated hot and cool air between the mound and the outside.
What was the natural inspiration for the Eastgate Center in Zimbabwe?
termite mounds
While subsequent research on termite mounds has altered our understanding of the function of mound structures, the Eastgate Centre still achieves a controlled internal climate with the help of cost-effective and energy-efficient mechanisms originally inspired by termite mounds. used in the Eastgate building in Harare.
How does the Eastgate Centre work?
The Eastgate Centre, largely made of concrete, has a ventilation system which operates in a similar way. Outside air that is drawn in is either warmed or cooled by the building mass depending on which is hotter, the building concrete or the air.
How intelligent are termites?
Termites are the oldest social animals, starting elaborate societies 200 million years ago—50 million years before ants and bees. Like ants and bees (described in previous posts Remarkable Bee Brain and Ant Intelligence Update), termites exhibit remarkable individual and group intelligence.
Why do termites build towers?
Termite mounds function as a ventilation system. A temperature change will cause internal flows in the mound, which move pheromone-like cues around, triggering building behavior in individual termites.
What advantage is gained from the unique design of the Eastgate building in Zimbabwe?
The Eastgate Centre is a shopping center and office building located in Harare, Zimbabwe. Rather than using a traditional fuel-based air-conditioning system to regulate temperature within the building, the Eastgate Centre is designed to exploit more passive and energy-efficient mechanisms of climate control.
What is inside a termite mound?
The mound is constructed out of a mixture of soil, termite saliva and dung. Although the mound appears solid, the structure is incredibly porous. Its walls are filled with tiny holes that allow outside air to enter and permeate the entire structure.
Where is the Eastgate Mall in Cincinnati Ohio?
Eastgate Mall (Cincinnati) Eastgate Mall is a shopping mall located in Glen Este, Ohio, in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. The mall contains over 90 stores, with Dillard’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Sears serving as anchor stores. CBL & Associates Properties owns and manages the mall.
What kind of stores are in Eastgate Mall?
The mall contains over 90 stores, with Dillard’s, JCPenney, Kohl’s, and Sears serving as anchor stores. CBL & Associates Properties owns and manages the mall.
Who is the owner of Eastgate Mall in Chattanooga?
The mall’s owner, CBL Properties of Chattanooga, Tenn., told investors in an Aug. 18 securities filing that it expects to cooperate with lenders on “foreclosure or conveyance proceedings” to settle a $32 million mortgage debt.
How does the Eastgate Centre get its energy?
The fresh air replaces stale air that rises and exits through exhaust ports in the ceilings of each floor. Ultimately it enters the exhaust section of the vertical ducts before it is flushed out of the building through chimneys. The Eastgate Centre uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building its size.