ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 405

Figure 4: (a) Termites before pouring plaster into the mound; (b) Termites channels and tunnels becoming sculptured to its natural shape; (c) Connection of the top of the nest to the chimney; (d) Cross
section of the channels (Hansell 2007)
In the process of the release of the carbon dioxide, the mound is embedded with high and low
CO2 isobar. The pressure defers in the nest according to the chambers and the tunnels’ location in
the mound. This sheds light on the process of building the mound itself. After the queen mates
and produces its egg in a small whole underground, the workers who are the first patch of eggs
start to remove the soil to create a chamber. As Turner (2007) explained that “the upward growth
of the spire arise from the isobars being squeezed together above the nest by the upward push
of the heated nest air” (Turner 2007:24). The pores and the channels are a cause of the termite’s
movement to alter and build their colony. It creates pores and cavities in the mound to release the
high CO2 isobars but places the soil to create a barrier in areas that is low in CO2 isobars.

Sustainability in nature: lessons for yas island housing community in Abu Dhabi

403