THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION The technological advances set to rock the property world Words : Patrick Kinsella | View : Urostom
Bricks and mortar have always been regarded as a solid investment and, unlike digital investments which often tend to reduce time to a snapshot; bricks and mortar seem permanently averse to the tests of time. However, technology is establishing a new-found importance within the property market, which may lead to a future where property becomes a disposable asset and demand is a thing of the past. Below, we establish the two major technological developments with the potential to transform the property world, making something as hard as bricks and mortar seem malleable and as open to the effects of technology as you and I. Mechanical Construction Crews Termite mounds, which can stand up to eight feet high, can truly be considered among the wonders of the world. They are like cities; built, rebuilt, reimagined, remade - by termites. Yet they are constructed without the help of architects, an eye in the sky and seemingly, without any leader. They are not just pointless mud heaps; in fact they contain such elaborations as ventilation, cooling systems and independent chambers
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that contain fungal gardens, hold eggs, store food and even house the egg-producing queen. These mounds, stared at by many a passer-by, are raised through a mixture of dung, saliva and soil. The moulds are pierced with many tiny holes ensuring outside air blows throughout the structure and through the central chimney, when this air blowing out of the chimney meets with fresh air it cools and sinks down into the nest, resulting in a neat ventilation system. The queen and king reside in the most-lavishly designed cavity – the Royal Chamber. Termites build a nest to help the queen in her egg-producing capacity and carry the eggs to a unique chamber, which acts as a nursery where they are fed on soil. Incredibly, the queen can do this for up to 45 years! The mound, however, outlives even the queen and the life-sustaining project continues as members live and die; the work is bestowed upon the next colony. Scientists are now trying to glean this brilliance from the insect world, creating crews of self-organising robots embodied with the same principles as an army of termites.