Biomimetic Ventilation in Sub-Saharan Urban Housing

This article examines how a termite-mound-inspired passive ventilation strategy can address indoor thermal comfort and energy-efficiency challenges in multi-storey residential buildings within Yaoundé's humid equatorial climate. Focusing on the "Climatic Termite Mound" concept developed for a five-storey (R+5) collective housing project in the Olembé district, the study investigates how convective stack-effect principles observed in termite mounds can be translated into architectural chimneys, façade screens, and roof systems suitable for dense urban housing. Adopting a single embedded case-study design, the research analyses a residential building conceived through a combined Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflow for a real plot in Olembé 2. Site climatic data were processed using Climate Consultant to characterise passive-cooling potential, while four biomorphic design variants generated via GenAI were evaluated against sunlight, ventilation, siting, accessibility, and programme criteria. The selected variant was then modelled in BIM to size two central climatic chimneys using air-change-rate and stack-effect calculations, alongside embodied energy, CO₂, and cost assessments. The resulting paired central chimney system (4.30 m² each), combined with high-level transoms, perforated brick screens, and a multifunctional roof, reproduces the termite mound's convective loop, extracting warm air at approximately three air changes per hour without mechanical assistance. East–west orientation and balcony shading further limit solar gain while exposing long façades to dominant winds, although structural concrete and steel still contribute over 93% of the estimated 1,356 tonnes of incorporated CO₂. Ultimately, this article contributes one of the first documented applications of termite-mound biomimicry to Central African multi-storey housing, extending the Eastgate Centre precedent to Yaoundé's climate, while also demonstrating how GenAI-assisted variant generation—cross-checked against bioclimatic criteria—can operationalise biomimicry early in the design process, offering a transferable framework for climate-responsive densification across Sub-Saharan African cities.