Hello and welcome to The Looking Glass, WBGS' very own Academic Blog. This year we are planning to breathe new life into this amazing blog as the Academic Head Boy team for 2025- 2026! However, at the Looking Glass we need your help to catapult this blog into it's GOLDEN AGE. We need your articles, your essays, your opinions and your finest work to MAKE THE LOOKING GLASS GREAT AGAIN! If you have read something interesting or watched something that sparked a thought on social media - WRITE ABOUT IT! If you entered a competition, however big or small - WRITE ABOUT IT! If you are interested in a specific field, issue or period - WRITE ABOUT IT! If you have produced artwork, a piece of music or creative writing - WE WILL PUBLISH IT! Your creative skills have been called to action - now we must muster to create, discover and explore. You are the creative minds of the future. The Plato's, the Newtons, the Angelo's, the Nietzsche's. This is your calling. This is Y...
Nature’s Lesson: How Termites Inspire Sustainable Buildings As temperatures climb, we are faced with the increasingly challenging task of cooling our cities - and the solution might be right beneath our feet. In the soil, reside mound-building termites. Termites are the engineers of their ecosystem, crafting what appear to be simple nests on the surface, but conceal complex systems designed to meticulously regulate temperature, humidity and gas exchange. Let’s explore how these miniscule designers inspire modern engineering and architecture; how we can harness their natural adaptability to address our own challenges. Structure of Termite Mounds These ‘super-organisms’ construct towering mounds from a type of ‘cement’ that hardens into a durable material. It is made from a mixture of the termite’s saliva, faeces and soil. The interior houses the main living area in an organised network of chambers and tunnels which serve various purposes. Lower chambers are used for cultivating fu...