Dear all, Upon inheriting the Looking Glass from our predecessors, we identified a number of key issues. Firstly, there were simply not enough articles being published, due both to a lack of submissions from the school community and limited responsiveness from the previous Academic Team. Secondly, the Looking Glass had not been advertised or explained effectively enough to the wider school community. As a result, we plan to implement a more consistent and engaging stream of articles on the Looking Glass. As part of this initiative, we are looking to recruit a select group of keen writers from across the lower school who would be willing to produce one high-quality piece of writing, discussion, or media each month for publication on the Looking Glass. We believe this will be hugely beneficial both to the school community, which will gain access to a wider range of opinions and viewpoints, and to prospective writers, who will be able to reference their experience contributing to the Look...
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...