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Official publication of the Green Building Council of South Africa

impact

Building it Back Betterreimagining a post-Covid-19 world

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TS69 CASE STUDIES GREEN BUILDING SERVICES

MATERIAL AND TECHNOLOGY 69 Thermguard 70 Frost International 71 Sonae ARAUCO 72 Isoboard

2 INSIGHT BUILDING IT BACK BETTER A note from the editor, Mary Anne Constable

6 GBCSA THOUGHT LEADER GBCSA AND THE GREEN RECOVERY Welcome to the new GBCSA CEO, Lisa Reynolds

8 SPECIAL REPORT BUILDING IT BACK BETTER +Impact interviews built environment stakeholders to determine how we can build it back better

16 PROJECT IT’S WHAT’S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS The Ridge, a signature new development in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront

25 PROFILE CoJ PARKS Park partnerships unlock value

26 PROJECT A SHOT IN THE ARM FOR SUSTAINABLE HEALTHCARE Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings’ Head and Neck Hospital is the first healthcare facility in Africa to be awarded a Green Star rating

34 PROFILE AGRéMENT SOUTH AFRICA EcoASA, the environmental product labelling system

36 INTERIORS CONNECTING HEALTH WITH WEALTH Nedbank Umhlanga Park Square has been awarded the GBCSA’s Interior v1 5-Star rating

44 POLICY STEPS TO GREEN Updated SANS 10400-XA standards push closer to Net Zero targets

50 HEALTH A FRESH TAKE ON INDOOR AIR QUALITY The World Green Building Council’s Plant a Sensor Campaign is a breath of fresh air

56 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP THE POWER OF ARCHITECTURE Covid and the built environment

62 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP OUR WORLD IN 2050 Imagining four plausible futures

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Editor www.thepaperarchitect.com

Mary Anne Constable

I last wrote to you on day five of Lockdown in South Africa. By now, around ninety days later, the world seems to have dismantled itself at a rapid pace, leaving us in the process of picking up the pieces and putting it back together. In South Africa, much of the dismantling has taken the form of economic fallout, social

instability, and extreme unemployment. It’s safe to say, there is unlikely to be any consistent form of ‘new normal’ until the country has weathered the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, but in this in-between transition space, there is an opportunity for us to stop and reflect, and begin to reimagine what our future new normal might look like. Will we build this one back better than the last? And how?

A pressing concern is that, while Covid-19 has temporarily eclipsed the climate conversation, it hasn’t made it disappear. And unless we want to be caught off-guard with our heads in the sand, our reimagining of a ‘post-corona’ world, should undoubtedly have sustainability at the forefront. For the built environment, this means building back not only better but building back greener.

In this wintery issue of +Impact Magazine, we delve into some of the current discussions around Covid-19’s effects on the built environment. In a special report that reflects the title question of this issue, we surveyed some top industry professionals across the public and private sectors about how Covid-19 is affecting decision-making across the sector and explored how we can build South Africa better while keeping sustainability top of mind.

We delve into the oh-so-topical subject of health with a feature on Growthpoint’s new 5-Star Head and Neck Clinic in Tshwane, discuss the effects of indoor air quality on the wellbeing of building occupants, and showcase Nedbank’s new Park Square green interior in Umhlanga. As always, we applaud those who are already building greener and setting new benchmarks, like The Ridge development at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront which repurposed around 5.2 tons of plastic waste (contained in ecobricks) in the building’s foundations. Mass Architects discuss the current state of architecture and Covid-19, and Arup presents an intriguing glimpse of potential future worlds.

In this in-between transition space, there is an opportunity for us to stop and reflect, and begin to reimagine what our future new normal might look like. Will we build this one

back better than the last?

Lastly, as these last few months have been a rollercoaster time of transition for many all over the world, they have been a time of beginnings and endings. For me, a moving on from my editorship at +Impact Magazine, making this issue the last for which I flex my pen (as editor at least). I feel immensely privileged to have walked alongside the GBCSA in the building of the +Impact brand and will leave a piece of my heart behind with it. I do not doubt that the GBCSA will grow from strength to strength in advocating for a greener and more sustainable built environment, and +Impact will continue to be its persuasive resounding voice.

Find me at www.thepaperarchitect.com, where sustainability in the built environment will continue to be my passion. We’ll meet again on the other side, another time, another place.

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INSIGHT

ARE YOU A LEADER IN SUSTAINABILITY?Enter the AfriSam-SAIA Sustainable Design Award 2020

The Award recognises design excellence in the following four categories:

A) Sustainable ArchitectureB) Research in SustainabilityC) Sustainable Products and TechnologyD) Sustainable Social Programmes

To mark a decade of the Award programme, all practitioners of sustainable design are invited to enter projects that respond to innovative architectural and design thinking in the field of sustainability into the AfriSam-SAIA Sustainable Design Award 2020. The AfriSam-SAIA Sustainable Design Award recognises contributions that bring sustainable

innovation to both urban and rural living environments through an integrated approach to communities, planning, research, architecture, building practice, natural systems and technology. Entries should demonstrate how they embody sound practices, that bear the hallmarks of great architectural, social design and innovative thinking in the field of sustainability, to achieve a better future for all.

How to enter:Entries can be submitted online at www.sustainabledesign.co.za by 31 March 2020, Midnight (GMT+2)

If you are experiencing any di�culty in entering online, mail [email protected]

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All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any way or in any form without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the GBCSA or the Publisher. All editorial and advertising contributions are accepted on the understanding that the contributor either owns or has obtained all necessary copyrights and permissions. GBCSA and the Publisher do not endorse any claims made in the publication by or on behalf of any organisations or products. Please address any concerns in this regard to the Publisher.

Positive Impact Magazine is printed by FA Print, a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor, on quality paper which carries Forest Stewardship Council chain of custody certification.

Editor Mary Anne [email protected]

Production Manager Alexis Knipe

Editorial Advisory - GBCSAGeorgina SmitJenni Lombard

Jo Anderson

Editorial ContributorsCalyn Moneron

Mary Anne ConstableAdam OzinskyTessa BrunetteAndrew Brose

Peta BromNicole Cameron

Gillian GernetzkyMelinda Hardisty

Anne Schauffer

Design and Layout Carla Lawrence, CDC Design

GM: Media Sales Danielle Solomons

[email protected]

Media Sales Manager Thandiswa Mbijane

[email protected]

Media SalesGerard Jeffcote

Munyaradzi JaniVania Reyneke

Chief Executive Officer Lisa ReynoldsChief Financial Officer Pardon Mutasa

Publisher Gordon [email protected] Resourcing (Pty) Ltd t/a GreenEconomy.MediaReg no. 2005/003854/07

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The official publication of GBCSAimpact WINNER

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ADvERTISE wITH USFor advertising and sponsored content contact Thandiswa Mbijane: [email protected]

Advertising rates are discounted for GBCSA members and further discounts are available for booking multiple editions in 2020.

Positive Impact, the official publication of the GBCSA, presents thought leadership from local and international green building commentators and practitioners, and showcases the excellent work of GBCSA members.

Are you a thought leader in your relevant field? GBCSA members are invited to submit stories about projects, design concepts, materials, research, and anything else that promotes a healthy sustainable built environment. Submit a 200-word description of your content idea with 1-2 images to: [email protected]


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Green Building Council of South Africa

Lisa Reynolds

precincts or neighbourhoods will be able to assist water-poor areas in mitigating future water shortage risks. This also plays a role in minimising the health risk for communities where there is no easy access to clean, running water.

CITIES AND NEIGHBOURHOODSThe Green Recovery goes beyond buildings and into green precincts and green communities. Planning and installing green spaces within cities and neighbourhoods assists with employment, the health and well-being of communities, as well as mitigating the impacts of climate. Less hard surfaces within these areas add to the ‘sponge city’ effect. When it rains or when it storms, these areas absorb the rain and there is less stormwater flooding along the streets, pavements and highways.

MANUFACTURINGEnergy efficiency within the manufacturing of construction materials, textiles and food industries could increase employment. Again, these have direct pay-back for the businesses and minimises resource security risks.

Low-carbon transport Once again South Africa is feeling the effect of the exchange rate and our dependence on oil! Throughout the world, oil prices have dropped to historical lows, yet, in South Africa fuel prices are increasing. Moving to electric vehicles and e-mobility public transport reduces exposure to the cost of fuel. And yes, taxis are included in the e-mobility concepts. Taxi ranks are a perfect place for charging stations and can be part of the e-mobility infrastructure plans.

The building of the infrastructure and the moving of public transport to electric will create massive employment possibilities. The added benefit is the higher productivity due to the reduction of traffic.

As we emerge from lockdown, we know we are in for a tough time for

a while, but it is also an ideal time to think innovatively and drive a Green

Recovery where we also deal with the persistent threat of climate change.

A Green Recovery could benefit the planet, climate, human

health and prosperity.

“The current crisis compels humanity to reconsider how we connect and interact with each other and with the planet. Now, more than ever, we must consider our impact on the world around us. Recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is inevitable, so we have an unprecedented opportunity to drive a green recovery led by sustainability and green solutions,” says GBCSA CEO, Lisa Reynolds.

GBCSA AND THE GREEN RECOvERYSOUTH AFRICA MUST RECOvER ECONOMICALLY, SO wHY NOT MAkE IT A GREEN RECOvERY?

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The impact of Covid-19 and the associated risks it poses to business is foremost in the minds of companies. However, the risks of climate change should not fall off their radars.

The lack of energy and water security due to climate change will exacerbate the economic and viability of business risks resulting from Covid-19. The solution is to rebuild the economy in a way that mitigates climate change risks. A strategy of simultaneous solutions – a Green Recovery strategy!

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published a Sustainable Recovery Plan. According to the analysis conducted in co-operation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the IEA estimates that targeted policies and investment between 2021 and 2023 could boost global economic growth by an average of 1.1% a year. Its Sustainable Recovery Plan would also save or create around 9-million jobs a year and reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5-billion tonnes globally.

Therefore, a Green Recovery could benefit the planet, climate, human health and prosperity. But what does this mean and how comprehensive would a Green Recovery be across sectors? (Thank you to UCL’s Chair in Sustainable Global Resources, Raimund Bleischwitz for some of these insights).

CREATION OF GREEN JOBS“Governments have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reboot their economies and bring a wave of new employment opportunities while accelerating the shift to a more resilient and cleaner energy future,” says IEA executive director, Dr Fatih Birol.

BETTER BUILDINGSThere is a huge job creation potential in the refurbishment of buildings to improve both energy and water efficiency. Mass retrofitting of buildings with energy efficiency interventions, water-efficient fixtures, water recovery storage and renewable energy sources can be a source of employment for many.

Why would businesses be interested in these refurbishments? Because it results in assets that have lower running costs, are more resource-efficient, and healthier for its occupants and thus more attractive to potential tenants. The improved ‘health’ of green buildings was always an intangible benefit to going green. At the time where the health and wellness of our spaces are paramount, this benefit becomes very tangible.

Another reason for doing these refurbishments is that they reduce resource security risks. For example, projects where rainwater and/or greywater harvesting storage systems could be shared between buildings,

BONUS: SOUTH AFRICA MEETS CARBON REDUCTION TARGETSLeaders throughout the world have been asking for strategies and action plans to achieve ambitious carbon reduction targets. The world also needs to move towards net zero carbon goals and more circular economies. The Green Recovery assists South Africa to achieve the carbon reduction goals it agreed to in the Paris Accord on climate change.

The IEA Sustainable Recovery Plan states that: “Past financial recoveries – for example, following the 2008/09 crisis – have been matched with rebounding global carbon dioxide emissions. Along with bringing projected emissions in 2023 significantly below where they currently are, the sustainable recovery plan would also see air pollution improved, reducing health risks around the world. Increased efficiency and lower carbon energy generation, as laid out in the plan, have the potential to make 2019 the ‘definitive peak’ in global emissions, putting us on a path to achieve longer-term climate goals, including the Paris Agreement."

TOwARDS THE GREEN RECOvERY“As we emerge from lockdown, we know we are in for a tough time for a while, but it is also an ideal time to think innovatively and drive a Green Recovery where we also deal with the persistent threat of climate change. I encourage everyone to embrace a Green Recovery – creating healthier, resource-efficient and meaningful spaces in the built environment that respond to climate-related challenges,” concludes Reynolds.

And on that note… How does GBCSA host a world-class convention during the Green Recovery?

GREEN BUILDING CONvENTIONGBCSA’s contribution to the Green Recovery in 2020 is to take our flagship annual convention online. Our very first VIRTUAL Green Building Convention will be held from 28 to 30 October on an immersive and interactive platform. So, we can continue to learn, grow, connect and navigate our way to a better, more sustainable future in an exciting virtual world – zero carbon footprint and zero health risk.

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LISA REYNOLDS, CEO, GBCSAThe Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) announced the appointment of sustainability expert Lisa Reynolds as CEO from 1 June 2020.

Reynolds is a long-time champion of green building practices. Beyond her qualifications, which include a BSc (Chemistry), CEM and an MBA, Reynolds was a co-founder of the Green Building Design Group, the Sustainability Development Executive at Saint-Gobain and Chair of the SANS Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings initiative.

To increase her direct contribution to the growth of the Green Economy, Reynolds was President of the Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation and is the serving Past President.

Reynolds has a proven track record with GBCSA, which includes serving on the first Technical Working Group for the Green Star SA rating tool, as well as on the Board of Directors.

The GBCSA’s rating tools provide a fundamental platform to measure and reduce the environmental impact of buildings and, steered by Reynolds, the Council’s agenda will be more relevant than ever.

Lisa Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer, GBCSA


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SPECIAL REPORT


SPECIAL REPORT

Betterit back

+Impact interviews various stakeholders across the built environment public and private sectors, questioning what a post-Covid-19 world might look like, and asking, how can we build it back better?

WORDS Mary Anne Constable

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Building

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has temporarily crowded out the global climate agenda from the news, while also incidentally contributing to a decrease in global pollution, our need to create a low- carbon economy continues in full force. The built environment and property sectors have a huge role to play in driving this agenda forward.

There is an opportunity afforded by the present crisis, to catalyse the transition to a resilient sustainable future, and to build things back better than before. We asked several stakeholders how Covid-19 might inform some of the decision-making along the value chain of design, construction and operation of buildings and infrastructure in South Africa.

The reference to ‘building it back better’ developed in response to natural disaster relief efforts, such as fires or hurricanes. Within the context of Covid-19, which is a more longstanding health and financial disaster, I believe it means how we will shape our fiscal stimulus policies, long-term infrastructure planning and detailed design thinking to plan for a future in which sustainability is prioritised and incentivised. It is about using the opportunity to rebuild our systems, cities and communities in a way that learns from our mistakes in the past and corrects them with in-built resilience and good design. What this means to me as a representative of the GBCSA, is that we believe that green buildings play a vital role in our future’s green recovery.

Post Covid-19, I think we are going to see an

GREEN BUILDINGS PLAY A VITAL ROLE

increased focus on healthy buildings – in terms of providing improved air quality, appropriate surface design and selection (to mitigate against viral and bacterial contamination and spread) and enhanced workspace efficiency. Decision-making will be informed by selecting options that improve a building’s ability to continue operating in the time of health crises.

The government should consider policies and stimulus packages that promote sustainability options that deliver on green economy dual benefits such as job creation and improved quality of living standards. We need to have a local understanding and pool of talent to drive green economy solutions in South Africa. Enablers for this include incentives for going green to developers and project owners.

GeorGina SmitHead of Sector Development and Market Transformation, GBCSAwww.gbcsa.org.za

The significance of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy of South Africa cannot be overstated. It represents a significant decline not just to the South African economy but to the world economy. It is also unique in that it is both a supply-side and demand-side shock. South Africa entered this challenging period in a weakened position with limited fiscal headspace due to the technical recession at the end of 2019 and the downgrade of our sovereign debt by Moody’s to sub-investment grade. As such, a supply-side stimulus is required by government to get supply chains moving while encouraging localisation and job creation.

Given South Africa’s limited fiscal headspace, the funding of the post-Covid recovery needs to crowd-in sources of funding from outside of government. This has

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT INVESTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE

Dr. KGoSientSo ramoKGoPa Head of Investment and Infrastructure Office, South African Presidency www.thepresidency.gov.za

led to engagements with the multilateral development banks, the development finance institutions, commercial banks, and infrastructure facing business organisations. They have indicated the need for an updated country infrastructure pipeline and have committed resources to the evaluation of said pipeline. This process will culminate in the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa (SIDSSA) on 23 June 2020. The ‘Sustainable’ in SIDSSA refers to the need for the project pipeline to align with South Africa’s commitments in terms of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alignment of the SIDSSA to the SDGs and the National Development Plan allows for South Africa to access a greater pool of liquidity and at preferential rates for the funding of the project pipeline.

Alignment of the SIDSSA to the SDGs and the National Development Plan allows for South Africa to access a greater pool of liquidity and at preferential rates for the funding of the

project pipeline. - Dr. Kgosientso Ramokgopa

Ihsaan Haffejee

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The socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 have given rise to the opportunity, and the necessity, to take stock and adjust the course towards a better future. For a commercial property development to be sustainable, it must be relevant post-Covid-19 and for a long time into the future. Developers need to be able to adapt to constant change.

ADAPTING TO CHANGE IN COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

The concept of adaptive reuse of buildings is likely to become more prominent as buildings are repurposed for new functions. - Lesley Sibanda

ruDolf Pienaar Chief Development and Investment Officer, Growthpoint www.growthpoint.co.za

The role that workspaces play in protecting people’s health and safety has rapidly become a critical factor for the commercial property industry. Fortunately, many considerations for the health and wellness of building occupants are aligned closely with the considerations already in place for green building and the WELL certification.

Working in the South African built environment, I have observed important shifts driven by Covid-19 in designing spaces within the buildings; provision of fresh air, increased monitoring of internal conditions, maintenance and cleaning activities, and different procedures for entering the buildings and using facilities. All measures are taken to ensure the health and well-being of occupants and visitors of buildings and communities at large.

In terms of infrastructure, many leading global cities are changing the way public transport works by making a concerted effort to increase alternative mobility, i.e. non-motorised transport, including cycling lanes and bicycles, e-scooters, and pedestrianising the inner cities.

In returning to a ‘normal’ post-Covid19 world, our efforts towards a more sustainable future must be renewed and intensified – as we are rebuilding parts of the economy that have been negatively affected or

SHIFTING TRENDS IN DESIGN

‘Building it back better’ allows us to imagine what we would like the future to be, and to play an active part in creating the quality and sustainable spaces that will be the building blocks of this better future. For Growthpoint, our drive continues to provide quality, green, healthy spaces that work best for our clients, our communities, and our world.

The recent move towards densifying office space is likely to be reversed for apparent reasons. Also, the lockdown has highlighted our deep human need for collaboration and connection, with so many people saying they miss tapping into the energy that they feel in their workspaces. While this trend was already observable before Covid-19 arrived, the workplaces of the future will be designed and developed with more collaborative spaces to embrace interaction and facilitate formal and informal meeting. This is as true for office space as it is for retail space, where people also seek to meet their social needs.

With many workers and employers having experienced some of the benefits of working from home and invested significantly in making this possible, working is likely

to become a more agile activity in future. Workspaces will become more flexible platforms that include everything from remote working solutions to spaces that accommodate more traditional home activities, such as interactions with family and pets. Relevant, sustainable buildings will need flexibility built in. To some extent, the office is now competing with the home. We expect that this will also be incorporated in workspace design.

Being able to live, work, shop, exercise and more in our communities became a necessity during various Covid-19 lockdown levels. Those residing in mixed-use environments were able to appreciate the benefit of their environment to the fullest and were better able to comply with the regulations. To this point, when commercial, retail, and residential activity co-exists, it offers enormous health, wellness and lifestyle benefits, not to mention lower transport costs and carbon emissions.

Mixed-use environments can embrace different economic groupings in thoughtful and inclusive ways. Access to open space has been highlighted, and ‘green lungs’ and other public areas are a sacrosanct component of mixed-use development.

Yovka RaYtcheva-Schaap Associate, ESD Consulting and Project Management, Aurecon www.aurecongroup.com

introducing new industries. It is our responsibility to shape a more sustainable future.

It is the government’s responsibility to lead the shift towards a decarbonised economy and inclusive communities, and as such, the first step would be to remove the impediments to produce energy from sources other than fossil fuel.

South African’s geographic location is such that a much higher proportion of the national energy mix could be attributed to renewable sources, however, the legal and the regulatory framework as well as the government procurement policies need to change to enable this shift.

The government should incentivise local capacity and production in the sustainable environment to create a leading industry that facilitates the decarbonising of the economy while creating jobs and uplifting the communities.

Post Covid-19, more emphasis will be given to occupant health and comfort and strategies aimed at improving health through improved ventilation, access to natural light, less toxic material use, indoor plants, open green spaces for exercise and relaxation. The concept of adaptive reuse of buildings is likely to become more prominent as buildings are repurposed for new functions. Also, reduced commuting needs, as more people work from home, will result in transformed mobility patterns, and reimagining digital infrastructure across the cities.

The urban planning and sustainable design of a city’s agenda in the post-Covid-19 world will need to focus on building resilience to pandemics such as disease, climate change, natural hazards, and unrest. Urban planning will need to make cities more inclusive, resilient, safe, and sustainable. Mixed-use precinct development will likely be on the rise with a renewed focus on promoting local lifestyles as well as healthier and safer spaces for all.

RESILIENT CITIES PAVE THE WAY FORWARD

leSley SibanDaC40 Technical Officer, Energy Efficiency in New Buildings (SA Buildings Programme), Sustainable Energy Africa www.c40.org

The government needs to develop economic stimulus packages that have climate action and resilience to future shocks as the core principles. These recovery stimulus packages to build the economy must prioritise the transition to a low-carbon future while simultaneously reducing exposure to future crises and reducing health threats to the most vulnerable people in our society.

Stimulus packages must facilitate investments in low carbon urban infrastructure, and local renewable energy production to avoid a rebound of greenhouse gas emissions. These stimulus packages include supportive structures and mechanisms for local government to actively engage in decentralised renewable energy production, stimulate local economic development and localisation of products through financial incentives and building strong partnerships between the spheres of government, business, unions, civil society, communities and academics.

It is the government’s responsibility to lead the shift towards a decarbonised economy and inclusive communities, and as such, the first step would be to remove the impediments to produce energy

from sources other than fossil fuel. - Yovka Raytcheva-Schaap

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According to psychologist Rucksana Christian, the first responses to this pandemic have been very classical flight, fight or freeze responses. And this has been illustrated in the reactions to the pandemic – first the global and local lockdowns, which were reasonably successful in the initial phase of viral containment, have already exacted severe economic and social costs. An economic stagnation followed that has pushed the water sector toward a financial crisis with the conventional wisdom predicting a 4.5% decrease in African GDP. This has put an unwieldy strain on resources for aspirations such as universal access to clean water and safe sanitation as envisaged by SDG 6.

But there is always opportunity in crisis. The global ‘Great Pause’ caused by Covid-19, has shown many benefits, perhaps in ways that we did not expect. The halting of industrial processes, smaller numbers of vehicles on the road and a diminishing of human activity have given the earth a chance to breathe. We have been given a brief glimpse of a lower carbon world. Secondly, in our quest to keep the wheels of the world’s socio-economy functional, Covid-19 has been the big disruptor and the real catalyst for the

A TURNING POINT FOR THE WATER SECTOR

DheSiGen naiDoo CEO, Water Research Commission www.wrc.org.za

Fourth Industrial Revolution. We have had a taste of the virtual way-of-work and made the gig economy a reality.

As we begin to return to ‘normal’ post-Covid-19, we would be wise to engage these recent learnings and express some ambition. This could be the turning point the African water sector has been hoping for; an opportunity to redirect and prioritise funding to water and sanitation projects as a major safeguard against the spread of infection and well-being – further attainment of water security deals. According to the Global Risk Register of the World Economic Forum, water has been in the top five risks to the global economy over the past nine consecutive years.

Finally, we can advance more rapidly to a greener lower carbon future on the back of groundbreaking scientific and engineering developments like low-energy wastewater treatment and no-sewered-sanitation. With the right choices, in the direction of better water infrastructure and new sanitation, the recovery and stimulus packages being considered by governments worldwide could usher in a greener, more inclusive, healthier world.

This could be the turning point the African water sector has been hoping for; an opportunity to redirect and prioritise funding to water and sanitation projects

as a major safeguard against the spread of infection and well-being. - Dhesigen Naidoo

When it comes to Covid-19, it is our policies that need to change more so than architecture. Yet, the mission related to creating living buildings and communities and reducing environmental impact has not changed at all. This year is turning into a ‘pause’ year and we still must get back to the same mission with renewed vigour.

About 2020 being forecast as the year of twenty-twenty ‘perfect’ vision, I have been saying that life imitates art sometimes. This is turning out to be an incredible year of reflection where it has become obvious to so many, how society needs to change – and now social justice issues in addition to the issues of health and inequities tied to resources are evident. Hopefully with all of this introspection – plus here in the United States, it’s a pretty important election year – it is a ‘shaking up’ moment: “Do we truly see clearly, or not?” It’s as if the glasses that were fogged

REFLECTING ON ARCHITECTURE FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

JaSon f. mclennan Architect and Founder of the Living Building Challenge www.mclennan-design.com

have been taken off and we have to rub our eyes and see the world as it truly is – one that needs to change radically if humanity is to persist.

Post Covid-19, there will be a transition period, but I do think things will tend to go back to more ‘normal’ in terms of architectural spaces required. Physical distances are not what we need in the long term once we have a vaccine. People need to be with people again!

And through this time we can’t forget that the environmental crisis is much larger than the pandemic we are facing now. We have hit pause on dealing with climate, and emissions are temporarily down, but we must act with urgency to continue reducing climate impacts even when things go back to normal. This is the fundamental design assignment for us – to change design relative to environmental impact, bringing people together again in truly regenerative spaces.

This is turning out to be an incredible year of reflection where it has become obvious to so many, how society needs to change – and now social justice issues in addition to the

issues of health and inequities tied to resources are evident. - Jason F. McLennan

‘Building back better’ is an opportunity to rethink the world we live in. The current crisis highlights the weaknesses of our systems and calls for a more democratic, technocratic society where the decisions are made by experts and not by politicians.

Post-Covid-19 mitigation strategies will affect decision-making across the full construction business chain, thus making construction more expensive. Some of the square metre ratios for office design may have to adjust to the situation but that would be

RETHINKING THE CONSTRUCTION VALUE CHAIN

Juan-pablo GutieRRez Practice Area Lead (Centurion), AECOM www.aecom.com/za

balanced out by the higher percentage of employees working remotely. The ‘agile office’ will prevail in the coming years.

Sustainable design will play an ever more important role in the future. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the unpreparedness of our systems and this includes the impact on our ecosystem. Legislation in developing countries will have to catch up, and designers will have to assume responsibility and upskill in terms of sustainable design to advise clients.

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INFRASTRUCTURE


SIDSSA has been in the making since February 2020 when President Cyril Ramaphosa called an emergency meeting with financiers and stakeholders to discuss the challenges of how

to boost the country’s economy. “The pro-activeness of government to initiate a suite of interventions and growth reforms aimed at recalibrating the country’s economic trajectory to promote inclusive growth, economic transformation, spatial justice, and create a globally competitive economy can only stimulate investor confidence going forward,” reported the Investment and Infrastructure Office of the Presidency.

The discussions aimed to find solutions to achieve the targets set out by the National Development Plan 2030 (NDP). For this, SIDSSA focused on six key sectors of South Africa.

ENERGY SECTOREleven out of the 25 reviewed projects were chosen. The selected projects have an estimated investment value of R270 billion. When evaluating projects, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, legal and regulatory aspects as well as the market potential of each project were considered.

These projects will include various technologies such as solar, wind, cycle gas turbines and energy efficiency measures. With the use of these technologies, it is estimated that 3 125-million CO2 emissions could be reduced or avoided. It is believed that these projects combined will create more than 200 000 jobs, either directly or indirectly.

AGRICULTURE SEGMENT The Scheepersvlakte Citrus Farm has become the catalyst project for the agriculture sector. The farm will grow more than 500 hectares of citrus in the Kirkwood region of the Eastern Cape. It is estimated that over a period of five years the farm will support more than 100 jobs each year.

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURETwo of the seven projects that were submitted will be the compound projects for the country’s development of its digital sector. Project Thobela and The Space Infrastructure Hub for National Development have a combined investment of more than R12 billion. Thobela is anticipating to amass more than 9 000 jobs by the year 2026. The Space Infrastructure Hub will include satellites that will independently feed information to South Africa that will help create products and services unique to the challenges that our nation.

TRANSPORT PLANNINGThe NDP set specific and ambitious targets to provide affordable and safe public transport to all South Africans, as well as allowing safe transport of goods from production to consumption. This became the responsibility of the central government who created the National Transport Master Plan 2050 for South Africa.

HUMAN SETTLEMENTSThe Greater Cornubia project for the human settlements sector began in 2015 with an investment period of 16 years. This mixed-use and mixed-income development is a new city situated about 25km from Durban CBD. The project consists of commercial, industrial, open and residential spaces. An estimated 50 000 housing opportunities for various income groups and 15 000 will be available by 2027.

WATER AND SANITATIONOver 40 projects were submitted with a projected investment value of R170 billion. The catalyst project for this sector is the Mokolo Crocodile Water Augmentation Project (Phase 2A). The objective of this project is to increase water supply to the Lephalale region. In the first year, there will be at least 3 000 direct employment opportunities. By 2022, the number will increase to 16 985 available positions for semi- and low-skilled workers.

GOVERNMENT PROPOSES INVESTMENT IN KEY SECTORSThe Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa, 2020

WORDS Calyn Moneron

PROJECT

It’s what’s on the

As a signature new development along Portswood Road in Cape Town’s bustling V&A Waterfront, The Ridge is certainly striking to look at, with its sawtooth cross-laminated timber and glass façade. But its true beauty lies on the inside – with sustainability features at every level, right down to its 12 000 ecobrick strong core.

WORDS Nicole Cameron IMAGES The Ridge


Location: V&A Waterfront, Cape TownType of building: CommercialGreen Star rating: Targeting 5-Star ratings across

multiple categoriesProject dates: Early 2019 – end 2020


Inside that Counts

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PROJECT


Still at an early stage globally, but fast gaining traction, ecobricks – essentially recycled PET beverage bottles filled to constant density with waste plastics – were first used in Guatemala as

an insulating wall-filling medium for various buildings, including schools. Not only do they replace other materials which would be used in construction, but they eliminate unwanted plastic waste that would otherwise go to landfills or end up in the ocean. These substantial benefits were not to be overlooked by the V&A Waterfront, which is renowned for its bold steps in the circular economy and against the environmental challenges our planet faces.

“We call this ethical development approach, which focuses on sustainability and care for the people who will use our buildings, our ‘normal’,” says V&A Waterfront CEO David Green. “This can be seen in the number of Green Building Council SA (GBCSA) Green Star-rated buildings under our belt in the Silo District, including the Silo Hotel projects.” Against this backdrop, the Ridge consultant team were briefed by the V&A Waterfront to find ways in which to incorporate ecobricks into the construction of the building, making it the first large commercial building in the world to do this.

Arup proposed to use the ecobricks as void formers, materials (often polystyrene) used by construction companies to fill space and reduce the amount of concrete required. In order to source the ecobricks required, Ian Dommisse from Ecobrick Exchange introduced the development team to Long Beach Mall in Noordhoek, which had become the collection point for ecobricks by the local community since 2018, even though there was no confirmed end use for them.

The mall donated their ecobricks to the project in return for a donation made to the Bhongholethu Foundation, an NGO pre-school serving the Masiphumele settlement. The pre-school is putting the funds towards their dream of constructing an entire

ecobrick house. The balance of the total 12 000 bricks (which equates to approximately 5.2 tons of single use plastic) were sourced by the community linked to the Eros School for physically and mentally challenged children in Athlone, along with some other eco-warrior volunteers in various schools. “For communities, this presents a practical solution to unwanted waste and a way to raise funds for their communities,” says Green.

The ecobricks were carefully checked for compliance, each weighing 418g. 84% of this plastic would have ended up as waste, and by using already-existing material rather than purchasing material still to be manufactured, the project saved 30 tonnes of CO₂. This is the same saving as taking 6.5 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

The building is expected to generate around 25% of its own energy

requirements.

A 16-metre high atrium provides a chimney effect from the first floor, drawing air through openable roof vents, enabling temperature control.

A green lung in the city The use of ecobricks is just one aspect of the Ridge’s remarkable green features. Custom-designed to accommodate the Cape Town offices of international professional services firm, Deloitte, the 8 500m² development offers an unparalleled internal environment for its occupants. They will enjoy its inspiring views, and its inner green spaces, including the novel ‘central street’ concept, with the highest level of natural light and fresh air, breakaway zones and a reflective environment. The Ridge acknowledges the goals of the global WELL Institute, to support and advance human health and fitness within a building and seeks to emulate many of their outcomes.

The

Rid

ge

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A new generation of chillersFuture proof high efficiency air-cooled scroll chiller series with refrigerant R-32. With low Global Warming Potential and seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) improved by 10%, the R-32 Scroll chiller is fully compliant with the efficiency requirements imposed by current and future Legislation.

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2120

PROJECT PROJECT


A 16-metre high atrium provides a chimney effect from the first floor, drawing air through openable roof vents, enabling temperature control. The open ground floor street makes the most of light from this atrium to create a green space in which staff and visitors can feel at ease. This part of the building houses reception, meeting rooms, a staff canteen and public coffee kiosk. Balconies encourage employees to be outdoors more, with planted balconies serving as shaded breakout areas that enhance air quality and general employee wellness. Small pause areas in the working zones give staff the freedom to work from where it is most suitable, rather than being tied down to a formal desk.

Great emphasis is placed on urban mobility aspects, where employees and visitors will be encouraged to abandon motorised transport in favour of rapid public transport or more sustainable non-motorised modes, including pedestrian and bike. The people-centric design philosophy extends to the interior fitout of the building, influenced by best-practice examples

incoming radiation, the sawtooth cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glass façade incorporates the manually operable windows. The sawtooth shape ‘corrects’ the orientation of most of the building’s double-glazing so that it faces either north- or southward. This standout feature involved extensive thermal modelling to determine the exact angle of the design and is also the first instance of cross-laminated timber in the façade of a commercial building in South Africa. Timber, including CLT, brings to the project a substantially

Energy performance is fully integrated into The Ridge’s design, which maximises light and ventilation and also manages water and waste resources efficiently.

By using already-existing material rather than purchasing material

still to be manufactured, the project saved 30 tonnes of CO₂. This is the

same saving as taking 6.5 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

The building can operate in two modes – either as a conventional sealed air-conditioned building or in a passive naturally ventilated mode in favourable weather conditions.

The Waterfront uses ecobricks as void formers in the concrete slabs in the central toilet areas on each floor of The Ridge. The bricks are placed vertically in a 300mm deep void area and covered with concrete.

of commercial office buildings, including the Edge in Amsterdam, home to Deloitte and one of the most highly regarded green buildings in the world.

Energy performance is fully integrated into the Ridge’s design, which maximises light, ventilation and manages water and waste resources efficiently. In general, the heating and cooling for the building is provided through a combination of passive ventilation technologies that are supported by mechanical air-conditioning equipment that is used when required by outside temperatures. The building can operate in two modes – either as a conventional sealed air-conditioned building, or alternatively in a passive naturally ventilated mode in favourable weather conditions. A warning green/red light system controlled by the BMS will advise employees whenever possible to open the windows to allow in the outside air.

A breAth of fresh Air The building also has a thermally activated building system (TABS) installed in the floor slabs that regulates temperature by heating and cooling the actual building mass using water pipes imbedded in the concrete slabs. With TABS operational, the building has the potential to naturally ventilate for between 75-85% of the year. This results in a direct saving in HVAC operating energy costs. The HVAC system has been designed to require less energy to distribute the cool air through the building, using displacement ventilation with the void beneath the raised access floor.

In order to optimise available natural daylight penetration and views, while minimising direct solar

ECoBRICk ConSTRUCTIonEcobrick production is simple and non-technical – it simply requires stuffing a 2-Litre PET plastic bottle with plastic waste until no more can be forced into it. Density is important so for a construction project of this scale, each ecobrick must be carefully checked for compliance.

Concrete has a high environmental footprint, so construction companies make use of ‘void formers’ to ‘fill’ space and reduce the amount of concrete required. However, the polystyrene (EPS) normally used as void formers is also not an environmentally friendly option. Ecobricks are therefore an ideal replacement.

The next milestone at The Ridge is to make the building a living

breathing one.

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PROJECT


The significant difference between a normal brick and an ecobrick lies within its performance. Normal bricks can carry load whereas ecobricks rely on a framed structure (such as concrete, timber or steel) to carry the load.

WHY IT MATTERS16% of plastic is recycled in South Africa

10% ends up in the waterways and ocean

74% ends up in landfill

ECoBRICk LIFESPAnStudies indicate that a PET plastic bottle will take 450 years before it starts to break down if shielded from the sun.

lower embodied energy and carbon footprint than any of the traditional cladding systems, including aluminium, glass and concrete.

The Ridge also includes rainwater harvesting and grey water treatment facilities, co-located in the basement. The harvested water is treated to near potable standards, to be used for irrigation and WC flushing. The roof will harvest solar photovoltaic power via the placement of PV panels on the roof facing

the optimum direction. The building is expected to generate around 25% of its own energy requirements.

With construction restrictions now lifted, work has re-commenced onsite, and the finishing touches look set to be complete towards the end of 2020. Amidst the lingering threat of Covid-19, a healthy building that focuses on the wellness of its occupants has never been more of a priority, and the Ridge meets this new challenge with ground-breaking success.

LoCkDoWn LEVEL 3 UPDATEWith construction restrictions lifted, the V&A Waterfront’s development team has returned to The Ridge site to install the long-awaited façade. The first cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glazing panels have been mounted along Marine Road. These custom-made panels with openable windows are one of the key sustainability features of The Ridge building and will assist in the natural ventilation of the office floors. Cross-laminated timber is a green and sustainable material since it is made from renewable wood, sequesters carbon, and does not require the burning of fossil fuels during production.

The next milestone at The Ridge is to make the building a living breathing one. It will consist of mixed-mode climate control to cover TABS, displacement ventilation and natural ventilation. Thereafter, a world-class interior to cover plant-scaping, flexible working areas, and staff wellness focus to name a few.

23

ADVERTORIAL

The Ridge is a new 8,500m2 office building in the V&A Waterfront and features a number of ‘firsts’ for the green building/sustainability industry, setting new standards in South Africa. Among these innovations is an energy-efficient air conditioning system with passive climate control measures utilising Daikin’s R32 as its refrigerant.

CooL CoLLABoRATIon

The project is the result of a collaboration between Arup Consulting engineers, Two Oceans contracting and Daikin Air Conditioning South Africa.

Daikin, a multinational manufacturing company, supplied two EWYQ230F-XL high-efficiency, low-noise, heat pump chillers, along with a EWAT280B-XLA2 heat recovery chiller in order to take care of the cooling and heating requirements of the building.

Daikin equipment was chosen due to its well-deserved reputation of being the leader in the field of air conditioning energy efficiency and heat pump products. This is backed by Daikin’s extensive experience in adopting refrigerants with a lower environmental impact. They were the world’s first company introducing a new generation of air-cooled scroll chillers with R32 used in the Ridge.

The use of R32 as a refrigerant is the perfect fit as it has much lower GWP (Global Warming Potential), reduced charge and it is pure, meaning it is easier to reuse and recover.

All equipment installed is top of the range high efficiency chillers to improve the sustainability of The Ridge.

More information: Tory Sabatti – Cape Town Branch Manager [email protected]

www.daikin.co.za

WHY CHooSE EWAT-B- ChillEr SEriES?• Top class efficiency, SEER up to 4,7.

Overcoming 2021 Eco-design requirements!• Environmentally friendly refrigerant. First in

the market• New R-32 optimized scroll compressors and

heat exchangers• The Global Warming Potential (GWP) of R-32

refrigerant is 675, which is only one third compared to commonly used refrigerant R-410

• The low GWP R-32 refrigerant falls into category class A2L in ISO817 and it can be safely used in many applications including chilled water systems

• As a single component refrigerant, R-32 is also easier to recycle and reuse another environmental plus in its favour

• Wide capacity range: 80 – 700 kW• Microchannel condensing coil, for reduced

refrigerant charge• Silver and Gold efficiency versions• 3 sound configurations• Full compatibility with Daikin on Site New

Hydronic Kit configurations (single and twin pump, inertial tank, VFD)

• Single and dual circuit version overlapping between 150 kW and 350 kW

• Single circuit units fit 2 or 3 compressors • Dual circuit units fit 4 or 5 or 6 compressors


25POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 0.7

Excellent green open spaces become the smartest investments local authorities can make. Acknowledging this, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) welcomes

parties to submit proposals to adopt a park and the upkeep required or build and maintain a new park in partnership with JCPZ.

Parks help cities face urban challenges – from shifts in neighbourhood demographics to global competitiveness and global warming events. This is seen in the global shift to restore or develop parks in creative ways – spaces under highways, on old rail infrastructure, on top of car parks, or even landfills, become viable as development pressure on urban land grows along with outdoor recreation needs.

Previously just a patch of grass with some benches, nowadays parks are being designed to serve multiple purposes, such as to provide safe pedestrian thoroughfares while creating stormwater retention ponds. And these complexities are leading municipalities to look for innovative ways to close the gap between today’s budgets and tomorrow’s potential.

But in most communities, funding for building and maintaining city parks is inadequate. While crowds may witness a ribbon-cutting event, it is the grass cutting and a multitude of less visible management and maintenance expenses that present the long-term challenge.

LocaL economic impact Research shows that parks create solid economic returns for state authorities and the individuals that use them. Creating well-planned parks can bring monetary benefits that are often many times greater than the capital and operational investments combined.

Beautiful green spaces increase nearby property values, and this is reflected in their sales, rentals and occupancy levels. This, in turn, increases the rates base available to the municipality. However, the reverse is also true, an ill-kept park can drag down surrounding property prices. Creating a more vibrant green space not only improves its environmental contribution to the neighbourhood but also binds the community closer together through sharing a beautiful common space everyone is proud of. This popularity improves profitability.

South Africa’s young people are the generation who will shape our future and there can be no greater objective for South African cities than the development of our youth. This group

faces many challenges (a 2013 study showed 70% of unemployed people in South Africa were youth), and with a significant percentage living in degraded conditions in impoverished communities; empowering the youth is a complex and multi-faceted goal.

Placemaking has gained momentum in South Africa in recent years. It focuses on the social and cultural importance of lively neighbourhoods and inviting public spaces; given that cities should be designed first and foremost for people. Public spaces that are kept clean, orderly, and beautiful (by planting and maintaining trees and gardens) go a long way towards boosting a person’s sense of pride for the area in which they live and interact and, research shows, even inspire them to become more socially responsible.

Beyond that, the introduction of facilities and infrastructure into these spaces can create opportunities for social interaction, which encourage and divert youth away from a life of drugs and crime towards a bright future – simply by gaining a sense of belonging and knowing their role in the community. An example of this is outdoor gyms and sports facilities – which have been used to great effect in improving youth self-esteem: being physically fit helps one’s mental state,

Several fund-raising models are commonly found across the world, such as, building parks on top of underground parking garages; increasing responsibilities of improvement districts, which rely on voluntary taxes from local property owners to fund improvements in the surrounding public environment; signing concession agreements – such as New York’s Bryant Park which is run by Bryant Park Corporation in a long-standing public-private partnership with NYC Parks and Recreation.

creative partnershipsThere is a need for creative thinking around how parks can be better managed and maintained through public-private partnerships. By working with JCPZ, land can be identified, purchased, developed and maintained. Sponsorships of lighting, camera equipment and security personal also play a meaningful role in upgrading the public perception of parks.

Depending on their size, parks and the markets, concerts and events they host can draw visitors from near and far, bringing tourism revenue to local restaurants, hotels, and nearby retail outlets. Parks support productivity through encouraging recreation, exercise and by providing cleaner air. They get people into nature and provide safe, attractive places for communities to have fun together.

Friends oF the parkThroughout South Africa, Friends groups are meaningfully involved in their local green open spaces, working hand in glove with local authorities to ensure a shared vision, leadership, transparency and sustainability for parks.

New funding models can inspire new ideas and solutions for our parks, possibly including advertising, community and commercial event management, appropriate branding of hard and soft facilities. Potential tax benefits may be derived from these and similar corporate social responsibility initiatives.

By complementing public funding with additional revenue sources, public, private and civil society stands to benefit from excellent green open public spaces. Find more information at www.jhbcityparks.com.

and being involved in outdoor activities can become a platform for growing and showcasing skills, as well as meeting new friends.

nUrtUre natUreDeveloping and conserving open public spaces in this way – to create a liveable city – is the mandate of the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo department. By working to maintain the city’s parks, green spaces and trees, and by caring for and sharing the animals at the Johannesburg Zoo, their goal is to demonstrate the value and values of stewardship, and contribute towards a generation of young people who understand that their future is tied to their environment. For youth who would otherwise have no contact or exposure to non-domestic animals, zoos remain an excellent way to connect them to nature. Having these connections to ecosystems is the first step to developing an appreciation for them and fostering the motivation to take action to protect and nurture them.

“Having an arena where you can escape from your poverty background and be in a place where everyone is equal is an important asset,” says Thendo Sadiki, environmental officer in-training at Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo. “In informal settlements in particular, public open space can serve as that arena – everyone comes together and there is no differentiation between rich and poor; it is a safe haven for all.” Ntwanano Ndlovu, also an environmental officer in-training adds that a major challenge is to reframe the tension around either maintaining public spaces or providing basic services to communities. Rather a both-and approach is required, where recognition is given both to the precious, tangible benefit that functional public spaces give to surrounding communities and basic service provision. “There is still a great need to educate the public more about the important role that open spaces play in our day-to-day lives – beyond the critical element of filtering the very air we breathe.” www.jhbcityparks.com

Public spaces that are kept clean, orderly, and beautiful

go a long way towards boosting a person’s sense of pride for the

area in which they live.

Public spaces that are kept clean, orderly, and beautiful

go a long way towards boosting a person’s sense of pride for the

area in which they live.

PROFILE

Park PartnErShIPS Unlock valUE

The city park is being recognised as increasingly important as mayors and other city officials ask for solutions to community health, sense of place, attracting local investment and job creation, managing stormwater run-off, improved air quality and more.

A park is an integral part of any neighbourhood. The multipurpose nature of an excellent green open space can provide a safe place for the community to connect and engage, improve property value or even act as an ecological feature. The evolution of parks has brought about a need for communities and municipalities to find creative ways to develop and maintain these public spaces.

Working together with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, whether through a private - public partnership or as a Friend of a Park, we can come up with creative solutions to to contribute towards a positive economic impact in your community or next development.

Call 011 712 6600 to find out how you can collaborate with the City to continue to develop and maintain our green spaces.

WELCOMEOUTSIDE

Let’s build value together

www.jhbcityparks.com011 712 6600

a world class African City

PROJECT

SustainableA shot in the arm for

Healthcare has been brought sharply into focus with the global Covid-19 pandemic, which is reaching a scale not seen since the Spanish Flu in 1918. With the pandemic changing the way the world operates in almost every way, will it mean that healthcare buildings will move beyond merely being facilities where people receive treatment to become places of healing where the wellness of its patients, its staff and the environment are paramount?

WORDS Gillian Gernetzky IMAGES Growthpoint


Location: Menlyn Maine, TshwaneType of building: Healthcare Green Star rating: 5-Star Green Star Custom

Design HealthcareProject dates: July 2018 – October/

November 2020 Project cost: R470-million


Healthcare

Growthpoint’s Cintocare Head and Neck Hospital in the Menlyn Maine precinct is the first healthcare facility in Africa to be awarded a Green Star rating from the GBCSA.

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PROJECT


Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings’ Head and Neck Hospital in Tshwane’s green Menlyn Maine precinct is the first healthcare facility in Africa to be awarded

a Green Star rating from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA). Awarded a 5-Star Green Star Custom Design Healthcare rating in April 2020, this specialist surgical hospital developed in conjunction with Cintocare delivers Africa’s first certified sustainable healthcare facility – thus changing the future of healthcare properties on the continent.

Construction of the R470-million specialist hospital began in July 2018 and is on track for completion in the final quarter of this year, despite the Covid-19-related lockdown. The 29 000m² seven-storey, 100-bed hospital incorporates 20 consulting rooms and five surgical theatres, one of which is a hybrid theatre, equipped with advanced medical imaging devices that enable minimally-invasive surgery.

Rudolf Pienaar, Growthpoint’s Chief Development and Investment Officer, says that the development responds to the real need for a specialist hospital of this kind in South Africa. “It will focus exclusively on head and neck, spinal and vascular surgery, where highly specialised medical professionals will be supported by state-of-the-art technology. The architectural design incorporates several innovative sustainable elements to be in sync with its particular inner purpose. For example, its glass façade is designed to be evocative of spinal vertebra found in the neck while also shading the building.”

Pienaar believes that, with the pandemic, there will be increased importance placed on the design and operation of all buildings – not just healthcare facilities – to optimise occupant health. “For some time now, Growthpoint has been integrating design innovation and sustainability to create positive places for people and businesses. We are able to deliver healthy buildings for the future that help organisations, including hospital and healthcare facilities, to implement proven wellness strategies.

“This pandemic has clarified the urgent need for environments that have a positive impact on physical and mental health, and places that protect our families, businesses, communities and the public. Human health factors are going to be the defining feature of quality, sustainable properties in future,” he says.

Adrie Fourie, Director of Urban Reflection and Green Star Accredited Professional (AP) on the project while working for Aurecon at that time, agrees: “Ensuring that hospitals are places for health and well-being, where patients can get treatment in a way that allows faster

The highly specialised head and neck hospital is due for completion in the final quarter of this year, despite the Covid-19-related lockdown.

Human health factors are going to be the defining feature of quality, sustainable properties in future.

EXCELLENCE INWATERTIGHTCONCRETE

Call us for more info: 010 823 8688www.sika.co.za

SIKA® WT-200PThe crystalline admixture enables concrete cracks to self-heal and therefore block water, even when under extreme hydrostatic pressure. It will continue to reactivate whenever water is present.

Benefits of using Sika® WT-200P in waterproof concrete:■ Increase in service life of the construction ■ Significantly improved durability and sustainability of the hardened concrete ■ Ensured watertightness without other expensive measures ■ Reduced maintenance costs ■ Enhances the self-healing properties of concrete and promotes the ability to heal concrete cracks

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PROJECT


recovery is essential. Design principles like increased fresh air, access to daylight and increased access to nature – all aspects that may impact on shorter healing times – are naturally embedded in green design, as are improved indoor air quality and acoustics. Infection control is an important consideration in healthcare design, and many of the design principles required through Green Star support this end goal. Ultimately, it is about places of healing and not just facilities where people receive treatment.”

PANDEMIC PRINCIPLESFourie adds that the Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated some limitations in existing healthcare design. “Hospitals have considerable carbon emission profiles due to the energy and water consumption for their daily operations. Finding ways to reduce this operational footprint has resulted in many facilities looking toward more efficient design, but this means that hospitals may not have the flexibility to expand drastically to deal with short-term increases in the volumes of patients in ways that protect both patients and healthcare workers. And this is where the approach will likely see change in the future.”

Fourie adds that social distancing is already an element designed into healthcare facilities – but ensuring that the same safe practices are implemented in transitional spaces or waiting areas have been highlighted as a potentially essential design response. “Another issue relates to the dependence on disposable personal protection equipment, which might see changes in logistics associated with the movement of these products, or the ability of facilities to provide greater sterilisation and possible investigations in appropriate materials reuse to avoid shortages that could impact on occupant safety. Plus, if screening at the same levels as during the pandemic is to be maintained, access control processes will require changes,” she says.

TRANSFORMATION TOOLFourie was the Green Star AP driving the custom healthcare Green Star tool development process with input from various Aurecon team members, a counterpart from the Aurecon Australia Sustainability team, Solid Green Consulting, the Cintocare professional design team members and external industry experts, and is very excited about the opportunity presented by the project. “It was exhilarating to create a tool for a previously unrepresented sector, creating positive momentum for market transformation in a time where increased importance is placed on creating places of wellness.”

“When healthcare facilities can move beyond providing places of treatment, to actively design and manage facilities that contribute to improved patient outcomes while providing a positive environment for the staff, the benefits are exponential. And, of course, facilities with improved end-user experiences also have a positive impact on staff retention, stress management and overall well-being,” she says.

The glass façade is designed to be evocative of spinal vertebra found in the neck, while serving to shade the building.

Infection control is an important consideration in healthcare design, and many of the design principles

required through Green Star support this end goal.

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THE EVOLVE RANGEWe use 100% locally sourced raw materials of which 81% are recycled, including our own crushed waste. Now that’s pushing the limit.

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SwiSSlog pneumatic tube SyStemS:Swisslog offers total system design, manufacturing, installation and customer support providing you with a complete supply chain management approach to your logistics challenges.

benefits of Swisslog Hospital Solutions pneumatic tube systems:• High speed transport. Eight meters per second.• Material transport on demand up to 3.5kg.• Various size systems are available - 110mm / 160mm / 200mm.• Reliable air transportation.• Cushioned transport of delicate items.• Improved efficiency and productivity.• Long-distance transport installed overhead, underground and between buildings.• Fully automated, computer controlled and 24-hour monitoring.• TranspoNet - Transports up to 100 stations and more.

applications for hospitals:Transports - Medication documents, lab samples, forensic samples and test results.

Swisslog pneumatic tube system features:• Flexible modular technology.• Horizontal and vertical transport.• Individually designed tube stations.• RFID tracking.• Minimal maintenance requirements.

Hospital Solutionstransport of medication, documents, samples etc

inside tubes to and from any destination in a hospital

pHaRmacy automation - tHe FutuRe oF pHaRmacy toDayThe Rowa in. Shelves and drawers out. Total safety and control of medication

The Rowa automated pharmacy brings relief to the many challenges experienced in pharmacy which include, qualified staff shortages, speed of dispensing, lack of space, stocktracing, stock theft and stock efficiencies. Whether you are a medication depot, large orsmall retail pharmacy or a hospital, the Rowa automated pharmacy can assist you and your staff

THE ROWA SMART For the small pharmacyFeatures• Dimensions: 1.63(W) x 4.80(L) (including input table) x 2.53m (H)• Capacity: Approximately 9 000 packs• Optional: Conveyor system• Input: Frontal, left, one input belt• Output: Stock maintenance output right plus two output locations at side (two more are optional)• Color: White• One computer (second computer optional)• All the benefits of the Rowa Vmax®

THE ROWA VMAXFor the medium-to-large pharmacy or hospitalFeatures • Modular in height and length (999 different sizes)• 30% space-saving on existing pharmacy floor space• Full stock tracking and safety according to expiry date,

batch number or nappi code• One item dispensed between eight and 15 seconds • Storing and dispensing of up to eight packs at a time

(depending on pack size)• Stores and dispenses round items

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PROJECT


Amid the opportunity to reshape the health sector for the better, the project also came with a healthy dose of challenges. “The project itself was unfolding as the tool development process was taking place, and ensuring that the professional team and client were on board with the recommended adjustments was critical. We had to ensure that the design evolved as required to achieve a suitable rating while testing how the healthcare sector could respond to a changing climate and resources that were under increasing pressure. Most importantly was creating a sufficiently robust tool able to lead the charge to much-needed change,” says Fourie.

Fourie adds that the teamwork involved was a major strength of the team which helped bring this custom tool and its application to the Cintocare facility to fruition.

COLLABORATION“The commitment shown from all the role players is what really makes this project stand out. It was an encouraging process where the engagement with the design team and the operators went far beyond the requirements of the Green Star points the project was targeting and included investigating elements that could contribute to an improved facility beyond what was expected.”

the GBCSA toolThe GBCSA has developed a custom path for projects to be certified that do not fit the standard Green Star rating tool requirements, available for projects in South Africa and the rest of Africa. The process involves customisation of existing Green Star tool credits to better respond to the specific typology features that may need to be considered, for example, the particular water and energy profile. The GBCSA uses its industry-based community of experts to peer-review any proposed changes and additions, as well as the overall tool. Where a custom tool is developed for the same space type mix and improved over a few projects, it will converge into a v1 tool where every new project uses the same v1 going forward.

For further information contact Georgina Smit at [email protected] or visit gbcsa.org.za/certify

Georgina Smit, Head of Sector Development & Market Transformation at the GBCSA commends the professional team and Growthpoint for their dedication to developing this tool. “Their collaboration and commitment to pioneering this process in the healthcare space, which involved a high degree of technical input, is admirable and will become the roadmap to drive the creation of more green healthcare buildings in South Africa in future.”

Fortunately, Growthpoint is poised to become a leader in the healthcare property sector, which will further drive sustainability becoming the norm. Dr Linda Sigaba, Fund Manager of Growthpoint Healthcare Property Fund says that the fund intends playing a leading role in promoting the growth of the healthcare sector by providing the capital to build new healthcare facilities. “We are in an exciting growth phase and are increasing the scale of the fund through asset acquisition as well as specialised developments. Growthpoint’s development team is an established leader in green building and is able to work closely with our clients, and the operators of these hospital and healthcare facilities to deliver fit-for-purpose, resource-efficient, cost-efficient and environmentally innovative buildings.

We need a new generation of healthcare design team professionals

to learn about Green Star, the positive impact it can have and

why the industry needs to support transformation in a larger sense.

What’s good for the planet is invariably good for people too.

“With this pioneering hospital development having paved the way for a green building certification tool that can be used by others in the sector, I have no doubt that South Africa will see more green-rated hospitals in future,” he says.

Fourie agrees, saying that the same process that the industry went through when the first Green Star tool was developed more than 10 years ago needs to (almost) repeat itself now. “We need a new generation of healthcare design team professionals to learn about Green Star, the positive impact it can have and why the industry needs to support transformation in a larger sense. We need suppliers that have not previously been pushed to provide credentials that adhere to Green Star requirements being instructed to do so. And when more facilities implement the tool and the advantages it achieves, the same critical mass that was seen in office developments targeting Green Star ratings will begin to emerge.”

And what’s good for the planet is invariably good for people too.

COMMITMENTThe Cintocare hospital is the first Custom Design Healthcare project in South Africa, opening up the possibility of other clinics and hospital projects to pursue a Green Star certification. The GBCSA commend the AP Adrie Fourie (formerly with Aurecon team) and Growthpoint for their commitment to pioneering this process in the healthcare space, which involved a high degree of technical input.

While all manufacturing has an impact on the environment, we’re committed to minimising ours. One of our primary goals at Ceramic Industries is to reduce factory energy consumption by 20 to 30% - we think it’s a bold but achievable target as a responsible manufacturer. Further afield from the factory floor, our products themselves are designed to be sustainable and to reduce resource consumption in your home.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Tel: (016) 930 3600Email: [email protected]

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PROFILE PROFILE


Globally relevant, locally specific Agrément South Africa was tasked with developing the eco-labelling system and developing and documenting the necessary procedures to be followed in the establishment of eco-labelling specifications, as well as the requirements and procedures for materials and products to be certified by Agrément, against applicable specifications. The specifications were developed to reflect South Africa’s socio-economic development objectives, while maintaining international environmental sustainability commitments. The criteria are determined on a scientific basis considering the whole life cycle of products. The eco-label system has taken an inclusive approach, providing a rating system that has a tiered criterion. Some of the priority areas of concern include social, legal and environmental compliance, natural resource management and value chain environmental impacts, such as recyclability, waste, air, soil and water emissions.

The priority specifications to be developed include:• Paints and surface coatings• Adhesives and sealants

In order for South Africa to achieve its global commitment to Agenda 2030, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025 and 45% by 2030, there is an urgent need for individuals

and companies to modify their behaviour and take actions to reverse climate change’s alarming trajectory. While every industry has a role to play, the construction sector is notorious for its carbon footprint, accounting for approximately 36% of global energy use, and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions annually, according to the United Nations Environment Program.

Taking on this challenge, and extending it to both the public and private sectors, the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) have launched their eco-labelling system, the ecoASA label, based on existing international standards and adapted for South African sustainability. This system is one of the objectives of the Green Building Policy launched in October 2018, and has been developed through its entity Agrément South Africa, an independent agency recognised as bringing impartial assessment to the evaluation of innovative construction products and systems in the interest of the consumer, and the construction industry at large.

Transforming souTh africa’s builT environmenT ecoasa: environmental product labelling system

• Flooring and carpets• Wall and ceiling panels and products • Building insulation products• Concrete and concrete products• Masonry products • Ceramics • Long steel products • Cleaning materials and products used in Public

Works buildings While this eco-labelling system is a government-

endorsed initiative, it is promoted as a national system for everyone to play their part in achieving the sustainability agenda.

In setting high environmental standards, represented through a trusted ecoASA label, the professional building sector is assisted in being able to distinguish between legitimate eco-products and what is otherwise simply ‘green-washing’. Increasing the demand for, and confidence in certified products and practices encourages all sectors to participate in the movement towards environmentally responsible choices that will ultimately benefit people and the planet.

“As the only government-endorsed South African environmental claims verification body for building materials and products, we’re proud to have been given the opportunity to lead this initiative and raise the environmental performance benchmark,” says a representative of Agrément South Africa.

GettinG Green starsThe eco-labelling system includes a rating mechanism based on a quantifiable degree of conformance with relevant specifications. It also conforms, as far as possible, to ISO 14024 Environmental Labels and Declarations: Environmental Labelling Type I, Guiding Principles and Procedures.

ecoASA is aligned to green building councils rating tools requirements, both nationally and internationally. The Materials Category of the Green Star SA rating tools consist of credits which target the consumption of resources through selection, use, reuse and efficient management practices. The credits aim to address and improve the environmental impact of building products and materials by taking into consideration issues pertaining to the lifespan, lifecycle and approach towards the use of these resources within the building fabrics of Green Star SA certified projects. By selecting ecoASA labelled products, credits can be earned which will contribute towards a building’s overall Green Star SA rating.

The eco-labelling system also prioritises and makes provision for the advancement of female-owned enterprises that manufacture products for the built environment. This is targeted specifically at historically disadvantaged females.

Agrément has put out a call for public review of the draft standards developed for ecoASA, please visit www.agrement.co.za for more information and to participate.

The hard work has been done, the stage has been set: will you now consider how you can be part of the eco-labelling revolution to make South Africa’s building industry greener?

The specifications were developed to reflect South Africa’s socio-

economic development objectives, while maintaining international

environmental sustainability commitments.

INTERIORS

HealthWealth

Nedbank’s Umhlanga Park Square offices have been awarded the GBCSA’s Interiors v1 5-Star rating. The Nedbank Corporate Real Estate interior design team curated the spaces with due regard to budget, staff health and well-being, alongside a commitment to drive market transformation.

WORDS Anne Schauffer IMAGES Nedbank


Connecting

withLocation: Umhlanga, Kwazulu-NatalType of building: Six-storey commercial

office block, with retail precinct below.

Green Star rating: Interiors v1 5-Star ratingProject dates: October 2018 – March 2019


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Nedbank’s Umhlanga Park Square is a consolidation of three Nedbank campus sites, namely Ridgeside, Sugar Mill Contact Centre, and Westway. This new campus

comprises Nedbank Retail Business Banking (RBB), Nedbank Wealth, Nedbank Corporate Investment Banking (CIB), support services, and the large contact centre. Jo-Anne James, interior designer at Nedbank explained the rationale: “We wanted to optimise all our office spaces and facilities and leverage off shared space and environment. It was primarily about reducing costs, a saving ultimately passed on to our customers.”

Nedbank’s long-standing commitment to sustainability and green principles is unwavering. They appointed Arup as the Sustainability and Green Star consultant for both the Park Square development base building rating – Office Design and As Built – and the Nedbank Interiors rating. The development was awarded a 4-star Office Design certification for the main development, and the As-Built certification is pending. Arup’s Andy Kopelowitz advised the Nedbank interior design team on Green Star certification on the fit out of the interior space under the Green Star Interiors tool.

Umhlanga Park Square interior is unlike other Nedbank precincts. It is far more contemporary, in part a response to the broad staff demographic. Creating appropriate design for the nearly 1200 contact centre staff – mostly Generation Z – presents different challenges to the other corporate business units. Canvassing the likes and dislikes of contact centre staff assisted the team in curating an environment in which this young staff would thrive.

Umhlanga Park Square was designed for a new way of working – from a traditional working environment to an open-plan shared environment. As Kopelowitz says, “The quality of an indoor space has a significant impact on the user’s productivity, general well-being

and satisfaction at work.” The location of the project – fringing Chris Saunders Park – not only facilitates an uplifting indoor-outdoor look, flow and feel, but with vast glazing fronting the Park, most desks enjoy the health benefits of a soothing living green vista. For Kapil Ganga, Project Manager at Nedbank, it is about a constant connection to the outside space: “Even the staff restaurant has an outdoor patio fronting the Park.” The Park presented the design team with a perfect wellness springboard.

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING In many ways, well-being was the team’s point of departure, particularly for the contact centre: “The previous one was very isolated,” says James. “Here, they’re part of a precinct, and a short stroll across the Park to Gateway Theatre of Shopping. They have a vibrant workspace, and visible, easy access to a green and retail world outside.”

The contact centre needed extensive brainstorming around the acoustics and ergonomics focusing on the well-being of the staff. Creating a youthful, light-filled environment with breakaway spaces was paramount, and the skylight obliged: “We used bright, cheerful shapes and colours for the ottomans, and created rejuvenating oases under the skylight,” says James.

With up to 70 percent of the building façade as glass, natural light pours in. They needed to combat the sun’s radiant heating and the glare, explains Kyle Edmeades, architect at Nedbank: “We created a corridor of 1,8m from glass to nearest workstation, and established the staff’s main circulation corridor around the workspace perimeter. That diffused the natural light and reduced glare and radiant heat, making it more comfortable.” In addition, they employed a mixed model of acoustic ceilings – they varied the ceiling heights, which helped diffuse the acoustics, and provided a cost saving.

The contact centre needed extensive brainstorming around the acoustics and ergonomics focusing on the well-being of the staff. Creating a youthful, light-filled environment with breakaway spaces was paramount.

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INVENT AND INNOVATE There’s more to office furniture than functionality and good looks – it’s also about design facilitating comfortable interaction. No truer than in a contact centre, where the traditional global model prioritises user numbers and density over well-being. The team brainstormed a space-saving desk design which, instead of conforming to a standard linear approach, could be angulated, to avoid agents making eye contact.

The fluid, organic Amoeba – custom designed in house by Nedbank in collaboration with suppliers – is a cost-effective, modular desk unit (incorporating a privacy screen), also designed to stand as an individual desk. Easily disassembled, it aligned to best practice industry standards and to the GBCSA Interior Tool.

Unlike its predecessor, the Amoeba was designed with due consideration to paraplegic design principles. At each workstation, sound was muted by embedding perforated fabric-covered wooden panels into each privacy screen. The custom fabric was developed and manufactured locally by a fabric supplier and local fabric mill in conjunction with Nedbank. The fabric made use of yarns manufactured using post-consumer recycled plastics/regenerated PET.

As Nedbank, we live sustainability, we endorse sustainability, and we

want to show the country and indeed the world that as a Group, we believe

in sustainability to its core.

We’re encouraging other companies to look at specifying and upskilling local suppliers, so we can produce

local product of world-class standards at affordable prices.

ARCHITECTURE DRIVING DESIGN “The architecture led our interior design, and we aimed to complement the exterior with the interior,” says Edmeades. “The building façade is strongly orientated around the use of, and being true to, raw materials. No plastering on top of concrete, no attempt to hide that rawness and honesty – they’re almost put on display. We worked to emulate certain architectural elements in the interior, like the polished concrete floor finish and off-shutter concrete walls in the reception space.” He added, “The context of the building drove the interior design finishes. We even designed a specific carpet, paying homage to the rawness of the concrete and aggregate.”

LIVING WALLS AS ARTWORK Green living walls and panels are found throughout the building and were used as a form of artwork. The GBCSA Interior Tool for the indoor plant section requires one plant every 50 square meters, with 70 percent suited to an indoor environment and placed in a regularly occupied space. Aside from the appealing visual aspect, this feature pulled the outside in – the Park. Various indigenous species were selected specifically for their ability to remove toxins from the indoor environment.

Some were taken even further: “The green wall behind the main reception is used as background to our logo and brand,” says Edmeades. “As Nedbank, we live sustainability, we endorse sustainability, and we want to show the country and indeed the world that as a Group, we believe in sustainability to its core.”

COLOUR FOR HEALTH Nedbank is traditionally associated with dark green, but their 2017 rebrand provided an opportunity to leverage off the new expansion of their Afrocentric colour palette. These colours were used throughout the building – particularly into the soft seating – creating a brighter, more appealing environment. On the contact centre floor, in particular, there’s a playfulness, with pops of colour, while still retaining that important sense of belonging.

The context of the building drove the interior design finishes. Green living walls and panels are found throughout the building and were used as a form of artwork.

Breakaway areas throughout the building were conceived as multipurpose, so when not in use for their designated roles, become informal meeting spaces for staff.

REUSE, RECYCLE, REPURPOSE Budget was always a consideration, and with previous precincts from which to cherry-pick, reusing furniture was a given. Wherever they could, they did. Much of the desking/general office areas utilised repurposed furniture, and if it was dated, the team created a contemporary look or uplifted it by curating contemporary surroundings.

A success story was the recycled pallet wood from the lift shaft containers, which clad the reception desk, the coffee barista station, and other surfaces. Kopelowitz explained its history: “During construction,

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INTERIORS


the sustainability and greater project team developed the idea for anyone on site to become involved in a waste-reduction initiative. Anyone who found an interesting piece of waste on the site, could record it on a central platform, then anyone who had a creative idea on its potential use, could record their idea and together the team could execute the re-use project they chose.”

A good example is the waste timber used to clad the reception desk in the lobby, as well as in other parts of the fit out. This would otherwise have gone to landfill, with new timber being used.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE The biggest challenge was sourcing furniture. Kopelowitz had high praise for the team: “The team worked hard to achieve their vision with regards to locally sourced but environmentally responsible and certified manufacturers and suppliers, finding suppliers who met the sustainability as well as Nedbank’s procurement and quality requirements, but also in obtaining the correct documentation to include in the submission to the GBCSA.”

South Africa also has a scarcity of appropriate materials. “We regularly work with local SME contractors,” says Ganga, “and we had to motivate them to align with world-class standards, to consider

The key was driving market transformation.

sustainability and encourage them to become ISO 14001 certified. This really talks to the level of brainstorming between all players. Many of our suppliers secured Green Tag certification as a result of this project. It was a huge learning curve for all involved and a great collaborative success.”

James added, “The key was driving market transformation. Those suppliers can now use it as a selling point to other companies on their sustainability journey. We’re encouraging other companies to look at specifying and upskilling local suppliers, so we can produce local product of world-class standards at affordable prices.”

THE GREATEST REWARDLittle doubt, the goals set were achieved. For Nedbank though, the positive response from staff and the visible sense of well-being expressed by them in their new work-home, particularly in the contact centre, has raised the bar substantially.

The building's extensive glazing invites in natural light and green Park views, and that indoor-outdoor flow promotes a strong sense of well-being among the staff.

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Giflo GBCSA 297x220 ad.pdf 1 2020/03/30 14:26

POLICY

The World Green Building Council has a global project called Advancing Net Zero. Participating GBCs are working towards total sector decarbonisation by 2050. The South African building industry has embraced the challenge and, through Part XA of the National Building Regulations and the associated SANS 10400-XA standards, is pushing towards this goal. The upcoming revisions to the 2011 standards are another step closer towards this milestone.

WORDS Melinda Hardisty


Updated SANS 10400-XA standards push closer to Net Zero targets

Steps to


GreenLeft: The conneXXion In addition to a GBCSA Interior Fit-Out rating, the conneXXion has been designed according to the international WELL Building Standard, the first rating system to focus exclusively on impacts of buildings on human health. Joggie Botha

Middle: Oxford Parks is designed to enable forward planning and ongoing management that facilitates the sustainable operations of building networks in a shared environment, Oxford Parks conforms to the regulations of the GBCSA tool, including aspects of management, indoor air quality, energy, water, land-use, transport, etc. Infrastructure Photos

Right: Discovery Place in Sandton, Johannesburg is South Africa's largest 5-Star Green Star building. Growthpoint

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POLICY POLICY


EnErgy modEllingComparing grEEn Star to Xa

Imagine a world where our natural environment wasn’t being degraded on a daily basis, and where a healthy symbiosis between humans and nature existed. Brad Liljequist, in his book,

The Power of Zero: Learning from the World’s Leading Net Zero Energy Buildings, says that “Remaking our communities to be net zero energy is more than a neat exercise in efficiency. It is a moral imperative to protect those people most impacted by climate change and ocean acidification — those in the developing world and future generations. It eliminates one of the major drivers of military action (acquisition and protection of energy supplies) and degradation of local wilderness in the form of extraction impacts.” This is why governments and individuals need to be pushing towards this goal.

South Africa’s National Development Plan states that all new buildings should be net zero in terms of carbon emissions by 2030. The first SANS 10400-XA standards document was drafted in 2011. The intention was always to revise the standards approximately every five years to move the industry gradually closer to the target. The next iteration is currently in a draft format for comment, with the intention of publication in late 2020 or early 2021.

The revised standards have been drafted on the premise that the best energy is energy not used at all. The committee considered human comfort and asked what would cause someone to switch something on? This provoked careful consideration of how best to improve human comfort through more passive means.

The ‘Deemed to Satisfy’ route to compliance considers the building envelope in terms of orientation, shading, fenestration, roof lights, floors, external walls, roof and ceiling assembly, as well as building sealing. It also affects utility services, particularly hot water and lighting.

Lisa Reynolds is the new CEO of GBCSA and has a long history of involvement in sustainable building practices. She was part of the Regulatory Advisory Committee that drafted the National Building Regulation XA, and chaired the Working Group

that drafted the first SANS 10400-XA standards in 2011. She is currently part of the Working Group that drafted SANS 10400-XA Version 2. Reynolds expounds, “In general, the committee has tried to make the standard more user-friendly. We have listened to all comments from when it was first published and have tried to incorporate all of them into the new version.”

Reynolds explains that the existing ‘Climate Zone’ map has been replaced by a more accurate ‘Energy Zone’ map, which includes a table of heating and

EnErgy modElling grEEn Star ratEd EXiSting BUildingS ComparEd to Xa draFt rEgUlationS

When comparing the main energy zones to Green Star rated buildings in those regions i.e Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane (Pretoria) the findings show that most certified buildings were below the targets set out by the draft standard but it would be more challenging to achieve these in Cape Town and Johannesburg specifically.

When layering our certified existing building onto the targets set out in the draft standard the findings are consistent with new buildings. All our 4-, 5- and 6-Star rated buildings are well within the targets with only 3-Star, EBP buildings are within the XA limits.

WGBC Road Map: This road map to net zero illustrates that both voluntary certification coupled with government legislation (alongside other initiatives) need to be part of the net zero goals.South Africa’s National

Development Plan states that all new buildings should be net zero in terms of carbon

emissions by 2030.

cooling demands. More building typologies are now included in the table (including sub-occupancies within a building type), and the maximum energy consumption values have been reduced significantly.

The roof and ceiling assembly performance requirements have been simplified, and take into account the system as a whole. Thermal bridging has been considered, including where the compression of insulation over purlins could significantly reduce the performance. Industry professionals may be relieved that the complicated fenestration calculations will no longer be required. The revised tables and calculations should be much easier to use.

Alternative water heating options and the performance requirements for these have been included. The regulation remains unchanged here and states that in buildings with hot water supply, a

Essentially three aspects are comparable between Green Star and the proposed 10400-XA: space; heating and cooling; as well as lighting and water heating demands.

minimum of 50% (volume) of the supply must be heated by means other than electrical resistance.

Lisa Reynolds reiterates that this ‘step-up’ approach to the new SANS 10400-XA will continue over time. “The professionals and the stakeholders in the built environment should understand the carbon reduction targets that the South African Government has committed to and how these relate to the energy-efficient journey for buildings.” All the required

changes cannot be implemented at once and “we have to be patient with the process”. She continues, “unfortunately compliance to the regulation has not been enforced to the level that we would have hoped. However, there are programmes that have been undertaken to address the compliance issue.”

Some people might wonder how the 10400-XA regulations compare or relate to the Green Star New Build rating requirements. In short, SANS 10400-XA ►

In order to understand where the targets sit in relation to other green buildings, the GBCSA looked at their certified green building data as a comparative measure. In order to compare apples with apples they had to remove certain allocations within the green star tool; i.e small power loads, external lighting for basements and car parking and energy related to lifts, fans and other equipment in order to get comparative information with the energy allocations for XA.

GBCSA took their certified 4-, 5-, and 6-Star new office buildings (Office V1 & V1.1 tools) and benchmarked them against the energy consumption figures set out in the draft standard. The average for both 4- and 5-Star rated buildings sit close to the lower limit set out in XA. The average for 6-Star buildings is well below the targets.

Source: https://www.worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero/what-net-zero

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POLICY


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Call us: Tel: + 27 11 822 2320Fax: + 27 11 822 2354e-mail: [email protected]

is a minimum standard for energy efficiency in buildings while Green Star encompasses all areas of sustainability within the rated buildings. Compliance to NBR-XA and SANS 10400-XA is a conditional requirement to even consider a building for a Green Star rating. The other aspects of Green Star include water efficiency, waste management, interior environmental quality – to name a few. The Green Star New Build rating system also considers more categories, including aspects of the construction stage of the building, more electrical loads for different services and appliances etc.

If one looks at only the energy performance of designed 4-Star and 5-Star rated buildings, they would out-perform the XA requirements. The difference in the actual energy usage values of Green Star rated buildings and those set out in SANS 10400-XA, is that the values in SANS 10400-XA do not include the operational energy for the

use of the buildings. Energy consumption for heating, cooling, lighting and hot water only is used to calculate the maximum energy consumption allowed for compliance. The energy consumption measured in Green Star rated buildings includes other operational energy used; such as appliances, computers, and server rooms etc.

The built environment is being guided towards creating more energy-efficient buildings. Lisa Reynolds encourages the building industry to design and build to a higher level such as the Green Star New Build rating, than the minimum requirements of SANS 10400-XA. This would ‘future proof’ the buildings against further revisions of the standards in coming years.

The transition towards this new age of design will not only affect the planet and generations of the future, it really does impact building occupants in the here and now by creating more comfortable and healthy internal environments.

*GBCSA advise that a SABS committee identified that need and is in the early stages of drafting a standard that covers the requirements of energy efficiency modelling.

We asked an industry professional to find out about the implications of the revised SANS 10400-XA regulation for the people who have to implement it.

Franz Fertig is a Building Physicist, formerly of Arup, who now consults as Scoop Studio.+Impact: Please elaborate on your professional role in terms of the built environment.FF: I currently operate as an independent consultant. In this role, I model and analyse the combined effect of architectural, façade, and mechanical designs on building performance. I have a specific focus on occupant thermal comfort, as this is instrumental in enabling intelligent, low-energy designs.+Impact: How are the proposed new regulations an improvement on the existing version, and are they more likely to achieve the goal of having more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings in the future?FF: The new edition significantly simplifies the ‘Deemed to Satisfy’ route of compliance, which affects a very large number of projects in South Africa. This should be a big relief to the architectural community. Simultaneously, it intentionally provides less clarity on the rational routes. This is currently problematic, as there is no other regulation or guidance document that can offer a benchmark for acceptable modelling and reporting practise.* It moves the goalposts in the right direction for the short term. It will need to stick to the planned future revision/update schedule if it is to achieve the necessary holistic impact in the long term.

+Impact: Would you say that the revised regulation will be easier or harder for professionals to understand, follow, or achieve?FF: The revised regulation is a significant improvement for the architectural community, who largely rely on ‘Deemed to Satisfy’ compliance. The required calculations have been reduced significantly. I suspect that the requirements (in their current guise) will become second nature to the majority of architects, resulting in little additional design overhead in the long-term. I also believe that council submission approval documentation may be somewhat simplified as a result. It does leave a big vacuum for energy modellers. I believe this will have a negative impact on the energy modelling community until this gap is filled by some reference regulation or guide.+Impact: Is there anything else you feel is important about the changes in the new regulation that is pertinent to add or highlight?FF: It would be helpful for a complementary document to be made available to shed light on the motivations and research behind certain requirements. Such a document would increase the construction industry’s understanding of the regulation, and accelerate compliance to both the letter and the spirit of the law.

IMPLICATIONS OF IMPLEMENTATION

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The V&A is considered the greenest precinct in Africa with 12 listed green buildings, including two 6-Star Green Star buildings (both of which are found in the Silo District).

HEALTH

Indoor Air Quality

Sick building syndrome is a phenomenon in which indoor air pollutants and pathogens build up as contaminated air is recirculated by mechanical air conditioning. Although building professionals have been improving design for healthy buildings for decades, we have had little to no way of knowing how successful our efforts are in reducing indoor pollution. The World Green Building Council’s Plant a Sensor Campaign is going to change all that.

WORDS Peta Brom IMAGES Dimension Data

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A fresh take on


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Although relatively few buildings currently install CO2 sensors, most green buildings offer increased fresh-air intake rates to ensure that CO2 does not build up within the

workspace, but these industry innovations have been made without any way of monitoring the effectiveness of the interventions we make. This is why the World Green Building Council’s (WGBC) Plant a Sensor Campaign, launched in collaboration with RESET and their partners at the Wilson Centre and the Earth Day Network is a boon for industry innovation.

With live information on indoor pollution, we will have empirical data on all indoor pollutant sources from the off-gassing half-life of the installation of new interior fit-outs, to the effects of different cleaning products used during operation. The information can be used to negotiate ventilation periods before occupation, report back to the manufacturing industry on the performance of VOC or formaldehyde rated products (or non-rated products), and monitor compliance of cleaning product use during routine maintenance.

THE WGBC’S CAMPAIGNThe GBCSA is participating in the Plant a Sensor Campaign by monitoring both indoor and outdoor air quality at their offices in Cape Town. The campaign advances the work of the World Green Building Council’s Air Quality in the Built Environment Campaign as part of the Better Places for People global project, in which over 30 countries worldwide are participating. The global data-gathering efforts will generate benchmarks for South Africa’s pollution performance relative to the rest of the world. At their offices in Cape Town, the GBCSA will collect outdoor data on fine particles (PM2.5, including dust, spores, pollen and PM10), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The indoor sensor will monitor fine particles, CO2, CO, second-hand smoke (COPM), radon, NO2, VOCs, Ozone (O3), and formaldehyde (CHCO).

The sensors used by the WGBC were donated by Tongdy who is sponsoring the technology at all participating Green Building Councils. The data captured by both the indoor and outdoor devices will be linked to the sensor-based and performance-driven building standard at RESET and will be publicly available. RESET is the world’s first sensor-based and performance-driven building standard and certification program. It is health-driven and as such, human health is their main target of concern. This is supported by live,

real-time data and long-term monitoring and provides the information needed to drive positive changes to the health of our working environments.

Monitoring outdoor air will at least provide comparative information on the building’s indoor pollution levels relative to the overall pollution of the precinct. Whilst 60% of outdoor air pollution in Cape Town is generated by motor-vehicle emissions, the particular geography and meteorological exchange between land, sea and mountain cause pollution to recirculate and build up in the city bowl. Currently, the City of Cape Town has 14 sensors located strategically around the city providing them with live data on NO2, O3, PM2.5, PM10 and SO2. Annual reports can be downloaded for the years 2013-2017 from the City of Cape Town’s website. Additional data from private buildings will help to validate and provide more accuracy on the pollution challenges faced by the city.

DATA LOG TO DIALOGUERESET is not the only indoor air quality monitoring system available on the market. Dimension Data has developed a range of Smart Health product sensors for the workplace and has already tested them out on their regional offices at Black River Business Park. A single sensor monitors Total VOC (TVOC), CO2, temperature, noise, humidity, and light (the same platform can do space occupancy and optimisation, which becomes imperative in a post-Covid world) to feed information back to the BMS, digital signage screens or intranet

Dimension Data’s Smart Health Product dashboard provides real-time information on a building’s indoor air quality and a baseline rating aligned with wellness standards. This enables facility managers to read patterns and locate the causes of shifts in pollutant and airborne pathogen particulate.

5 SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE INDOOR AIR QUALITY1. Maintain oxygen levels and ensure that carbon dioxide does not build up by increasing the fresh air

delivered to the space through air-handling units or operable windows.2. Reduce indoor air pollution through the specification of low and zero VOC paints, adhesives, and

floor coverings during design and fit-out, and low and zero VOC cleaning products during operation.3. Reduce indoor air pollution by specifying furniture that do not use formaldehyde during manufacture.4. Monitor and report on air quality using smart sensors which measure CO2, TVOC, and pathogens,

and which communicate with an automated monitoring system on an ongoing basis.5. Clean air of pathogens through the provision of fresh air and ultraviolet light cleansing.

portals. The results they found were unexpected. Product manager for connected real estate, Hanler

van Eck says: “We were surprised to learn that despite the [6-Star Existing Building Performance] Green Star rating, our building had high levels of indoor pollution and parts of the building were unreasonably hot, and the cause of some symptoms of runny nose and tired, itchy eyes were now identified.” Armed with real data, Dimension Data could start a conversation with their landlord towards finding solutions. Says Van Eck “If you don’t have the data you don’t have information to start the conversation. Our core purpose with this is to provide tenants with the tools to optimise the health and well-being of their employees and facilitate conversation with landlords and building owners.” Van Eck believes that “if we take care of our employees’ well-being, then they will take care of our financial well-being.” A sentiment echoed by the RESET website which announces that “Healthy air leads to less sick days and higher productivity”.

POWERING EXISTING TOOLSMonitoring is the first step in producing better quality indoor environments. Although Green Star awards and recognises buildings which improve on established benchmarks, there are gaps in the coverage of the rating systems. The 6-Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) rating at Dimension Data regional office, does not cover the interior fit-outs or the base-build infrastructure, which is where most of the VOCs are generated. Specifically, the EBP rating only covers operations and prioritises energy and water efficiency. Reflecting on the gaps, Van Eck explains the missing human link, “From a facility management perspective, the tenants don’t necessarily see the [green star compliance] documentation, I think this is something that can be worked out as an industry to improve compliance”. To this end, in the absence of either base-build or fit-out rating components, Van Eck sees the green lease as a critical component in ensuring the continuity in meeting indoor health goals.

Of course, indoor pollution is only one contributing factor against building comfort and health. Adequate volumes of fresh air, access to natural light and nature, climate control, and pathogen management feature in best practice design and management standards across the board. As we return to work in a Covid world, consideration of building health and employee wellness becomes paramount. Whilst interior design firms reposition themselves to offer healthy building

design services, facility managers may look to tools such as the WELL Building Standard to guide them in best practice.

According to Michelle Ludwig, founding director of Ludwig Design Consulting, the strength of WELL is that it is based on scientific evidence. Says Ludwig, “Every single one of the credits and interventions has a measurable positive physiological impact on the body”, for example, spending as little as five minutes in a natural setting can lower blood pressure and improve cognitive function. Facility managers can rely on the standard for interventions that provide meaningful results based on empirical science.

The campaign advances the work of the World Green Building Council’s Air Quality in the Built Environment

Campaign as part of the Better Places for People global project,

in which over 30 countries worldwide are participating.

Dim

ension Data

MEASURING OUTDOOR AIR QUALITYAmbient pollutant measurements are complex for the general public, specifically issues such as how measured pollutant concentrations translate to the quality of air and associated health effects but essentially air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index, (AQI).

The AQI works like a thermometer that runs from 0 to 500 degrees. However, instead of showing changes in the temperature, the AQI is a way of showing changes in the amount of pollution in the air.

The most commonly monitored pollutants in South Africa are sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ground ozone, and particulate matter (ambient PM10 and PM2.5). The other pollutants measured include lead, carbon monoxide, total suspended particles (TSPs), VOCs, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene components (BTEX), hydrogen sulphide, and total reduced sulphur (TRS).

TECH FOR TOMORROWAmong the suite of smart health solutions offered by Dimension Data are the newly released Seeley air-handling unit, UV-based solutions and advisory services. Increasing fresh-air intake volume is an obvious way to dilute indoor pollutants, maintain oxygen levels and reduce pathogen stress, but to do so can be costly because it typically increases the climate control burden on the HVAC plant (read: energy bill and CO2 emissions). This is what Dimension Data sought to address with their new Seeley air-handling unit. Says Steven van den Bergh, “With the Seeley unit, the incoming air is cooled, which in turn causes the HVAC to work less providing an effective and efficient cooling solution.” This is significant because South Africa’s climate control requirements are cooling dominated.

Launching in July, are the pathogen sensors within the Smart Health Product. These sensors monitor pathogen content in the air. The sensors detect pathogens of 10 um and smaller, including viruses, bacteria and moulds and notifies the BMS or Facilities when thresholds are exceeded. Still in road map phase is the UV-Disinfection

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Sources: Hanler van Eck, Product Manager for connected real estate precincts and communities, Dimension Data, [email protected] van den Bergh, Electronic Engineer IoT Solutions and Architecture, Dimension Data, [email protected] Ludwig, Founding director, LDC, [email protected] City of Cape Town’s open data portal https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/opendataportal/World Green Building Council https://www.worldgbc.org/plant-a-sensor

MAJOR INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS

SENSOR POLLUTANT MAJOR SOURCES POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

CO2 Carbon Dioxide

Excessive building occupancy and inadequate ventilation

Sick building syndrome (SBS) fatigue; eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches; chest discomfort; respiratory tract symptoms

CO Carbon Monoxide

Non-vented or malfunctioning gas appliances, wood and coal stoves, tobacco smoke and vehicle exhaust emissions

Headache, nausea, angina, impaired vision and mental functioning, fatal at high concentrations

COPM Environmental

Tobacco smoke, cigarettes, cigars and pipes

Respiratory irritation, bronchitis and pneumonia in children; emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease

VOC Organic chemicals

Aerosol sprays, solvents, glues, cleaning agents, pesticides, paints, moth repellents, air fresheners, dry cleaned clothing and treated water

Eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches; loss of coordination; damage to liver, kidney and brain; various types of cancer

o3 Ozone ground level

Malfunctioning air treatment systems; and office photocopiers and printers

Eye, nose and throat irritation; coughing; chest discomfort; reduced lung function; shortness of breath

NO2 Nitrogen oxides

Non-vented or malfunctioninggas appliances and vehicle exhaust emissions

Eye, nose and throat irritation; increased respiratory infections in children

PM TSP Total suspended particulates PM10 Thoracic fraction ≤10 μm PM2.5 Respirable fraction ≤2.5 μm

Cigarettes, wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, aerosol sprays and house dust

Eye, nose and throat irritation; increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and bronchitis; lung cancer

CHCO Formaldehyde pressed wood products e.g. plywood and mdf furnishings; wallpaper; durable press fabrics

Eye, nose and throat irritation; headache; allergic reactions; cancer

health robot. The robot is equipped with IoT-sensors, cloud programmable with UV lights that kill bacteria. It learns the building and spaces by itself, keeps track of the floorplan spaces it was in and still needs to complete and programmed to spend at least 15 minutes in each building zone, including lifts, to sanitise air and surfaces. “It’s a more thorough cleaning and less impactive (people and chemicals) solution to combat the spread of the Covid-19 virus.” Says Van Eck.

Indoor air pollution may be an old problem in the modernist buildings of the 1950s and 60s, but the issue of sick building syndrome has not gone away. Perhaps the development of new monitoring tools and standards for building well-being, can finally plug the gaps in production and specification that challenge the delivery of healthy indoor environments.

INDOOR AIR QUALITYOn average, people in industrialised nations spend about 90% of their time indoors, and most of that is in their homes. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduced productivity and impaired learning in schools. Unlike outdoor air, indoor air is recycled continuously causing it to trap and build up pollutants. IAQ characteristics include the concentrations of pollutants in indoor air, as well as air temperature and humidity.

IAQ can be affected by both biological (mould, bacteria) and chemical gases (including carbon monoxide, radon, volatile organic compounds) which are a result of either poor ventilation or use of particular materials in the interiors and have adverse implications on building occupants health. Source control, filtration and the use of adequate ventilation rates to dilute contaminants are the primary methods for improving indoor air quality.

Exposure to air pollution, the most deadly of which scientists call PM2.5, is the sixth highest risk factor for death around the world, claiming more than 4-million lives annually, according to recent global morbidity data.

13247 - RIGIFOAM 2019 POLAR BEAR ADVERT - FULL PAGE - 210x2917 (WALLS & ROOFS).indd 1 2019/09/16 15:5313247 - RIGIFOAM 2019 POLAR BEAR ADVERT - FULL PAGE - 210x2917 (WALLS & ROOFS).indd 1 2019/09/16 15:53

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The Power of Architecture

A new model of architecture is needed to move us beyond neutrality, sustainability, and human-centrism and into an era of carbon positivity, social equity, and planetary health. Our current global crisis presents us with an unprecedented imperative to begin this transition. Covid-19 has revealed how deeply our health is intertwined with each other and with the health of the ecosystems our extractive practices have continued to encroach upon.

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Covid and the built environment


WORDS Andrew Brose IMAGES MASS Design Group

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This global pandemic has reinforced what many in the design industry have been advocating for years: the way we live in our cities needs to change to avoid a tipping point in the

health of our planet. Now is the time for us to respond to the needs of our communities and push for critical decisions within the planning and design of the built environment which demands a healthier outcome for humans and our planet.

As we begin the injection of capital for job creation, production, and manufacturing in an attempt to revive the post-virus market multi-disciplinary voices are asking to heed the call for a ‘green economy’ and an equitable economy1. Epidemics and disease “roar through vulnerable communities all the time, this time it just happens to be roaring through the entire world” attracting the focus of all our attention and unless we make critical changes now, we will see these types of events multiplied2.

MASS Design Group was founded over a decade ago in response to an epidemic disease – extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis – whose airborne transmission was exacerbated by spatial conditions of hospital wards and waiting areas. Over the past decade, MASS has partnered with organisations working on the frontlines of the world’s major health challenges, from responding to acute epidemics of Ebola in Liberia and cholera in Haiti, to addressing the chronic injustices of structural health inequities around the world. When Covid-19 began to escalate, we saw its impact on our partners and the communities they regularly serve.

In the healthcare industry, this is especially pronounced as the space of the hospital itself will continue to facilitate nosocomial (hospital-borne)

infection, unless infection control protocols are established and adhered to.

As validated protocols designed to prevent Covid-19 transmission do not yet exist, hospitals are having to implement spatial redesigns on the fly, doing their best to learn from protocols based on other diseases. Until we can better understand the virus’ pathways, we won’t be able to confidently redesign our existing spaces to adhere to new and higher standards of infection control guidelines.

In the meantime, hospitals will continue to repurpose and convert their spaces ad hoc to meet surge demand – adapting idealised infection control protocols to non-ideal spaces and situations. This means healthcare workers and administrators must quickly adapt inflexible spaces, recognising that the resulting adaptations may put healthcare workers and our communities at risk unless we can quickly create site-specific guidelines that are adherable and implementable based on the best available knowledge.

While we need research to understand who is at increased risk for complications of Covid-19 and to develop effective vaccines and best therapies, we also need research that identifies how spatial design and awareness can mitigate risk.

This response effort takes root in our work addressing inadequacies in the built environment to aid those working to detect and treat infectious disease. Just as institutional, sterile spaces may evoke fear, dignified, human-centred spaces can instil trust and hope. With professionals responding to Covid in various ways through their own practice, what we need is a commitment to humanity in this time of uncertainty.

We have the resources to advocate for basic changes and adaptations to our built environment. Buildings often play an outsized role in the spread of infection — and redesign efforts can play a key role in stemming the tide of a pandemic. Whether it’s providing ample, clean airflow to decrease the presence of contagion, building effective systems to separate waste from water, or designing spaces conducive to infection control, architecture can and should do its part to fight pandemics.

The way we live in our cities needs to change to avoid a tipping point

in the health of our planet.

Impact Advert Sonae Arauco - 26 June 2020.indd 2 2020/06/30 12:59

Surprisingly, however, porous materials like wood, cardboard, fibres, cotton, and leather seem to be less stable material for the Covid-19 virus, which lasts only 24 hours on these surfaces. We need to rethink guidelines determined by previous diseases, in the face of new realities.

Design can help rebuild trust in the public realm. Use signs and graphics to reveal the systems that are working behind the scenes: publicly display safety standards and protocols for restaurants and places of convening, as well as construction and job sites.

Surfaces contaminated with infected droplets can transmit disease. Hospitals and kitchens use non-porous surfaces (e.g. stainless steel, plastic, composites) for infection control and ease of cleaning; these are proving to be materials where Covid-19 has been shown to live the longest. Take care to routinely clean non-porous surfaces.

Well-intentioned spaces will fail if they clash with how people will use them. Designs need to respect user and cultural preferences and anticipate natural human behaviours. All of us need to bring our best selves, knowing we are all in this together. Just as institutional, sterile spaces may evoke fear, dignified, human-centred spaces can instill trust and hope.

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Radically simple actions can include making design accommodations for operable windows and doors for increased airflow, easy to clean surfaces, frictionless entries, and decentralisation of HVAC systems. Reciprocally, these strategies have environmental implications and the connection between designing in response to human health is not far afield from many of the green building guidelines currently in practice.

We have seen architects playing an essential role in the here in South Africa and across the world, not only in responding to the immediate needs of temporary tents and retrofits, but in directing resources towards the production of personal protective equipment, rethinking our public spaces, and considering long-term solutions for infection control beyond this pandemic.

Urgency has a tendency to privilege temporary solutions, but one thing we’ve learned about Covid is that the recovery process is long, and thus, people will be staying in these spaces not for days but for weeks and even upwards of a month, with no access to nature and minimal access to the outside world, which can have debilitating effects of their own. Thus, we need to design with these emotional and psychological factors in consideration. Besides, leading experts are saying that Covid-19 may be a seasonal occurrence and permanent infrastructures adapted to deal with the epidemiological

outcomes of this health crisis may be the new normal for the foreseeable future.

We are all going to have to navigate the world in a new way when we leave our homes. Many of our fundamental understandings about public space will change as a result of Covid-19, in ways we can only begin to imagine. Some are thrilling: what if we kept the cars off the road? What would it mean to rethink our means of food production and distribution? Can we take on climate change with the same all-in vigour that we are demonstrating now across the world? Others will be less optimistic. There will be fear – fears for our future, fear of each other, fear for our livelihoods and economy, fear of gathering, fear of the ideas of community that have sustained us for so long. Architects and designers can play a large role in rebuilding systems of trust through the design of safe and healthy environments.

The construction industry accounts for more than half of annual global GHG emissions and have brought us indirectly into a short-term health crisis and directly into the long-term climate crisis. Can we leverage a slowing down of globalisation to begin establishing more transparent, interconnected, and regional systems of knowledge, labour, and material supply? Can we emerge with a model of practice that understands a building, a landscape, or rail line to be interconnected with all of the ecological systems it engages?

Seventy-five percent of new or emerging infectious diseases originate in livestock or wildlife, resulting annually in millions of people’s deaths, and billions of dollars of economic impact3. The root causes of those diseases are human in origin, including global trade, changing land use patterns, extractive agricultural practices, unplanned urbanisation, and unprecedented human migration, all exacerbated by a rapidly changing climate. This is One Health: the concept that human, ecological, and animal health are inextricably intertwined. Covid-19, HIV, and Ebola are examples of the increasing trend of environmental origin pandemics, which will only continue to increase with population and pressure on ecosystems. The science of how One Health systems interlink is clear. We need a new playbook to apply it to the built environment.

At MASS, we use the One Health principals as our model to respond to alimentative outcomes. One Health emerged through an interdisciplinary approach to disease prevention uniting medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, agriculture and ecology4. Mapped onto design practice this holistic approach provides the tools for architects to understand our decisions in their totality, expedite a demand for transparency in our supply chains, and empower a full accounting of short-term and long-term socio-economic, ecologic, and carbon impacts. Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and rapid urban expansion are creating conditions for coronaviruses and other zoonotic diseases to cross over into human populations. These risks, rooted in the landscape, are further exacerbated by socio-ecological factors such as social inequity, occupational exposures, and food insecurity.

Designing for One Health, or holistically responding to all possible systems of health through design, places us on a path towards carbon positivity, social equity, and planetary restoration. The current crisis has unveiled the fragility to which our regional systems have been thinned down to by relying on highly complex globalised exchanges. We must utilise this opportunity to emerge with practices that account for the full extent of material supply chains, value all forms of life, and replenish our ecological systems. Disrupted routines have presented gaps in the systems of our cities and this

1. Fiona Harvey. World Has Six Months to Avert Climate Crisis, Says Energy Expert. The Guardian, June 18, 2020, sec. Environment. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/18/world-has-six-months-to-avert-climate-crisis-says-energy-expert2. Barocas, Josh, MASS Design Group, Architecture Can Heal - Adapting Healthcare Spaces in Response to COVID-19. Webinar, Boston, MA, May 12, 2020.’3. Asokan, G. V., and R. K. Kasimanickam. Emerging Infectious Diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance and Millennium Development Goals: Resolving the Challenges through One Health. Central Asian Journal of Global Health 2, no. 2 (October 1, 2013). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5927746/4. Queenan, Kevin et al. Roadmap to a One Health agenda 2030. (2017)

Just as institutional, sterile spaces may evoke fear; dignified,

human-centred spaces can instil trust and hope.

disruption gives us the chance to make propositions for radical change towards a more sustainable future.

We believe in the power of architecture to either hurt or heal. If spaces can be purposefully designed, they can assist in the prevention, containment, and treatment of infectious disease, including Covid-19. The spatial decisions we make now will also have long term implications in how we respond to and prepare for the next epidemic. Our work is predicated on the important focus on dignity, and designing for people, not just against pathogens.

The diagram, from a rapid response study conducted by MASS and Ariadne labs, highlights different interventions that were made to turn an adult ICU wing into one that could treat patients who have tested positive for coronavirus.

DESIGN FOR SOCIAL DISTANCE, NOT SOCIAL ISOLATION

RETHINK MATERIAL SELECTION AND TREATMENT OF SURFACES

DESIGN FOR PEOPLE, NOT JUST AGAINST PATHOGENS

MAKE YOUR SPACES BREATHE BETTER

TEMPORARY SHELTERS ARE NEVER TEMPORARY

Just as patients must be triaged to prioritise those most in need of care; spaces must be triaged to protect healthy people from getting sick – including healthcare workers and people with non-confirmed cases. Sequence the flows of people to limit unnecessary overlaps. Make sure to separate clean and dirty entrances, ensure proper donning and doffing areas for PPE, and consider how people and materials will be moving through the space.

To dilute and remove contaminated indoor air, open windows for cross ventilation (if appropriate, and if the space allows), or use exhaust fans or mechanical systems to pull air outside.

Air cleansing strategies are also an effective option, such as Germicidal Ultraviolet (GUV) air disinfection units or air filters.

Communal spaces like hallways, waiting areas, lobbies, and elevators are the most contagious because that is where crowding occurs. Meet, interact, collect, and connect outdoors if you can. When inside, people (and beds) should be separated by 6ft (2m) to minimise droplet transmission. Reduce congestion and reliance on waiting rooms and other communal spaces where infectious and healthy people mix.

Covid-19 is mainly spread by droplets-produced by coughing, sneezing or even just talking - that can travel up to 6ft (2m). There is early evidence that smaller particles may be able to float even longer distances. In the latter situation, called airborne transmission, proper ventilation and simple airflows strategies can help.

Facilities struggling to meet patient surges will rely on the quick mobilisation of ‘temporary’ care spaces. Shelters that are meant as ‘pop-ups’ usually end up being used for much longer than intended, some beyond 20 years. Whether erecting a tent clinic or retrofitting a lobby, decisions we make now will have long-term effects on institutions and communities. When the spigots of relief funds begin flowing to temporary structures, invest in something that will last for a year, not a month.

As the world continues to grapple with the outbreak, the need for a unified approach for a healthier and more just planet has never been so pronounced. The pandemic has highlighted the inadequacy of the design profession to respond on its own merit, requiring the humility and understanding that our build environment can heavily influence the trajectory of our lives whether due to our proximal connection to infectious disease or the results of a degraded planetary environment.

in 2050:

Our current society and environment are characterised by rapid change, and it is impossible to know what the world will look like in a decade, let alone a generation. Analysing current trends and drivers of change across a variety of industries, sectors and topics assists to illustrate different possible futures. These four narratives offer glimpses of our possible future, some frightening and some worth striving for.

WORDS Adam Ozinsky & Tessa Brunette

Imagining four plausible futures

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Our World

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Our understanding of the future is disturbing. This would have been the opening line for this piece if it were published last year. But now, in the middle of 2020, it seems

somewhat understated but no less valid. Indeed, the changes we have already witnessed in our lifetimes will pale in comparison to those that lie before us.

We only have one planet; it is a closed system that must support all life now and into the future. And yet we continue to degrade natural ecosystems – the very ecosystems that we depend on for our survival. Conversely, we live in an age where the human condition has never been better.

The interconnection between natural and human systems is complex. These systems are currently on a collision course that appears catastrophic. But there remains hope; we can still change our impact and drive our societies towards a positive future.

The development of four plausible future scenarios was a part of the process of better understanding this interconnection. We use scenarios to help envision surreal, yet plausible futures. They provide a platform for discussions on the implications of potential trajectories and allow us to identify and visualise what we want to strive for, and also avoid. These scenarios are neither predictions nor forecasts, but visualisations of plausible future worlds.

As the greatest challenge of our time, we thought it appropriate to consider four worlds in which we could consider and analyse the possibilities of various connections and relationships between the natural and human systems. Each of the scenarios is compelling for different reasons: from a world where both the societal and natural systems move rapidly towards collapse to one where symbiosis is the baseline for all activities on our planet. While only a single generation

POST ANTHROPOCENEBoth people and planet are on the path to a regenerative world. Society consumes resources at the rate at which they can be replenished, populations are diverse, and societal structures are balanced. Science-Based Targets for resource use and emissions are well established, biodiversity loss has halted, and together with harmonised global focus and cooperation, are key to today’s recovering planet and thriving people.

What was once known as rubbish or garbage is one of today’s most valuable resources and is mined both on land and sea. Everything is a resource. Workers, many of whom are employed in the ‘green economy’ are paid a living wage and can pursue jobs that they enjoy and are meaningful.

As open borders are expanded and knowledge is willingly shared, individuals have increasing freedom to move around the world. This global pursuit of knowledge and opportunity, unhindered by the

Greentocracy

Post Anthropocene

Extinction Express

ahead, we believe that these four worlds are cogent and plausible. Hopefully, they challenge our assumptions about what matters.

This is a glimpse into our four worlds. Welcome to 2050.

GREENTOCRACYClimate action and biodiversity recuperation are on the top line of every national and transnational agenda. The result of galvanised global efforts have been unprecedented for the environment, but not without significant sacrifice from people who are realising the trade-offs did not quite work out for them. Humanity now lives in self-imposed servitude to the environment under the mantra of ‘happy planet, happy people.’

For most of the last two decades, the Earth and its health have enjoyed the highest priority in the public consciousness. The extinction curve is flat and many species are now regenerating. The effects of climate change can still be felt, yet the impacts are less severe than predicted.

This achievement came at a much greater expense to society than expected. The changes to where people lived, what they ate and how they travelled were sudden and extreme. They permeated every aspect of daily life. Pervasive carbon taxation and individual carbon allowances have severely slowed consumerism for the aspiring global middle-class. To save on their carbon allowance, people regularly repurpose used items and upcycling is at an all-time high, with a thriving ‘Do Everything Yourself (DEY)’ culture.

Driven by extreme ecological regulation, societies are now highly divided, regulated and unequal, with most citizens increasingly disillusioned; they are mere pawns in the Greentocracy. The planet, however, smiles.

geopolitical conflicts of the past, is supporting a new era of technological innovation and cultural exploration.

It is acknowledged that progress towards a global consensus and a balanced planet has been hard-fought, yet the rewards won by working together – from a stable climate to the ‘miracle’ of precision medicine – are spurring even greater collaboration. For the first time, the global commons have voices in the United Nations General Assembly and are contributing to a healthy debate about a shared future.

EXTINCTION EXPRESSClimate change and the inexorable consumption of Earth’s resources have resulted in fundamental destabilisation of natural systems. Resource, energy, water and food shortages are pervasive across the world. The planet and its people are suffering.

Environmental consciousness is non-existent.

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The Amazon rainforest, once one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, is almost entirely cleared. Resource colonies on the moon and in the deep sea have been established as demand for natural resources is a massive incentive to reach and operate in these inaccessible and inhospitable locations.

There is a stark division between the have-lots and the have-nots. Goods are easily accessible, but only to the wealthy few. The global middle class is all but history. Information and knowledge exchange across borders are shaped by protectionism. Five independent internets have developed.

Most nations have adopted a nationalist agenda. They only look outwards to engage in bilateral agreements for the exchange of natural resources or food. Mass climate migration and resource wars are real. Governments are widely criticised by their constituents, accused of wilfully shirking their responsibilities towards ecosystem health. Society is driven by a fear of the ‘foreign’ and ‘different’, exacerbated by an unheralded number of climate refugees. Few people can rely on, let alone afford, access to healthcare, further dividing society along the lines of basic human needs.

HUMANS INC. For most people, life is as good as it’s ever been. Major advances have occurred in the former developing world where life expectancy has increased and infant mortality has decreased. Many nations have seen a renaissance of social state principles, with new welfare economies continually developing around the globe. Governments have provided new or upgraded housing, social services and Universal Basic Income. Philanthropy has gone mainstream.

The planet, on the other hand, is not as healthy. In many ways, this period reflects a business-as-usual

There remains hope; we can still change our impact and drive our societies towards

a positive future.

trajectory from 2020: the condition of humanity has continued to improve at the expense of the environment. Climate considerations have come third, subordinate to economic development and societal well-being.

The amplitude and frequency of extreme weather events continued to increase, with wetter wets and drier dries, hotter hots and colder colds. Major cities across the world repeatedly experienced flooding of their subway systems, and are now finding ways to relocate their subway services above ground to ensure service. Water scarcity is on the global agenda, with many cities having run out of potable water; now turning to ocean-based desalinisation facilities and large-scale infrastructure systems to counteract water shortages.

In attempting to preserve humanity’s lifestyle, we have turned nature into an adversary who is now striking climactic blows that we cannot defend. But human life is good. For now.

We hope these narratives help you to think about the plural and divergent nature of our common future. They are intended to help us better understand the implications of our actions, and inactions, on the world of tomorrow. We hope they inspire you to challenge yourself to be the best you can be, for all life, both today and in generations to come.

The full narratives, user journeys, and timelines can be found at www.arup.com/2050scenarios.

Humans Inc.

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Koen & Associates Architecture is an award-winning Design & Build, infrastructure development company. Refined over the last 8 years of business, our proven track record puts you as the customer at the center.

Successful projects require complex teams, and our in-house team of expert designers, quantity surveyors, projects managers, contract managers, site foremen and support staff, will work out every single detail of your project and exceed your expectations.

The Design-Build delivery model is the better project delivery method. Single point account-ability means that agreed upon developer project goals form the organizational compass for the entire team and project.We design spaces that improve the occupant’s quality of life using an aesthetic that pushes the boundary while being sensitive to the environment. Koen & Associates Architects view design as holistic process; this process considers human needs while interpreting the main commercial objectives of the building.

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An established and trusted product in South Africa, Thermguard has been successfully insulating buildings for 35 years in households and industry, countrywide.

Choice of insulation can have a significant impact on thermal and acoustic comfort, as well as on the environment, and it’s for this reason that it’s important for industry specifiers to be informed on eco-friendly products that have stood the test of time.

a green soluTionFor starters, Thermguard Cellulose Fibre Insulation is made from recycled newsprint; thousands of tons of which would otherwise be filling up landfills. This is milled into a light cellulose insulation product with optimal density, which is blown onto the ceiling in the roof. The non-recycled fire-retardant additives are non-toxic and natural; salts and minerals which are used in agriculture to promote plant health; stop and prevent wet and dry rot in timber; and also have various uses in the household and medical fields. Borate additives are harmless to humans and pets but will irritate insects and rodents such that they will not live in the material or use it to build a nest.

The embodied energy of Thermguard is also by far the lowest compared to other commercially available insulation products. Furnace-made insulation materials (fibreglass and polyester) require around ten times more energy to produce compared to cellulose fibre. Thermguard is 100% biodegradable and will not negatively affect ecosystems or wildlife.

a “double green” effecT The use of insulation in homes and commercial developments reduces the flow of heat through the roof by up to 92%. By preventing heat gains and losses, Thermguard keeps the space naturally temperate and comfortable all year. This means not having to rely on air-conditioners and heaters as much which translates into energy savings (and savings on electricity bills). This prevention of greenhouse gases at both the consumer and producer end of the product lifecycle is known as a “double green” effect. With Thermguard being delivered in recycled plastic bags, made from recycled plastic, there is the assurance that every aspect of the product has been considered from a sustainability perspective.

INSULATE YOUR HOME; PROTECT THE PLANET

CASE STUDIES: green building services, maTerials & Technologies

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PrOfIlE

Grecoline (established in 2014) is a privately owned family company based in Johannesburg. Our company is in cooperation with the top certified European

companies in the aluminium industry, bringing the best from Europe to your home. Thanks to the wide range of products, customised solutions are easily created for the needs of our clients.

Grecoline takes pride not only in the provision of exceptional European high-quality aluminium products that meet the uppermost requirements of technology, safety, aesthetics, energy efficiency and comfort but also in our customer service excellence from the beginning stages up until completion of projects. Grecoline is committed to fulfilling the requirements of all customers while leaving them with the utmost contentment through our high professionalism, knowledge, reliability, experience and timely services. Our ethos is that our premium quality European aluminium products deserve the same supreme approach to installation and customer service.

Grecoline also focuses on energy efficiency and as such energy-efficient solutions are offered by our expert team and engineers for residential and commercial projects. Our energy-efficient products aid in lowering energy consumption.

Grecoline’s thermal break system prevents heat losses and heat gains via the aluminium frame in winter and summer respectively. With the use of suitable glazing, the sound is reduced considerably and the comfort level indoors is improved reducing the costs for heating or cooling. The EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubbers that are used along the aluminium frame completely seal the window preventing any air, as well as water leakage. Additionally, the windows have been designed with embedded sinks which allow the water to escape outwards.

Energy efficiency is reached with the use of double glazing as it is considered a passive energy-saving system and also helps minimise your carbon footprint. It adds to the thermal comfort of the occupant while minimising the need for any heaters or air conditioners which subsequently reduce your energy costs.

The two panes of glass are separated by a sealed air gap which acts as an additional layer of insulation. This prevents the heat in winter from escaping the interior keeping your home at a comfortable temperature. Likewise in summer, the double glazing prevents unwanted heat entering the home. Double glazing not only reduces noise pollution, it also forms an extra barrier for added security.

The high-quality aluminium products that we supply are made of durable materials that will fit any type of wall, window, and fixture that requires aluminium products. We make sure that all our products fit beautifully and perfectly with each other. Grecoline can help customers add a touch of modern design into any home or office.

Products Supplied:Aluminium Windows & Doors • Openining Systems• Folding & Stacking Systems• Sliding Systems• Lift & Slide Systems• Slim Line - Less Frame Systems• Integrated Blinds System Curtain Walls Shutters• Opening Shutters• Sliding Shutters• Manual or Automated Rollers ShuttersDoors• Entrance Doors• Interior Doors Insect Screens• Balustrades• Canopies/pergolas

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energy efficiency In order to meet the green building standards, set out by GBCSA and the NBRBS’ green building codes, you would need to ensure that your building achieves a reduction in energy consumption as per EDGE or SANS 10400-XA guidelines; as well as promoting the reduction energy generation pollution in the form of greenhouse gas. This can be achieved by utilising renewable energy sources.

environmenTIndoor environmental quality of and the impact a building, especially during its development, will have on the environment, must be considered when meeting green building standards. Indoor environment quality requirements focus on the well being of people within buildings and includes factors such as heating, cooling, lighting and fresh air supply. The regulations with regards to the impact of the building on the environment focus on reducing any pollution or emissions from the building; as well as reducing the negative impact that the building may have on localised ecosystems.

To puT our cusTomers aT The cenTre of our businessOur company thrives thanks to our belief in creating long-lasting partnerships with our customers and partners. As such, we see the importance of putting forward a strategy which puts our valued customers at the centre of our business, in order to achieve continued success. ● We strive to take our clients’ ambitions further

by continuing to offer an attractive combination of industrial expertise, functionality, sustainable quality, design and price.

● We see the importance role that being reliable and easy to do business with has in success. In order to achieve that we ensure that ethics and transparency are rooted in our business practises, along with integrity and commitment to our customers and stakeholders. Our goal is to develop solutions inspired by wood

while still upholding our values as a company and taking responsibility for our environment. More than just creating wood-based products, our global mindset ensures that we improve people’s lives.

Sonae Arauco’s melamine faced particleboard is E1 Certified, Sonae Arauco are proud members of the Green Building Council and The Forestry Stewardship Council. We take pride in our

certifications and what it means to your building project, our clients and the environment.

As we see a global move towards adopting environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, it has become imperative that we make a concerted effort to incorporate the green building standards in our buildings.

We continue to hold respecting the environment as a top priority and strive sustainably utilise our raw materials and to maintain our E1 Certification. We will continue to uphold the standards for formaldehyde emissions, ensuring that our products meet the strictest environmental impact requirements. We achieve this by:● Sourcing our wood from sustainably managed

sources, certified through two of the largest forest management and responsibility chain certification systems: the PEFC™ (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) and the FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®).

● All our factories are certified for Environmental Management, Quality Management and Health and Safety at Work Management, in accordance with the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001 international standards, and most of them are also certified for Energy Management, in accordance with the ISO 50001 international standard.Our goal is to continue to practise, encourage and

promote social responsibility as part of our global mindset. We achieve this by continuing to promote ethical business practises and respecting and uplifting the communities which we are in.

SUSTAINABLE, gREEN ANd TRENdY INTERIOR dESIgNS

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The revolving door: Not many give the structure much thought as they daily enter and exit office buildings, apartment blocks, shops, hospitals and other buildings

where the feature is effectively used; and yet, there is ingenuity behind its simplicity – and this is ever more the case as air quality becomes an issue high on the sustainability agenda.

Invented in 1888 in Philadelphia by Theophilus Van Kannel, his patent for the revolving door states: “It is perfectly noiseless in its operation and effectually prevents the entrance of wind, snow, rain or dust either when it is closed or when persons are passing through it.” The original motto of Van Kannel's company was “Always open, always closed,” - that is, always open to people, always closed to the elements. More than a century later, these practical benefits continue to be the core principles on which modern revolving doors are marketed.

Frost International is the distributor of Boon Edam, the world leading manufacturer in revolving doors. This unique range is aesthetically superior, electro-mechanically of the highest quality, and an asset to any building where one of the doors is installed. Not only can revolving doors efficiently handle bi-directional pedestrian traffic and reduce energy costs by maintaining an airlock, they also improve comfort for building occupants and offer more usable space at building entrances compared to vestibules.

The sTack effecT A basic understanding of the way air behaves in a building sheds light on the benefits of revolving doors. Air flows in and out of a building because of differences in air pressure and humidity in what is known as the stack effect. In the winter, heated air rises toward the top of a building and if there are any openings on the ground floor, cold air rushes in to replace the heated air. The opposite happens in summer, with the cold air flowing out the front doors. In addition, air flows through the building when doors, vents, or windows are open; this is known as a wind tunnel effect. Regular foot traffic through swinging or sliding doors can result in air leaks of up to thousands of cubic feet per minute, requiring more air to be heated or cooled.

Granted, a revolving door isn’t airtight, but the barrier it creates makes the impact of that air pressure differential less important. Every time the door spins,

SIMPLE SUSTAINABILITY

a minimal amount of air will leave the building and a minimal amount of air will come in, but overall, much less passes through a revolving door than a swing door. Not only are drafts eliminated, noise and air pollution minimised, and dirt and debris kept out of the building, but revolving doors also counter the effects of stack pressure, which increases in taller buildings. Where stack pressure is prevalent, the ease of operation of pushing a revolving door (when a manual option is used) compared to pulling or pushing hinged or swinging doors is another key driver in selecting a revolving door system as the primary point of entry.

The boTTom line The difference in air leaks and how much air needs to be heated or cooled of course translates directly into the energy and money spent on heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC). HVAC costs are often the single biggest major costs of operating a large building, typically 39% of the typical energy consumption breakdown. Prevention of HVAC losses through inefficient doors is therefore integral to sustainability and the efficiency of green buildings.

In addition to the energy conservation benefits of revolving doors, the intrinsic health benefits are becoming more appreciated, as urban and airborne pollution levels rise. The energy savings costs do not consider the human and financial cost of illness for people working in environments that are less than ideally healthy. This is a very real issue for the numbers of people with upper respiratory tract issues and allergies; and, considering the ongoing threat of Covid-19, certainly not something to be understated. Automatic revolving doors also mean a contactless entrance and exit journey for the user, ensuring the highest possible levels of hygiene. Here, hygiene really does start at the entrance.

Of course there cannot be a silver bullet for interior sustainability issues, this is a complex and multi-tiered issue, but there is no doubt that the concept of “Always open, always closed” has inherent advantages that increasingly suits our built environment.


Mapping the path to a sustainable future

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REPURPOSINg BUILdINgS: NEw LIfE fROM SOLId STOCk

Some buildings have their lifetime’s design calling: cathedrals: monuments, hospitals and palaces. Some are homes, renovated and refreshed from time to time. And others once

had a particular purpose; long forgotten as the needs of the community changed.

As an example, in Somerset West we have what was once perhaps a light industrial workshop or warehouse, now reinvented as a chic interior design showroom – The Mood Collective. A large walled space with mezzanine, ideal for displays, with offices, and lovely natural light beaming through the high industrial windows. With a lot of love, effort, tears, and perhaps some money, the industrial building has been refreshed into a stunning showroom, where interior specialists showcase their wares to interior designers and homemakers.

adding passive comforT Amongst the challenges to be overcome in preparing the building was adding passive comfort, to allow patrons to browse at their leisure. While the building has some aspects which contribute to occupant comfort, such as cross-flow ventilation and high thermal mass solid walls, it was built in an era when limited thought was given to the disposition of occupants, and the effect of discomfort on patronage and energy efficiency. The 300m2 asbestos fibre roof was completely uninsulated, meaning high temperature loads in summer, and a cold interior in winter.

While one option would have been to remove and replace the roofing after installing thermal insulation, because there was opportunity to work from within the empty structure, the decision was made to solve from within. In addition, this saved replacing the roof sheets.

The solution chosen has been to add proven thermal insulation, in the form of 30mm thickness IsoBoard panels, directly adhered to the existing roof sheets. IsoBoard panels were factory painted per specification, glued to the asbestos sheeting between the existing purlins, and finished with a trim piece. This intervention has made a considerable difference to the interior comfort and the aesthetic appeal of the showroom, while preventing any shedding of asbestos fibres.

a neaT, quick and relaTively affordable soluTion The installation team of four took a week to install the IsoBoard roof lining panels, working from scaffold platforms. The adhesive forms the permanent bond between the roof sheets and interlocking IsoBoard panels, making use of no mechanical fasteners at all. The key to this installation is having dust and oil-free surfaces on the sheeting and boards, allowing the water-based adhesive to bond. The recommended adhesive allows IsoBoard panels of up to 2 400mm in length to adhere almost instantaneously, enabling the installation of the next and subsequent boards without dislodging the initial board. Pre-painting the boards saved time, mess and disruption on site.

Overall, this has been a neat, quick and relatively affordable solution, delivering a comfortable and appealing environment for occupants, without affecting the integrity of the roof system.

ALWAYS OPEN, ALWAYS CLOSED

A complete separation between the internal and external environments, Protects against air and noise pollution.

Drastically reduce the strain on a buildings HVAC system, and leads to improved energy efficiency and savings.

Contactless activation ensures highest possible hygiene levels.

Established 1970

INTERNATIONALEntrance and Security Solutions

BOON EDAM REVOLVING DOORS:

Hygiene starts at the entrance.

In addition to the range of Boon Edam revolving doors, Frost International offers contactless Entrance Solutions

in the form of the FROST AUTOMATIC sliding door operator, and swing door operators.

Frost A4 Print Ad 09.06.2020.indd 2 2020/06/10 14:47

ALWAYS OPEN, ALWAYS CLOSED

A complete separation between the internal and external environments, Protects against air and noise pollution.

Drastically reduce the strain on a buildings HVAC system, and leads to improved energy efficiency and savings.

Contactless activation ensures highest possible hygiene levels.

Established 1970

INTERNATIONALEntrance and Security Solutions

BOON EDAM REVOLVING DOORS:

Hygiene starts at the entrance.

In addition to the range of Boon Edam revolving doors, Frost International offers contactless Entrance Solutions

in the form of the FROST AUTOMATIC sliding door operator, and swing door operators.

Frost A4 Print Ad 09.06.2020.indd 2 2020/06/10 14:47

impactbuilding council of south africa€¦ · sustainable design award 2020 the award recognises...

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