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sustainable construction world
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they undergo on the job training on site
in various trades. This was done under
guidance of permanent staff members
on a rotational basis. Twenty three
local community members received and
completed adult basic education and
training providing conceptual foundation
towards lifelong learning and development,
comprising of knowledge, skills and
attitudes required for social, economic and
political participation and transformation.
Summary
The architectural design represents a
coherent response to a host of complicated
requirements by the client team, including
spatial, cost, environmental, operational and
security considerations. The architectural
team believe that we have not only
met but exceeded the requirement and
simultaneously created a beautiful building
which will inspire all who work and visit there.
The real value of this building lies
in the fact that this is the first rated/
measurable manifestation of sustainability
policies within Government that have
been years in the making. By achieving
the 6 star accolade, the Department of
Environmental Affairs firmly sets the bar for
other Government departments and also
challenges the private sector to follow their
lead. It also serves as a positive example
to other African states where sustainability
policies are only starting to emerge and
regulatory bodies are non-existent.
Not only is the impact of this building
measurable in terms of its reduction in
energy use, water use and waste generation,
but the socio economic implications through
work creation, local labour force
and education.
∞
Lessons
The following observations follow from the
experience of having designed and built
this project:
1. Get the basics right. It cannot be
overestimated how important this is –
if the building’s orientation is correct
and the elevations are treated accordingly,
it not only solves direct sun heat gain
issues but also ensures optimal visible
light transmission, leading to a reduction
in electrical lighting load. The problem
with getting it wrong is that you will
end up trying to create costly solutions
for things that should never have been
problems in the first place.
2. Go for the easy (read inexpensive)
points: Often the basic properties of the
building site and its surroundings result in
automatic Green Star points. The balance
of the points required for the various
ratings can then be considered and
weighed up against cost. In this building
the energy reduction targets set by the
brief dictated that our focus would be on
energy points. We ended up achieving all
possible points.
3. Whether or not the project brief includes
a green star requirement, each building
should be designed to be green. This
does not have to add any cost to the
budget, and should rather be seen as ‘best
practice’. We have had success on another
project where our building was awarded
with a comfortable five star rating despite
there being no client requirement for a
green rating. The DEA brief was for a
four star building, and yet six stars were
achieved through the team carrying the
momentum and all working towards a
common goal.
4. To expand on the previous point, we
believe that no one particular design
feature of a building can make or break
a green star rating. Instead it is a
combination of various disciplines all
contributing and working as a team to
make the most of a design.
5. Each building project calls for a unique
design solution, factoring in aspects such
as siting, local microclimate, site history,
client brief etc. What works for one project
will not necessarily work for another.
6. Just because a building is sustainable
does not necessarily mean that it has
to look strange or even ugly. Basic
architectural guidelines and old fashioned
good design must not be sacrificed.
The fact, for instance, that a particular
product or material cannot be locally
sourced should be weighed up against the
‘greater good’ that using it will achieve,
for instance low long term maintenance,
better performance, etc.
FACT BOX
• 27 422 m
2
Gross Lettable Area
• 82 Green Building Council of
South Africa green star points
(6 Stars)
• 115 kWh/m
2
/annum maximum
energy consumption target
• 30 654 m
2
Gross Floor Area
• 70% construction waste
recycling/reuse
• >1 000 m
3
water storage
• 30% reduction of potable water
consumption
• 2 200 m
2
PV panels generating
760 000 kWh/annum (in excess
of 20% of the daily demand)
• Up to 8 degrees Celsius
reduction in stored
temperature as a result of
passive night flushing
• 52,2% average reduction in
cement usage
• 95% of steel used is from
recycled sources
• 62% reduction in lighting
energy as a result of glazing
selection & daylight and
lighting controls
• 2.1 U-value for façade –
thermally broken double glazed
façade and insulated walls,
roofs, floors