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25

october 2016

sustainable construction world

Kemp has been involved in the

design of a variety of projects that

have included hospitals, residential

apartments, hotels, airport

developments, industrial facilities,

office and retail developments –

not only in South Africa but also in

Ireland and Australia.

“It is always an honour to be

recognised for one’s contribution to

building sustainability in South Africa,

and I am especially proud to have

been awarded the Established Green

Star Award by the GBCSA. I have an

absolute passion for sustainable

design and development and the Silo

district project at the V & A Waterfront

in Cape Town is a leading example

of sustainability on a district scale.

Not only is each of the buildings

designed, built and operated on

sustainability principles, they also

share common services that enhance

efficiency, and it is project that we at

Arup are extremely proud of having

collaborated on,” says Kemp.

Perrie says embodied energy is the

energy consumed for the raw material

extraction, transportation, manufacture,

assembly, installation, disassembly and

demolition of a product system over

the duration of the product’s life. In the

case of concrete, the embodied energy

as a result of these processes is low

and the total energy - when full life-cycle

analysis is assessed – also low.

“The current average worldwide

consumption of concrete is about

one ton per year for every living

human being which, cumulatively, is

massive. It should, right at the outset,

be remembered that buildings are not

constructed out of cement but rather

from concrete, of which cement is but

one ingredient. While the embodied

energy of a pure cement is very high

at around 900 kg/ton, when used in

concrete with secondary materials, the

embodied energy of concrete can be as

low as 90 kg/ton.

“In any event, the concern about

cement’s environmental footprint also

stems from ignorance. Despite the

extensive use of concrete in the world,

worldwide, the cement industry only

accounts for about 5% of man-made

carbon dioxide emissions: about 40%

of this comes from burning coal and

60% from the calcination of limestone, ‘’

Perrie states.

He says there are generally many

Many misconceptions about

sustainable building

Concrete has a low embodied

energy which is an important

factor for ‘green building’, says

Bryan Perrie, managing director

of The Concrete Institute.

misconceptions - and inadequate

assessment ratings in place - when

it comes to establishing true

sustainability in the built environment.

“The Green Star system of the Green

Building Council in South Africa and the

LEED system in the USA, for example,

award points for various sustainability

initiatives during the design and life

of the building. Unfortunately, this

incentive often leads to chasing points

for a particular rating rather than

concentrating on real sustainability.’’

Perrie says aiming for zero levels

in primary energy consumption, carbon

emissions during construction, waste

and water consumption, coupled with

the total elimination of unsustainable

building materials, would be more

appropriate sustainability measures.

“This has now become the quest of

a few major corporations globally and,

to me, is a far more pragmatic approach

as it focuses on sustainable issues by

setting targets rather than just scoring

points. The ‘zero’ target may not be easy

to achieve but it is a worthwhile target

to strive for.”

The Concrete Institute also believes

that not enough attention is being

paid to the “use phase’’ of a building

or structure, which stretches from

the initial extraction/production/

construction phase right through to the

end of life of the structure.

“Research has shown that the long-

term, cumulative benefits of considering

the whole life cycle of structures are

staggering. This is a factor that simply

cannot be ignored when it comes

to assessing true sustainability in

building,” Perrie adds.

Concrete’s low embodied energy contributes to sustainable building, says The Concrete Institute.

Established

Green Star

award winner

Jaco Kemp, sustainable

buildings specialist at Arup,

has won the 2016 Established

Green Star Award by the

Green Buildings Council of

South Africa (GBCSA) for his

continued contribution to the

green building economy.

Jaco Kemp, sustainable buildings

specialist at Arup.