Green building buzzwords such as urban metabolism, embodied carbon and palimpsest may not yet be part of the average South African’s lexicon.
But never-ending load-shedding amid soaring electricity costs and looming water shortages in parts of the country are thrusting the sustainable agenda into the mainstream.
The benefits of having alternative energy and water sources where we live, shop, play and work are becoming so tangible that green buildings are expected to soon become the rule. There has already been an increase in the pace at which South Africa is adopting eco-friendly design and building practices.
Over the past 12 months, 165 buildings have been certified by the Green Building Council South Africa. These bring the number of projects accredited by the council’s green star rating system to 905 since the system was launched in 2008.
Speaking at the council’s annual convention last week, CEO Lisa Reynolds said it took more than five years to reach 50 certifications. “So getting to 165 a year reflects the exponential growth in the adoption of sustainable building practices,’’ she said. “As the environmental and financial benefits of green building became more apparent, we saw a greater buy-in across the board, and the industry as a whole has shifted.’’
The green building certification process includes a rigorous assessment of energy, water and waste management initiatives. Carbon-reduction measures, ecological impact and use of sustainable building materials are also scored.
A new benchmark for sustainable design in South Africa was set when the council recently awarded its first — and to date only — triple-net-zero design accreditation to a residential building project in Linden, Joburg.
We designed Vleihuis to have no cost differential. You are paying what you would for a conventional, contemporary development in the area
— Marc Sherratt
In a nutshell, net-zero water status means a building offsets its use of municipal water with water from alternative sources such as rain or recycling. A net-zero carbon rating means energy needs are met from renewable sources.
The housing development, known as Vleihuis, ticks all the green boxes for water consumption, carbon emissions and ecological impact.
This means residents can help fight climate change and live largely “off the grid” without having to be fully dependent on Eskom and the City of Joburg for electricity and water. However, the development still has conventional municipal connections for sewage and to feed energy back into the grid.
Vleihuis, on a 2,313m² site in 6th Street, Linden, is the brainchild of Joburg sustainability architect Marc Sherratt. Work was delayed by the pandemic, but he hopes to break ground early next year with construction of a show unit.
Sherratt’s starting point was to reintroduce an indigenous landscape to the site, which was once dominated by grassland, wetland and koppies.
After extensive research, including an expedition to the Okavango Delta for inspiration, Sherratt decided to first create a wetland. This, he says, will provide a habitat for indigenous wildlife and will serve an aesthetic purpose.
A wetland also allows rainwater to be harvested, treated and reused. So it will act as a key storage and purification facility of drinking water for residents.
Sherratt designed the residential buildings to blend into the natural landscape — and not the other way around. The idea, he says, is that homes should sit in the wetland landscape raised above the water “like a bird’s nest”.
The wetland’s water will flow under each residential unit, which does away with the need for unsightly rainwater tanks. It also provides natural cooling.
Residential properties will run on photovoltaic systems with battery storage, solar water heaters and gas stoves. Vleihuis’s ecological credentials will be further boosted by introducing urban food farms on rooftops.
Sherratt says wastewater will be treated on site and reused appropriately. Green infrastructure that allows storm water — generally the cleanest renewable water source — to infiltrate the original water supply will also be introduced.
Sherratt hopes that Vleihuis will be a prime example of “architecture and landscape forming a symbiotic relationship where one cannot thrive without the other’’.
Vleihuis comprises five double-storey residential units — three-bedroom, two-bathroom units of 180m² each. Prices will start at R2.9m (including VAT).
Sherratt dismisses the notion that going green is a costly exercise. “We designed Vleihuis to have no cost differential. You are paying what you would for a conventional, contemporary development in the area.’’
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