ECO DESIGN ARCHITECTS & CONSULTANTS

email: andy@ecodesignarchitects.co.za

web site: www.ecodesignarchitects.co.za

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN Opportunities for economic,

ecological & social regeneration in South Africa

Talk By Principle Architect:

Andy Horn BAS & B. Arch. UCT, Pr. Arch. (SACAP), MIA, CIA

Assessors & Graders Annual Conference TOURISM GRADING COUNCIL OF S.A.

29th November 2011 Mondazur Resort San Lameer - KZN

THE MARKET IS MOVING TOWARDS A MORE SOCIALLY & ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE TYPES OF TOURISM

EXPONENTIAL EXPANSION OF ACCREDITED GREEN BUILDINGS IN THE US

Improves occupant performance

Better staff and student output with improved indoor air quality

Reduces absenteeism and turnover

Better indoor environment reduces absenteeism & improves staff retention

Increases retail sales Improved day lighting

increases retail sales

PRODUCTIVITY BENEFITS

PRODUCTIVITY INCREASES

Competitive first costs Integrated design allows high benefit at low cost by achieving synergies between disciplines & technologies

Optimize life cycle performance

Reduce operating costs Lowers utility costs significantly

Increases building valuation and ROI Reduced operating costs increases building valuation and provides better ROI

Decreases vacancy and improves retention Better indoor environment reduces absenteeism and improves retention

Reduces liability Improves risk management

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

Dangers of the 3 – D’s: - Distraction - Dissociation - Denial

HEADING TOWARDS AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE??? Resource Depletion, Climate Change, Waste & Pollution, Destruction of Eco Systems & Widening Social Inequalities:

Dissociation  from  cause  &  effect………sustainably harvested timber?????

CONVENTIONAL DELIVERY Fails to promote environmental, social, economic & cultural upliftment

Concrete Block/Conventional Materials: • Poor thermal comfort – pollution & health issues • Poor acoustic insulation – social issues • Relies on mass transport – resource & pollution issues • Do not promote job creation at a local level – social & economic issues

GREEN DESIGN

Improving efficiency

Minimizing the damage

> 22 litres a minute

9-10 litres a minute

Eco Gagetry

CFL LIGHTING: - Contains toxic mercury & offers poor quality light

vs

LED LIGHTING: - Super  efficient  (8w  “Pharox”  bulb  =  100w  light  equivalent  )

& gives high quality light

UNDERSTANDING THE BIGGER PICTURE

A MANIFESTO FOR GREEN ARCHITECTURE: 6 principles for a greener approach to architecture Paper written 1997 – www.ecodesignarchitects.co.za

CYCLICAL vs. LINEAR design

HOLISTIC vs. COMPARTMENTS

SOCIO-ECONOMIC Promoting social, economic & cultural upliftment

- strengthening local economies - building skills - minimizing ecological impacts

NOT JUST MAKING BUILDING: - providing for local job opportunities - building community

ABOUT PROCESS NOT JUST PRODUCT

ABOUT BUILDING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

STONE WALLS Mud Gallery Barrydale

2003

OUR THREATENED HERITAGE – loss of skills / loosing our old masters – Inappropriate use of modern materials i.e. cement & non breathing paints

MAMRE HERITAGE REVITALIZATION PROJECT Project for City of Cape Town: 2007 - 2011

NATURAL LOCAL MATERAILS – a proven track record

SKILLS TRAINING

JOB CREATION

OLD MORAVIAN MISSION TOWNS i.e. Gernardendal Creating holistic human settlements.

LAND Respectful  and  in  symbiosis  with  the  local  environment  and  it’s  resources.

Drip Irrigation – Requires less water than sprinklers systems

– Reduces evaporation

– Ensures that certain plants are not over watered

EFFICIENT IRRIGATION Watering in the evening or at night - Reduces evaporation

SWALES - Help to drought proof the land - recharging aquifers - building the soils

Site management & integrated landscapes Healing the land

INDIGENOUS GARDENS – Reduces water demand – Reduces maintenance costs – Maintains local biodiversity

SHADING & WINDBREAKS – Reduces evaporation – Provides sheltered area – Provides cool air

Permaculture

Permeable Pathways

• In nature typically only 5% of precipitation will run off site.

• After typical major development (50% coverage 30% parking) 80% of water ends up as run-off!

LAND PLANTS ON BUILDINGS

- Reducing the Heat Island Effect in and around buildings

– lowers air conditioner loads approx 15-20%

“Biotope”  constructed  wild  land  - Tokyo City

LAND PLANTS ON BUILDINGS

Permaculture food gardens – Dalton Trust Lodge, KZN

Reduce dependence on large dams & protect water sources

WATER The protection, conservation, efficiency and re-use of water

Overloaded Water borne sewage systems

Water wise strategy

The proposed strategy for water usage:

This diagram demonstrates a typical scenario of how water is used in a house. (Reference: National Directorate of Water Conservation - 1999 )

- Understand the needs.

- Install visible metering,

- monitor usage

- check on leaks

WATER EFFICIENT TOILETS Multi – flush devices – 60% saving (by Water Rhapsody) Dual flush toilets – 50% saving

Dry Composting Systems

Anaerobic Methane Digesters / Biogas Digesters

Established International Track Record: – By 2006 India had installed over 1 million – By  2006  China  had  over  10  million’ – Groot Winterhoek for Cape Nature

Conservation, 16 m³ digester, peak use of 56 people i.e. 65 L / day.

85 House Development Proposal: – R 202 000 excl VAT (2006) – Dome radius: 3.1 meters – Dome height: 1.15 meters – Wetland area: 960m² – Polishing pond area: 144m²

– Relies on stable occupancy/input – Viability in holiday house scenario would be

to  be  supplemented  by  council’s  conservancy tanks.

Methane bio - digester An example at Stanford Valley Farm Conference Venue

Top of Methane/Bio digester system Reed bed system

Cost: R75 000 (2006)

> 22 litres a minute

8 - 10 litres a minute

R200 - R500 per shower head - “RST”  – 9-10 L per minute - “Oxegenics”  – 8 litres per minute

Water Efficiency • Tap aerators

– “RST”  and  “Hippo”  Tap  aerators  to  be  fitted  to  any  tap  of  your  choice – Fitted aerators allow for up to 50 % saving of tap water – R 30 - R 65 per aerator

Typical aerator by RST

Kitchen swivel nozzle

the diverse range of tap aerators

The images are demonstrating how easily a tap is retrofitted with a RST aerator

Water Efficiency • Washing machines AAA rated Bosch “Eco Plus”

– ± R 3000 incl VAT per machine – Front loader washer uses less water and cost less to

operate – Washer to be connected to the cold and hot water

supply – Hot water to be supplied by solar geysers/evacuated

tubes – Using washer on economic setting saves ± 20% of usual

washing cycle

front loading AAA rated washer

All black and grey water to be plumbed separately: • Definition of black water

– Toilet water – Kitchen water (grease trap is an essential)

• Definition of grey water – Shower & bath water – Wash hand basin water – Laundry water

GREY WATER - System design

Only Biodegradable detergents to be used:

SETTLING TANK SYSTEM FOR CLEANING KITCHEN WATER

BRANCHED DRAIN GREYWATER SYSTEM

MINI WETLAND FOR TREATING GREY WATER

BIOLYTIC GREYWATER FILTER

ON-SITE SEWAGE TREATMENT & WATER REUSE – KLOSTERENGA IN OSLO

Increased volumes of storm water into river courses leads to • Substantial erosion of stream beds and river banks

• Increased pollution

• Flooding

• Drought due to starving of aquifers

RAINWATER AS A RESOURCE

RETENTION PONDS AS RIVERS – Form wildlife corridors – Form artificial water feature. – Water cleaned by using natural

ultra violet light and absorption of nutrients by macrophytes.

– River trails connecting to other open across river

– Firebreak & fire fighting back - up

Example:

Jacana Bay – residential estate in Hartebeespoort Dam servicing 48 stands – Completed 2005

Retention pond

Retention ponds in river system

Conservation - Rainwater Harvesting

Natural Pools - “Hanovia” – oxygenation system - Bio pools – uses natural reed bed system

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT & SEWAGE TREATMENT AS A RESOURCE

Reducing Impacts on Global warming and CO2 emissions

ENERGY

The conservation, efficiency, and renewable use of energy.

SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY: - Efficient Shower Heads - Insulate geysers - Insulate pipes - Balanced Pressure - Heat Pumps - 1 kWh elect. power = up to 5 kWh useful energy

RENEWABLES: - Solar Water Heaters a) Flat plate collectors b) Evacuated tubes c) use principle of thermo-siphoning e) split systems vs close coupled

Close coupled systems (geyser visible above panel)

Split system (geyser hidden)

ENERGY The conservation, efficiency, and renewable use of

energy.

ENERGY

The conservation, efficiency, and

renewable use of energy.

ENERGY The conservation, efficiency, and renewable use of

energy.

ENERGY The conservation, efficiency, and renewable use of

energy.

ENERGY The conservation, efficiency & renewable use of energy.

PASSIVE DESIGN FOR THERMAL COMFORT

SIMPLICITY OF DESIGN

Sun Control & Passive Solar Design

Use Natural light

HEALTH Non-polluting environments and healthy materials.

Avoid Plastics

PLASTIC BOTTLES Approx 1,5 million tonnes of plastic is created annually to bottle 89 billion litres of water a year! 2 million plastic beverage bottles are used in the US every 5 minutes!!!

ON-SITE BOTTLED PURIFIED BOTTLED WATER SOLUTIONS :

Environmental health??? Indoor air quality???

Reducing Pollution & Avoiding Ozone Depleting Substances

Persistent Organic Pollutants aldicarb, toxaphene, chlordane heptachlor, chlordimeform, chlorobenzilate, DBCP & DDT the "drins" (aldrin, dieldrin and endrin), EDB, HCH and lindane, paraquat, parathion and methyl parathion, Pentachlorophenol PCP 2,4,5-T.

Synthetic exterior Wood varnish from a choice of approx. 15 000 raw materials.

Natural exterior Wood varnish from a choice of approx. 150 ingredients

noted for their longevity, toxicity to humans and animals, and their ability to be transported around the globe through the atmosphere. The Dirty Dozen (UN Environment Program) • The drins - aldrin, endrin, dieldrin, • DDT, • chlordane, • heptachlor, • hexachlorobenzene, • toxaphene and mirex) • dioxins, • furans • PCBs

Source: www.pesticideinfo.org/Docs/ref_toxicity7.ht

ml#DirtyDozen

Methyl Bromide/Bromomethane is an insecticide  often  used  to  “doom  fog”  old  buildings infested with borer beetle. While a proven health hazard and a suspected human carcinogen, it is also an ozone destroying substance.

The US EPA ranks Indoor Air Pollution as  one  of  the  “top 5 threats to public health”

Industrialized nations spend up to 90% of their lives indoors.

WHO estimates 30% of new & remodelled buildings have Sick Building Syndrome

Non-Toxic: Timber Preservative Treatment

NON TOXIC PAINTS & FINISHES

HEALTHY BUILDINGS & HEALTHY PLANET:

Eco Friendly Finishes: Natural Plasters

NATURAL PLASTERS – Bokaap, Central Cape Town, 2011

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

Reusing Rubble in Foundations

Adaptive Reuse

Use of salvaged timber

Preventing Careless Demolition & waste separation

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

Cyclical vs Linear design Waste is a human construct that is unique to our species!

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

RECYCLING

Rubble trench foundations

Jobs created on site

Use of concrete minimized by 75%

Building rubble recycled reducing landfill at municipal waste sites

URBANITE WALL SLATE STONE WALL

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

Recycled building elements

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

Adaptive Re-use of an old grain silo into student residences – Oslo 2003

HOLISM Holistic and intrinsically recyclable.

Adaptive Re-use of an old power station – The Tate Modern, London

HOUSE IVEY PHILLIPS Hout Bay Cape Town - Use of recycled timbers and locally procured alien timbers

The BACK PACK: Alterations & Additions – Cape Town

De Hoop Nature Reserve – Whale Trail 2

CARAVAN PARK UPGRADE – Nieuwoudtville Hantam municipality, Northern Cape 2004 -2007

Straw bale dipping method

Andy Horn BAS & B. Arch. (UCT), Pr. Arch. (SACAP), MIA, CIA

ECO DESIGN ARCHITECTS & CONSULTANTS 6th Floor 79 Roeland St. CAPE TOWN Tel: 021 462 1614 email: andy@ecodesignarchitects.co.za web site: www.ecodesignarchitects.co.za