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Green Architecture in Africa

Professional challenges for designers

Hector Chapa Sikazwe,

2009, Newcastle upon Tyne

UK

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Green Architecture in Africa

Professional challenges for designers

Hector Chapa Sikazwe

Keywords

Green architecture, sustainability, design costs Global warming, Energy efficiency, Co2 emissions, bio gas, local Materials, government legislation

Legislation

Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................................. 3

1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4

2.0 Green issues in Africa ............................................................................................................... 5

3.0 Prevailing challenges and initiatives ......................................................................................... 7

4.0 Special considerations ............................................................................................................... 9

4.1 Location of buildings and heat issues ................................................................................... 9

4.2 Small spaces/structures ....................................................................................................... 11

4.3 Solar Energy ....................................................................................................................... 12

4.4 Renewable Energy .............................................................................................................. 12

4.5 Conserving water ................................................................................................................ 12

4.6 Using local and natural materials ........................................................................................ 13

4.7 Saving our forests................................................................................................................ 13

4.8 Durability ............................................................................................................................ 14

5.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 15

6.0 References and Bibliography .................................................................................................. 17

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Abstract

According to Mhlaba (2003), the impact of foreign motives on African architecture has

remained a force to address. He states that since colonial interventions African architecture,

much like all other aspects, has been a victim of suppression; drowned into Eurocentric

standards of definitions and interpretations. Much of academic materials and buildings

designed in the name of African architecture so far, have displayed, from various angles,

influences of colonial ideologies; consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously so. There is a

paradigm whose conscious mission has been to reinforce European imperialist objectives in

the continent through the built environment and that has acted contra to sustainable design.

As expected, African architects and designers face unique challenges when faced with the

concepts of green design architectural theories that have been in circulation for over thirty

years in developed nations. Farmer (1999), explains that Green architecture is an approach to

building design which has become more prevalent in the last 25 to 30 years. The concept that

is widely known in African design offices as “sustainable design” is the equivalent of “green

architecture” and is defined simply as a method of design that minimizes the impact of

building effects on the ecology and general environmental systems. Green architecture was

once thought of as unconventional and nonstandard, but has quickly become an accepted way

of approach to design by both regulatory agencies and the public alike as a socially

responsible and logical means of construction for the future.

For African Architects and design professionals, the beginnings of today's green revolution in

developed nations can be traced back to the social awareness of the 1960s in European design

such as is found in Scandinavia. With the introduction of new construction techniques that

have led to the development of innovative materials and design concepts, African designers

have been left behind as they face different challenges that this paper attempts to address. As

widely observed by green proponents, indeed, successfully designed green projects can

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involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful

consideration of function, climate, and location.

1.0 Introduction

As largely discussed by Mendler et al (2006), sustainable architecture is designing buildings

keeping in mind environmental goals and sustainable development. Sustainably designed

buildings aim to lessen the structure’s impact on the environment through energy and

resource efficiency. The terms “green architecture” or “green buildings” are often used

interchangeably with “sustainable architecture” to promote this definition further. Beer and

Higgins (2000) sees sustainable design in a broader sense and explain that it should take into

account the pressing economic and political issues and that sustainable architecture seeks to

reduce the negative environmental impact of the buildings by increasing efficiency and

moderation in the utilization of building materials, energy and development space. Similarly,

Cadrecha (1997) states that green architecture denotes economical, energy-saving,

environmentally-friendly, sustainable development and explores the relationship between

architecture and ecology. Whereas developed nations have an easier way of appropriating

available technology when addressing design factors, African professionals have completely

different design considerations that instigates constraints in attaining green architecture.

Green architecture initially seemed to promote unconventional methods that alienated the

professionals and their design theories. Clients immediately found their concepts of using

professionals undermined by the “green theories” and occasionally curtailed future use of the

professionals in question.

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2.0 Green issues in Africa

In the last decade, African architects are leaning towards making greener buildings that are

ecologically sound and the drive and quest for desire not to be left behind has been seen in

the several seminars and symposiums that deal with green issues on the rise. This change has

come about as a reaction to the demands of customers who want to lead a life that has a less

negative effect upon the environment.

The challenges that are faced by African Architects are numerous and in some Nations,

insurmountable, and poses a challenge to environmental professionals and legislation bodies.

The following are some serious issues that green designers have to address in Africa:

(a) Government awareness: Most governments have just started to be aware of

international green issues and to apply the International Standards and Regulations in

the past decade. According to Shafik (2009), some African governments like Egypt

are even beginning to consider providing support for Green Initiatives whether by

Subsidies or Tax reduction to organisations that promotes green design in the

industry.

(b) Community awareness: Most African communities are unaware of the impact of the

built environment on the sustainability of the ecological and environmental stability

of the future of the built environment. There is need for more awareness campaigns to

allow the community to get involved in the global movement to have sustainable

environment.

(c) Lack of regulations, standards or codes to be guidelines: green design is not

considered as a cardinal part to design requirements in most African countries. Due to

the format of most African design regulatory frameworks, green architecture is

remotely considered as one of the essential design requirements. African governments

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are being encouraged that all levels of government need to implement policies and

funding that support ecosystem-based strategies and that help the natural world and

human communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is normally considered

to be a high cost end solution and most design concepts and approaches are glossed

over and in most cases ignored. As a result, many countries have developed their own

standards of energy efficiency for buildings, and the following table shows some

examples that are currently used in the USA:

Standards source: source: gao analysis.

(d) Unavailability of local Green Product Components and materials: Design

solutions that address green issues are not readily available in most African Countries

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and as such the ideas dissipate before implementation is even considered. Materials

that are required to define a structure to be a “green structure” are not found readily in

African building materials shops and can constitute a fake construction process

problem if the designer insists on finding the material in question.

(e) Not profitable: the immediate savings in Materials and Resources just to implement

green architecture does not encourage alternatives. Most design solutions in low

economy areas like African communities have costs as a major factor in determining

design solutions. Architects and clients regularly agree on solutions that are cost

effective and functionally appropriate for the current design brief. Unlike developed

nations where regulations exist as a guide when design solutions, African design

solutions have concentration on costs rather than anything else.

(f) Trained Personnel: The lack of trained environmental designers and professionals

has acted as a barrier to environmental concerns in majority of African built

environment initiatives. African Universities are rising to the challenge at the moment

as can be seen in the nature of design theories and courses being offered to new

students.

3.0 Prevailing challenges and initiatives

Most African households at the moment have a high level of energy consumption leading to

greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

With the current situation being addressed by various initiatives, most African governments

have indicated positive outlook as they insist that the current structures are set to change for

the better in the near future. Professional bodies in African countries are adopting modern

design techniques that incorporate green architecture. This modern architecture has begun to

include low energy consumption devices which can help save the environment whilst saving

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the functionality of the requirements demanded by clients and their money in the long run.

Some of these devices are costly to install initially, but customers reap the benefits later and

the trend is currently spreading throughout southern Africa.

African societies are now being educated on the impact of environmental degradation as a

result of the impact of the construction or built environment. For instance in Zambia, the

department of building science at the Copperbelt University has introduced academic

initiatives to bring about awareness of environmental and ecological impact design has on the

environment. Young students are being sensitized to the grave impact that their future design

would affect the environment. Mukalula (2004), in a seminar paper, addressed sustainable or

green design as the way forward to alleviate poverty in African societies. He stated that

through the adoption of sustainable construction practices in Zambia's comprehensive

strategy, alleviation of poverty could be a reality. He alluded to the fact that there is an

imbalance in the application of indigenous construction technologies and conventional

construction technologies. His research paper/study showed that rural areas are forced to

adopt technologies that are not energy threatening to the environment on a large scale.

Zambia, like most of the regional governments has taken specific initiatives to address the

built environment and its sustenance. The formation of statutory regulatory bodies like the

National Council for Construction (NCC) run by a dynamic young architect Dr Sylvester

Mashamba, a graduate of Copperbelt University (Zambia) and Newcastle University (United

Kingdom), has defined and emphasised the seriousness that the government apportions to

green architecture. The National Council for Construction (NCC) is a newly reconstituted

statutory body, affiliating and representing all trade organisations and professional bodies

within the Zambian Construction Industry.

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Cape Town University in the republic of South Africa are equally enjoying the promotion of

green design and “responsible existence” by taking up specific global warming initiatives.

Nicholas Wiid and the Green Campus Initiative are the driving forces behind a new recycling

project at self-catering residences. The headline "Go green or go home" on a notice posted

around Liesbeeck Gardens Residence summed it up. Liesbeeck Students at self-catering

residences across UCT have recently been introduced to an integrated recycling system,

taking heed of the three R's - reduce, reuse and recycle - as part of the university drive to go

green, save energy and be "sustainable".

Several initiatives on African universities, with the help of European governments, have

embarked on positive green awareness and departments that deal directly with the built

environment have introduced specific academic content to buttress the wave of awareness.

With green awareness on top of the agenda in most African Universities, the need to

encourage community awareness is equally being promoted via the United Nations wings

operating in African Nations.

4.0 Special considerations

4.1 Location of buildings and heat issues

As in most green architecture projects, Woodson (2009) explains that location of buildings

and surroundings can impact not only the visual and ecological benefits for the environment

but also the future of the built environment. It is a well known factor that erecting a structure

close to other tall buildings and vegetation can cut out daylight and sunlight, both of which

can be used to the structure and end user holders advantage if in good supply. Most African

landscapes are sparsely populated with buildings and such consideration is regarded as being

negligible and does not affect most green designs. The expansive landscapes available to

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designers in African design schemes influence explorative green architecture and the use of

natural sunlight is used extensively in collaboration with building orientation to devise the

best green effects for the structure. Brown et al (2000), states that in addition to the natural

use of sunlight, the use of solar panels in modern structures has now become common.

Sunlight is captured by solar panels and is used to heat water for the environmentally

designed structure for water heating and other uses that have less green house gas emissions.

The principle behind the concept is that these solar panels are generally laid on the roof of

such structures and specially designed pipes inside the panels are heated by the sun and the

water is pumped to the house out of the pipes. Denyer (1978) writes that African

environments are richly endowed with clear skies and the use of this technology is

irrepressible if pursued by green projects. In essence, Architects make use of the natural light

available by making cylindrical windows in the roof of the house, as well as the usual ones

around the sides to capture as much sunlight as possible.

Woodson (2009) states that warm environments do not require the conventional radiators that

are used to heat structures in the northern hemisphere, Natural heat energy transfer is

naturally relied on and any green design concepts can highly be enhanced by the natural

existence of natural heat energy resident in the environment. Brown et al (2000) explains that

Instead of the conventional radiators, which is high on energy consumption, radiant heat is

trapped and redirected for heating, cooking and cooling inside the home. Green design

concepts here rely on radiant heat transfer. The design of floors or ceiling panels circulates

either chilled or heated water to condition the space.

This system requires less energy to run and can help boilers to operate more effectively

because of the low temperature. Architecture in Africa has come a long way in energy

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efficient1

4.2 Small spaces/structures

In a case strongly promoting sustainable architecture, green experts like Zelov, (1997) have

laid down certain basic elements that contribute to green architecture positively. It is

unanimously viewed that large structures generally use exponentially tremendous amount of

energy to heat and cool. These structures also consume far more building materials which

may have their own environmental consequences and specific design considerations are

required to address these observations. In a move to do away with such wastefulness, small

structures are now being preferred allowing one to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary

depletion of natural resources. Due to the expansively wide African landscapes, this concept

is largely questioned as there is no restriction embedded in the legal framework of design

regulations. Environmental and cultural turnaround awareness has in the past decade become

prominent in symposiums so that designers can be persuaded to use the green environmental

factors rather than availability of space.

designs and is poised to go further as more and more awareness is encouraged

through legislation and statutory initiatives of how the built environment are affects global

warming. Environmental researchers Moughtin and Shirley (2005), assess that building

construction and usage of the structures is responsible for nearly half of the world’s

greenhouse gas emissions and close to a third of its solid waste stream. Buildings are also

significant emitters of particulates and other air pollutants that have to be taken into design

considerations by designers. In short, building construction and operation cause many forms

of environmental degradation that place an increasing burden on the earth's resources and

jeopardize the future of the building industry and societal health and welfare

1 Refers to products or systems using less energy to do the same or better job than conventional products or systems. Energy efficiency saves energy, saves money on utility bills, and helps protect the environment by reducing the demand for electricity. When buying or replacing products or appliances for your home, look for the ENERGY STAR® label — the national symbol for energy efficiency.

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4.3 Solar Energy

Solar heating is becoming a “tech idea” that is fast taking storm within sustainable design

forums. The idea behind is the fact that there is nothing more comfortable for body and mind

than living in a good solar-heated house, with full control of climate control parameters.

When structures are designed ecologically, good passive solar energy is capable of providing

just enough sunlight into the rooms to be absorbed by the surrounding thermal mass which

acts as a heat battery and gives the warmth back into the room when the sun goes down.

Crushed volcanic rock and straw bales make for good thermal mass insulation and designs in

a green house

4.4 Renewable Energy

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the term renewable energy

generally refers to “electricity supplied from renewable energy sources, such as wind and

solar power, geothermal, hydropower and various forms of biomass. These energy sources

are considered renewable sources because their fuel sources are continuously replenished.

Under Virginia law, renewable energy refers to "energy derived from sunlight, wind, falling

water, sustainable biomass, energy from waste, wave motion, tides, and geothermal power

and does not include energy derived from coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear power." Among

the several ways to conserve fossil fuel and produce electricity are using the natural powers

of the sun, wind, or water.

4.5 Conserving water

Incidentally, African green design has not yet developed the conserving of water as a serious

green design factor because there are areas that are not yet supplied with tapped water. The

use of low water capacity toilets, flow restrictors at shower heads and faucet aerators are now

being used as a part of sustainable architecture. More radical water conservation approaches

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include diverting gray water from bathing, clothes washing and bathroom sinks to watering

plants; catching rain water from roofs and paved areas for domestic use. Landscaping with

drought tolerant plants can also save water.

4.6 Using local and natural materials

Green experts insist that nature has been benevolent enough to provide earth with several

materials to build with, no matter the geographical location. When local materials are used

for construction, processing and transporting costs and processes are minimised. From both,

an aesthetic, health and ecological point of view, building with natural local materials

enhances and promotes sustainable development. By using these local materials which are

native to the area, it reduces the use of more expensive imported materials. More importantly,

vernacular materials are part of cultural manifestations. The question is raised: if a system

works well enough, why should it be changed by outside influences which may not be fully

understood? In the African green design context, natural materials would include stone, glass,

lime or mud plasters, adobe or rammed earth, burnt bricks, tiles, untreated wood, cork, paper,

reeds, bamboo, canes and grasses as well as all natural fibbers. Including plants in the living

space can greatly enhance the natural ambiance. Plants not only have aesthetic quality but

they also release oxygen into the air, whilst acting as a filter of pollutants of the air.

4.7 Saving our forests

Green architecture equally considers forest conservation as a vital aspect of sustainable

design. Wood is a renewable source of energy but designers have abrogated there

responsibility of protecting natural forestation by allowing the destruction of natural forests to

become non sustainable designs that have ruined our eco-systems through deforestation. The

green movement insists that wood must be used as little as possible and mainly for

decorations. The push is to only cull dead trees for structural supports and instead use

masonry, straw bales; paper crepe, cob, adobe, rocks, bags of volcanic rock, etc., instead of

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wood. Suggestions from Cole (1998) are that homes can be made with certified sustainable

harvested trees. This means that the forests where the trees are cut down from are carefully

monitored to ensure that the health and character of the forest is maintained. Only certain

trees are culled periodically, leaving the remaining trees to grow and contribute to a healthy

ecosystem.

4.8 Durability

One of the important elements of sustainable architecture is durability. If a building doesn't

stand the test of time, it would be a waste of energy, from all perspective, human, resource

and economic input. African architects are encouraged to design using techniques and

materials that have a longer life span. The use of Aluminium has become prominent in

African high rise buildings. An aluminium-framed green structure stands up to extreme

weather conditions, providing a stable, strong and reliable choice for most environments. In

exposed structural designs and areas where the weather delivers strong winds, frequent

storms and a prevalence of snow, sleet and hail, an aluminium green structure is an educated

choice for sustainable architecture. The advantage is that aluminium structure is stronger and

better able to withstand harsh weather conditions. Aluminium is very durable and will not

rust. With the added advantage of powder coating, the aluminium frame does not corrode and

provides increased longevity when compared to a wooden equivalent.

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5.0 Conclusion

African green issues have peaked in the past decade. Sustainable design (environmental

design, environmentally sustainable design (ESD), environmentally-conscious design) that

encompass the philosophy of designing building structures, objects, and services to comply

with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability has become a repeated

issue in African design corridors. As addressed in this paper, the intention of sustainable

design is to “eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive

design” techniques. Green African designers have shown desire to design and manage the

built environment in a responsible manner. Architects and designers are currently aware that

solutions to sustainable designs require no non-renewable resources, impact on the

environment minimally, and relate people with the natural environment.

African universities are currently concentrating on the use of sustainable technologies.

Sustainable architecture drives the concept of reducing the collective environmental impacts

during the

(a) production of building components,

(b) during the construction process,

(c) as well as during the lifecycle of the building (heating, electricity use, carpet

cleaning etc)

African Universities are driving the agenda to produce these green design practices that

emphasizes efficiency of heating and cooling systems, alternative energy sources such as

solar hot water, appropriate building location, reused or recycled building materials, on-site

power generation (solar technology, ground source heat pumps, wind power), rainwater

harvesting for gardening and washing, and on-site waste management such as green roofs that

filter and control storm water runoff. Sustainable architects design with sustainable living in

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mind. The concepts are alien to African communities and as such the challenges faced by

stake holders are largely different from those faced by European or American counterparts.

Awareness symposiums, bulletins, magazines, seminars, University lectures and international

discussion forums are being used to bring about awareness in the communities. A deliberate

thrust to involve legislation and global involvement in sensitizing the communities has gone a

long way to promote sustainable design.

Architects and designers are encouraged to get involved in the global movement of fighting

climate change and global warming using their influence in the built environment as they

design with a sustainable approach a the design stage.

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