Greening living offers rewarding experience
Renovating or building your Brakpan home from scratch offers great opportunities for a low energy rating.
Building a new home, or renovating?
Architect Buhle Mathole of Kabu Design Architects says there are different levels of greening – both in the construction of new houses, in renovating older properties and in retrofitting. She says any “greening” of your home will result in lower utility bills, and ultimately reduce your home’s energy rating.
Green architecture
According to Buhle, green architecture is currently a buzzword. She personally prefers to use the term “sustainable architecture” as this encompasses more than just water and electricity savings.
“The word ‘green’ is bandied about and whether people properly understand it and its implications is a question which still needs to be answered. What we, as architects, understand to be green is a building which is habitable and a sustainable environment for people who want to think of the future in terms of energy and other resources,” she said.
Why is there hype around green buildings? Energy-generating resources are scarce, says Buhle.
“It is important for people to know what and how much they use, from building materials to the quantity of water and electricity they are using in relation to the number of people in their household. Consumption needs to be reduced, or else it will have a profound effect on the next generation,” she states.
The cost of going green
Speaking on the perceived expense of going green, Buhle alludes to two versions of green architecture – the Citi Golf version and the Rolls-Royce one.
“It depends on how far the client is willing to go to make life sustainable for the future. There are basics such as the house orientation or position, openings and windows. Fixtures such as double glazing can be avoided by positioning the house in the right place in terms of light which generates heat from the winter sun, and which takes out heat when it is hot.”
Generally speaking, building green adds between 5% and 10% to building costs, but these costs need to be offset against the savings in energy and water consumption.
As an architect, Buhle says she sits down with clients at the start of the project to discuss their green needs and give them inputs based on the design. The following questions pertaining to the client’s lifestyle are discussed in order to come up with an appropriate design that suits their needs:
How many people are at home during the day?
What are their cooking methods?
Do they want to recycle?
Do they want to start a compost heap or a vegetable garden?
Retrofitting old houses and renovating to make them green can easily be done. Lighting and openings (for light and air flow) are important. Lifestyle is looked at to get an understanding of the activities of the household. “We then prioritize, for example, the use of a gas stove, solar heating and geysers. We also work extensively with specialists after we have completed the design to assist the client with the best solution for their needs” she says.
Buhle has found that many complexes are going the green route encouraging their home owners to recycle and practice energy efficiency.
Regulations on greening
Do green houses and buildings sell for higher prices than those which are not green?
The Green Building Council issues accreditation certificates, says Buhle, which is mainly for commercial buildings. This increases the value, particularly for those “in the know,” as they realize the long-term value such as lower utility bills.
The value of residential buildings is indirectly increased through the implementation of the SANS 10400 regulations on greening. “Every newly-built house requires an occupational certificate and this will reflect the green aspects of the house and can lead to increased prices.” Since November 2011, all new buildings and refurbishments in South Africa have had to comply with minimum standards of energy efficiency.
The future of sustainable architecture
Buhle, who teaches architecture at the University of Pretoria, says institutes of higher learning are focusing on green. “I believe they are doing enough to make architecture relevant to the society we live in. Great strides have been made by our teaching institutions in this regard and there is a great calibre of people, stronger than in the past, coming out of our institutions,” she concludes.
About 49M: The 49M campaign was launched in March 2011 as a response to the country’s constrained power system. The campaign encourages individuals and corporates to lead energy smart lifestyles thereby saving the planet and their pockets. South Africans are encouraged to join the campaign by visiting www.49m.co.za to pledge their support. Go to the 49M Facebook page or tweet @49m_Co_Za.
