Contents of October 2008

COMMENT
Is zoning an obstacle in the densification of our cities?

LETTERS
Finding sights for sore eyes in Sandton and Khayelitsha

UPFRONT
What’s new and happening?

GREEN BUILDINGS
Johannesburg’s Lifestyle Garden Centre achieves energy efficiency

GREEN BUILDINGS BRIEFS

CITY VISIT
Olievenhoutbosch: a mixed-use, mixed-income precinct under the spotlight

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & DESIGN
Green gated communities investigated – a close look at Monaghan Farm, Parkview, Westwood and 61 on Shepherd

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & DESIGN
Erosion minimised on Johannesburg’s Braamfontein Spruit

WASTE & POLLUTION MANAGEMENT
South Africa responds to climate change

WASTE & POLLUTION MANAGEMENT BRIEFS

INSPIRATION
The stadium at Green Point: another wonder of Cape Town

INSULT
The entrance to The Rosebank falls far short of expectation

VIEWPOINT
What do the experts say?

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COMMENT

Zoning: an obstacle to denser cities?
Does zoning prevent the development of denser cities, especially when more affordable housing is needed closer to work and transport opportunities?

It is disappointing to admit South Africa is still struggling to create a better public environment for its citizens. Almost 15 years after the dawn of democracy, housing projects still comprise rows of matchbox houses. However many attempts have been made to change the status quo with varying degrees of success.

In this edition, Urban Green File looks at the trend towards green gated communities while the development model of Olievenhoutbosch – a mixed-use, mixed-income development between Pretoria and Johannesburg – is also investigated. Do these projects offer a glimmer of hope for more sustainable community development?

From a planning and design perspective, they display some flaws – not to deny they are innovative in as many ways. Concerns relate to continuing urban sprawl and a lack of sufficiently dense development. It almost appears as if South Africa remains sceptical about embracing the benefits of dense cities and the vibrant mix of facilities and opportunities they offer. Perhaps the culprit here is the ubiquitous concept of zoning. Why is it, in South Africa, we zone the use of land?

Shouldn’t the focus be on the use of an entire property in the sense that a multi-storey building could have many uses and these can change over time? I believe too much effort goes into the legal process of zoning and rezoning land, and all this effort would have been far better spent on planning and design to ensure a building or facility, whatever its use, blends in with the public environment.

No doubt, we need denser housing development within our cities. But, with so many zoning stipulations making it impossible to build more than one house on a stand, for instance, density may remain a pipe dream. Is there any validity in dropping zoning all together and rather focusing on strict checks and balances when it comes to granting planning permission?

This way one could ensure development is in the interests of the nation, the city and the immediate community, and in line with policy objectives.
Gerald Garner
Editor

Inclusionary housing the future?
While preparing the article on Olievenhoutbosch for this edition, the potential of “inclusionary” housing, as a means to reshape our cities, has become apparent.

Although Olievenhoutbosch has been referred to as an inclusionary project in that it caters for a mix of income groups, it is not strictly inclusionary in terms of government’s housing policy. In fact, the policy framework on inclusionary housing will only be legislated into an official Bill in the future.

The vision of inclusionary housing is that property developers will forego some of the potential income on a development site by allocating a portion of the land to affordable housing. In this case, the municipality will have to compensate the developer by subsidising the loss of income on that land. The municipality will be able to dictate to developers the number of affordable units or the percentage of the total that needs to be affordable.

It sounds like a viable plan to ensure greater sustainable city development so that poor people will be able to live closer to work and public-transport opportunities.

One wonders whether or not this will be the much desired death knell for rows of matchbox houses scattered across the “veld” and the dawn of higher-density housing within centrally-located urban areas?

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LETTERS

Better than burnt-out, dried weed
Fake clay pots and pebbles received Urban Green File’s insult award in August. But a reader disagrees with this viewpoint.

I usually agree with just about all your articles and thank you for exposing successes and shortcomings. My husband Dugal and I have a landscaping business and two of our three children are in the environmental field so these subjects are close to our hearts.

However I simply must disagree with you on your “insult award” (see “Pavement predicament” in the August 2008 edition of Urban Green File). Anything is better than burnt-out, dried, weed-ridden scrub or kikuyu, usually grossly littered. But one sometimes has to reach a compromise between one’s artistic principles and practicality. Stones on the soil are a great idea – this will discourage people from lying on the ground. And expensive pots would, probably, be stolen! We would then support the illegitimate industry dealing in DVDs, perfumes and other trivial junk at intersections.
Pam Bennie

Was our insult unfair? Yes and no. Yes in that Johannesburg City Parks and Johannesburg Roads Agency must be commended for their joint initiative to improve the city’s pavements.

In some cases, we have to admit the pots and plants are quite impressive – the road median in New Road, Midrand, is a case in point. But, in other instances, as at the intersection of William Nicol Drive and Main Road in Bryanston, the streetscaping is simply unacceptable. What has taken shape is a space filled with plastic pots, boasting fake lion motifs, interspersed with neglected plants and white pebbles (supposedly providing space for pedestrians to cross the road medians). But they do not line up with pedestrian crossings and actually present a safety hazard. The pebbles are also loosely thrown onto the ground instead of contained within bricked-in spaces. In no time, the pebbles will be scattered all over the place; leaving an untidy and unsightly mess. It would have made better financial sense to pave walkways for pedestrians and plant big indigenous trees with easy-to-maintain gravel as ground cover. One could look to Paris, France, to find the secret to attractive and clean city pavements: simplicity of design – Editor  

Upkeep the challenge
In the open-space programmes of the Ellis Park Precinct and Khayelitsha, the lack of planning and budget for upkeep is problematic.

In 1995, the image value of the source of the Jukskei River was identified and its development proposed throughout the Ellis Park Precinct down to Bruma Lake as part of the original Ellis Park Precinct urban-design proposal. GAPP and others, I think, have since worked on the revitalisation of the river through Alexandra and beyond. But nothing has materialized yet.

If you revisit the widely-published design rational in 1995, you may wonder why the much-anticipated water feature, just where a new one is planned now, was never built.

Extensive ecologic and hydraulic studies have revealed, although the idea to celebrate the source of the Jukskei with a water feature was good, it would have been exorbitantly expensive to get it green, clean and reliable, and save water. The cost to structure, contain, control and clean the inflow was in the millions at the time. Urban Green File could structure an interesting article on this problem and all parties who worked on it over the past 30 years could contribute!

Furthermore, your concern that the Ellis Park project could be just another “redo” exercise bound to fail in the long run is accepted as the most probable outcome. The reasons for this could be discussed in your magazine and other specialist papers. In 1995, this concern was raised in a South African Property Owners Association paper and the underlying reasons have not changed since then.

It is the same problem you identified in the Khayelitsha article. Your journey back to the Khayelitsha public space, which is now effectively a disaster area, reinforces the negative sentiment. Riaan van Eden’s comment is “input-” and not “output-oriented” so it will surely lead to even worse results. There is nothing unfair in a failure.

Wasted money is just that; no matter how honourable the intentions were in spending it. I could present you with more examples illustrating where the requirement for upkeep of quality was not understood. We shall live with this problem for a long time. Hans Wilreker

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UPFRONT

Built-environment standards threatened?
Some argue standards of architecture, landscape architecture and engineering will drop with the introduction on a new Built Environment Professions Bill. With one council replacing the existing seven councils controlling these professions, is there cause for concern?

It seems those who have expressed concern are worried about the political control the Bill allows. They argue the professions had been self-regulating and standards have been ensured by people (mostly volunteers) who have an interest in furthering the professions.

They further claim the Bill allows for political agendas to be manifested that could fall outside the best interests of the professions and even the public in extreme cases. A major worry, it seems, is that the process of peer review and judgment, through which new professionals are registered, could be overridden in order to increase the number of registrations. The argument is being made that people in the professions, who understand the issues and technicalities of those professions, should be allowed to act independently and objectively when it comes to registration of new professionals.

A serious concern of the existing councils is whether or not the international recognition enjoyed by the professions will be retained. Malcolm Campbell of the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) points out: “There is a very real danger standards could be diluted, and the international agreements various bodies have on registration and the validation of qualifications will be jeopardised”.

SACAP has agreements with the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) regarding validation. “Our institutional programmes are validated according to the Royal Institute of British Architects and CAA systems,” Campbell adds. “We invite representatives of these organisations to be part of the accreditation panel. We are busy developing a Memorandum of Understanding to formalise this with the CAA and the International Union of Architects/Union Internationale des Architectes. But we have now had correspondence from the CAA expressing concern about the potential fall-out around an initiative such as this new Bill.”
An extensive article, debating the pros and cons of the new Bill is published in the September 2008 print edition of Urban Green File’s sister magazine Architechnology.

Construction giant introduces green projects
Basil Read has established a pilot nursery at Cosmo City to determine the ideal plants and vegetables for the area, and to equip staff with the skills to propagate trees and shrubs, Urban Green File has learned. Once the pilot nursery has achieved these objectives, it will be duplicated in all new projects undertaken by Basil Read under the brand name “Basil Read-Green Projects” or “BR-GP”.

To help with the running costs of BR-GP, a commercial nursery will be run simultaneously so members of the community and the general public will be able to purchase trees and plants at discounted prices and turn their own properties into green areas.

BR-GP staff members are apparently already offering Cosmo City residents free training in how to create their own food gardens. This training will be based on the permaculture eco-circle approach that involves the use of effective micro-organism and earthworm compost.

Wetlands re-establishment planned for dainfern
Dainfern golf and residential estate plans to remediate its wetlands, educate residents and workers on water conservation, and introduce refuse recycling to the estate, Urban Green File has learned. “Dainfern was built at the confluence of three wetlands that were all but destroyed when Fourways Mall, Fourways Crossing and Montecasino were built,” Dainfern’s estate management informs Urban Green File. “The result has been that some soil has dried, the wetland ecosystem disappeared, and the soil no longer acts to retain and filter water from the region. Instead it is channelled along manmade channels directly into the Jukskei River.”

Paul Fairall, owner of environmental consultancy Emifula, tells Urban Green File: “The E.coli count in the Jukskei River shows it contains enormous quantities of human waste.

Through remediation of the wetlands at Dainfern, clean water would feed into the river and reduce the E. coli count by up to 3-million parts per 100 mm of water. This is a huge amount as industrial water is considered safe for irrigation when the E. coli count reaches just 80 000”. In addition to the wetland project, Alexandra-based environmental agency Tsogang will engage Dainfern workers, residents, maids and gardeners to promote water conservation, as well as recycling of refuse.

It is hoped all waste, except fish bones and disposable nappies, will eventually be recycled at Dainfern. Fairall claims: “The international average for waste production is about 1 kg of waste per person per day. With 1 200 homes in Dainfern containing, on average, a family of three plus two workers, and considering you can effectively recycle 70% of that waste, Dainfern’s recycling efforts will eradicate in the region of 70 000 t of carbon waste per year”.

Water conservancy will focus on educating residents and workers on how to save water. “There is no point using good drinking water to wash driveways, for example, dirtying the water and sending it into polluted rivers where it can no longer be used for drinking,” comments Gerald Plots, Dainfern’s estate manager.

Ongoing effort keeps Lourens River clean

A 10 km stretch of the Lourens River Protected Natural Environment falls within the 300-year-old Vergelegen wine estate, which manages this ecological treasure in conjunction with the Lourens River Conservation Society, the City of Cape Town and CapeNature.

Resident conservationist at Vergelegen Gerald Wright details a number of interventions contributing to the river’s purity and diversity:
* 16-million invasive trees have been cleared from the 1 500 ha estate in a 10-year, R14-million programme, which is now in its fourth year;
* water canals running from the high catchment areas on the estate are densely inhabited with natural vegetation such as bulrushes and fragmitis, which act as natural filters;
* the canals lead into attenuation ponds where further settling and filtration take place;
* river banks have been cleared of alien vegetation and stabilised;
* the river is encouraged to return to its natural course whenever there is heavy flooding and silting; and
* Vergelegen does not abstract water from the Lourens River.

In addition, the attenuation ponds prevent flooding of the busy Victoria Road of Somerset West. “The Lourens River is one of the fastest flowing rivers in South Africa,” Wright tells Urban Green File, and a 1:100 flood would speed through Victoria Road at 7 m/s if the excess was not contained within the attenuation ponds.

“Work on the river is ongoing as the pristine waters face constant threats,” says Wright. “Its estuary near Strand runs past a sewage pump station and raw sewage comes upstream when there are pump problems; destroying micro-organisms. Fertiliser nitrates and phosphates from local golf courses also run into the river and linger for a long time so, when the river is in a low flow phase, green tendrils can be spotted, indicating the high nutrient level.”

Soweto greened by tree planting
City Parks has challenged business to plant 200 000 trees as part of the 2010 Greening Soweto Legacy Project. The aim of this initiative is to plant sizable trees along main arterials in Soweto and Alexandra to address greening disparities by capitalising on the momentum of the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Early in September 2008, as part of National Arbor Week celebrations, Nelson Mandela planted the 90 990th tree of the campaign. In the meantime, City Parks has urged businesses to become part of the process by planting the required 110 000 trees to achieve the target of 200 000. During Arbor Week, the South African Green Industries Council presented  3 000 trees to Johannesburg’s City Parks.

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GREEN BUILDINGS

Twice as much space energy consumption same
Lifestyle Garden Centre has literally risen from the ashes to become a green building to be reckoned with. Remarkably, in size it has almost doubled without increasing electricity consumption.

It’s not easy being green, and it’s not cheap, but the partners of the Lifestyle Garden Centre in Randpark Ridge, Johannesburg, and those who helped them build it, are confident their R85-million was spent well. The 2008 bout of load shedding enables them to see returns on their heavy investment far sooner than originally anticipated.

More than a year has passed since Lifestyle suffered heavy damage in a fire just two weeks before completing major renovations. The plan was to complete the vision of a green building that had been envisaged by the company’s shareholders since 1998 when the first renovation was undertaken. Rather more investment had to be made and some betterment was undertaken that would not have been done otherwise but the vision of a green building has been largely a success. Their efforts can now stand as an example for other commercial developments to implement sustainable systems.

Multiple systems ensure sustainability
What makes Lifestyle’s situation different to some of the other green buildings is its endeavour to implement multiple systems into a single facility. Brent Buchanan, director of Nsika Architects and principal agent for the project, credits his client with having “the right credentials” for such an undertaking. “They are horticulturists and conservationists first and entrepreneurs second,” he says. “Nothing, in terms of the sustainable ideas implemented in the centre, is overtly unique but it’s just the scale and combination,” he tells Urban Green File.

Oscar Lockwood, a shareholder in the property, says the renovations were “a most wonderful exercise for all of us because it taught us about the true meaning of being green and not just paying lip service”. Lockwood, a dynamic entrepreneur with a quick wit and innovative ideas, says the seed idea for the project was one of growth: the decision was made to double the footprint of the existing centre – to 32 575 m² from 15 000 m².

Unfortunately, doubling electricity capacity was disallowed by City Power, which informed the team, at 600 kW, it was already at its maximum allowable capacity. The renovation went ahead and the center now functions on 32 575 m² using no more than 600 kW.

Passive design plays central role
Buchanan says much of what can be accomplished in this, or any, green building design is achieved through passive design: light wells, better glazing and building orientation all contribute greatly to improved energy efficiency.

Polycarbonate sheeting is used in the garden centre’s ceiling to allow light to penetrate during the day. Indeed, no lights are needed at all in the centre until mid- to late-afternoon, depending on the season.

However, on the day Urban Green File visited, the lights were blazing at 15:00; demonstrating human error can defeat the best intentions. No discernible change in lighting could be detected when the lights were hastily switched off.

In the retail and office sections of the centre, floor-to-ceiling windows have been installed wherever possible to allow ample light into high-use areas. In addition, light wells have been created between buildings to brighten the covered car-parking areas while roof overhangs were built to keep direct sunlight off windows.

Parking has been expanded by more than 1 000 bays. As Lifestyle Garden Centre sees its core customer as a mother, it takes special care to ensure the parking area is as level as possible to avoid runaway trollies, Lockwood says, adding the ubiquitous trolleys precludes the use of soft paving materials to avoid heat islands.

Light bulbs replaced
“We saved 110 kW of power just by changing every globe in this property,” Lockwood says. “It cost us around R500 000 to change every fitting and globe. I think it’s a wonderful thing to be able to quote the figures so you don’t get any illusion if you’re reading this article and thinking of adapting your building.”

But it’s not only light bulbs that save energy in the building. Extensive use of solar power has been implemented with 32 traditional-style geysers replaced by six solar ones. Unnecessary old geysers were disconnected completely.

Essential services like retail cash registers and computers are all connected to the diesel generator and there are approximately 150 to 200 red plugs on the property; seeing Lifestyle through periods of load shedding or power outages.

Power supply uninterrupted
“We have worked quite efficiently without power in offices where there are windows,” says administrative director Christine Trotman.

“The red plugs worked marvellously, the computers were going and, from a retail point of view, all the tills and points of sale continued working,” she says. “This is a huge benefit to any prospective retailer: uninterrupted power.”

Another key energy-saver is the implementation of a building-management system that identifies unused, non-essential systems and shuts them down when power use climbs toward 600 kW. The only unplanned system was the lift. It, naturally, had someone in it the first time the system kicked in. Schindler will be installing a system to allow passengers in either the passenger lift or the cargo lift to complete the trip in progress on diesel power. The lift can then be shut down.

Solar geysers for hot water, underfloor heating
Omnibus Engineering installed R2,3-million worth of German-manufactured solar panels in the newly-renovated facility, which provide virtually all of the hot water needed on the premises. The facility has reduced its number of geysers to six from 32.

But the solar-heated water is also the source for underfloor heating, which is used throughout the facility. Buchanan believes no one has ever invested R2-million in solar-powered underfloor heating. It works like this: a giant boiler sits in the basement; water is pumped from there, in closed circuit, around the facility 24/7. During winter days, the water is heated to a maximum of 59°C by the solar water heaters and, at night when the water cools down, it is heated electrically – although at non-peak times – from a minimum of 59°C back up to 87°C. This accomplishes two important goals: the growing area temperature never drops below 11°C and the indoor areas of the facility are warm all year round throughout the day.

Cooling with gelled ice
Cooling in the summer months throughout the office component of the centre is accomplished via the production of gelled ice in seven 10 000 l vats. The ice is made during off-peak hours. During the day, air is pumped through the ice to produce the chilled water that sends cool air into the office environments.

The retail, food and beverage areas are cooled using evaporative cooling, which is cost-effective and comfortable. Buchanan says the system leaves the indoor areas less exposed to fluctuations in temperature – in other words, it might be a bit hotter than typically air-conditioned environments – but in a garden centre, the clientèle is accustomed to a more natural ambience.The indoor areas are still sufficiently cool in the hot months.

Greywater recycling attempted
Two important systems have been implemented at Lifestyle to make the most of South Africa’s most precious resource: water. The first is a rain-harvesting system on the rooftop that collects the water and stores it for irrigating plants in the garden centre. The second is a greywater-recycling system implemented by Primi Life, which is part of the Primi Piatti group and one of two food-and-beverage outlets in the centre.

Greywater from the restaurant’s kitchen, and basins in the ablution areas, was recycled to flush toilets and urinals in the restaurant but this system didn’t operate for long and is one of few systems on site that has been a failure. Buchanan says the German manufacturer sent technicians to analyse and repair the system to no avail.

No one really understands why the system doesn’t function the way it should but Buchanan assumes the high grease content in the water is key to the problem. One way to make the best of this shortcoming is to, perhaps, send the greywater to the existing storage facility where the harvested rainwater is stored and use it for irrigation.

Scope for more green entrepreneurs
Buchanan points out, in the planning stages of a project like this, “a lot of ideas are tossed around the board room.” These green ideas include railway sleepers used in the bar at Primi Life as a means to reuse materials but other ideas didn’t have a lifespan much beyond the brainstorming sessions. “We talked about paving screed using waste lime and ash but, logistically, it doesn’t work,” he says. There is still a lot of room, he points out, for creative (and green) entrepreneurs in the market for green building materials because, as he discovered in this project, there are shortcomings.

“In order to produce a supply chain of sustainable materials, you must have environment-conscious entrepreneurs,” says Buchanan.

120 000 earthworms required!
Although it’s been open for well over a year, the renovated Lifestyle Garden Centre continues to evolve. For example, the Primi Life kitchen utilises a macerator to reduce kitchen waste but, surprisingly, there is no institutional compost facility at Lifestyle. Lockwood has visions of largescale vermiculture – much to Trotman’s reluctance – and is running experiments at home. Lockwood says, aside from the problem of obtaining the necessary 120 000 worms for Lifestyle, the colony of feral cats on the property would make the situation difficult so the vermicomposting bin would have to be in a caged area.

Lifestyle takes its conservation very seriously; it even attempts to control the population of the local cat colony by trapping and neutering cats, and releasing them again.

Recycling embraced
The size of the colony could reduce naturally, however, if future plans for reducing solid waste are successful. Trotman is in charge of the property’s recycling schemes, including institutionalising recycling of glass and paper. An internal system already exists for cardboard recycling, which has reduced the number of bins as well as weekly pick-ups required. The waste from the macerator is collected twice a week and, when glass and paper recycling comes on line later in 2008, Trotman says it will be open to the public.

“It will actually cut down on the use of the macerator at the same time,” Lockwood says. “If we recycled most of our glass and paper waste, we could get the macerator to one collection a week.”

Shortened payback period
Everyone involved in the project is frank about the cost. They emphasise it is expensive to build a facility like the Lifestyle Garden Centre.

However it is quite clear, while it could not have predicted, the sustainable systems were implemented at exactly the right time.

“I think there are a lot of mistakes in terms of what we did but we did this at exactly the right time in terms of the randeuro exchange rate, for instance,” Lockwood tells Urban Green File. “Now it’s at a rand-dollar exchange rate of about 18% worse. And, with Eskom pushing up its prices by 27,5% since 2007 and more in 2009, our payback period is diminishing quite quickly.”

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GREEN BUILDINGS BRIEFS

Green-roofed university building under construction
The new Life Sciences Development (LSD) at the University of the Western Cape’s Bellville campus is designed to be green. The LSD fuses six departments into a single development to promote interdepartmental and transdisciplinary research: the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Biodiversity & Conservation Biology, Medical Biosciences, South African Herbal Science & Medicine Institute, the Biotechnology Unit and Earth Sciences.

The design was tasked to dhk when it won the commission in April 2006 through an invited competition against four other major practices. The learning centre is designed to integrate the development into the broader campus and the surrounding landscape; functioning as a scaling device and counterpart to the laboratory with a state-of-the-art lecture theatre, computer lab-resource centre, seminar and tutorial rooms, and a cafeteria opening onto the gathering space Incorporating green building principles, the gardens flow onto the roof to provide thermal mass and are integrated into a landscaping approach evincing a direct response to the local environmental conditions by encouraging biodiversity, protecting nutrients held in the biomass, using permeable surfaces to minimise runoff and increase the retention of groundwater levels, and adopting indigenous waterwise plant species.

The building attempts to promote a commitment to sustainability, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility through life-cycle costing, resource and environmental management, and adoption of worthwhile and cost-effective strategies, including optimization of the thermal envelope, waste-heat reclamation, harvesting of rainwater and greywater recycling. Occupation is set for February 2009.

Hotel water solar-heated
The Gaborone Sun is the first hotel in Botswana and the first in the Sun International group to harness solar power for its hot-water requirements. The Home Comfort solar-power system with back-up diesel boiler comprises 176 flatplate solar panels forming a 352 m² solar collector that provides an installed capacity of 225 kW. The panels feature a 345 kW heat exchanger equipped with a drain-back system to eliminate freezing and high maintenance.

The solar collectors are imported from Sunda Solar Energy Technology in China, which manufactures them under licence to Daimler Benz in Germany. Most of the remaining equipment is manufactured in South Africa and the design and subcontracting services, in this case, are provided by Omnibus Engineering.

The Gaborone Sun project includes a vertical hot-water storage tank with a specially designed stratification system capable of storing 25 500l. The accompanying 233 kW back-up diesel boiler is designed to yield 90% efficiency.

Home Comfort’s Hendrik Roux informs Urban Green File the system yields 283,5 MWh of renewable energy per annum and has been configured to deliver more energy in the cooler months of the year.

Lance Rossouw, general manager of Gaborone Sun, comments: “Since the installation went live, it’s been a real weight off our shoulders not having to worry about coal supply and storage; not to mention the environmental implications of burning coal. An unexpected benefit has also been the new system’s efficiency in terms of temperature.

Our average hot-water temperature has increased from a previous 45°C to 70°C”. Home Comfort claims the system will offer the following savings per annum:
* 379,21 t of CO₂
* 57,32 t ash
* 3,5 t of SO2
1,56 t of N2O

Turning point for sustainability
A turning point in the drive towards sustainable development in South Africa was the release of the Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change in 2006. This is according to Eric Noir of Green by Design, part of WSP Group Africa. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth in 2007, followed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change later in the same year, triggered an avalanche of media reports raising public awareness, he says.

Several First World governments – in the US and Europe – have responded by legislating sustainability. However, Noir says, in South Africa, sustainability is still strictly voluntary yet many leading organisations are embracing the concept readily.

Noir believes it is essential a client is committed to creating a sustainable environment and realises some of the benefits are not immediately visible as sustainability is a long-term investment. “The focus must move away from the cost of developing a green building towards the cost of the building over its life cycle. This does not just include items like power and water savings but also staff productivity and fewer sick days.”

New projects adopt energy efficiency
The City of Johannesburg’s Department of Building Control is applying greater pressure on developers to provide energy efficient systems and proposals in new buildings, Nathi Mthethawa, regional director: Region F of the inner city, tells Urban Green File. It seems this is paying off with numerous public and private energy-efficiency projects that are already under way.

Energy-efficiency plans are being implemented within 15 municipal buildings across Johannesburg, according to Flora Mokgohloa, executive director of the department of environmental management of the city. She hopes these buildings will be the catalyst and role models for the private sector to do the same.

Private-sector projects to increase energy efficiency of new building developments, according to Neil Fraser of Urban Inc, include the visitors’ center at the Metropolitan Centre, which architect Nicholas Sack claims caters for a number of environmental issues; the Zurich Reed building in Ferreirasdorp; and the new Absa Towers to be the energy centre of the Absa campus.

Efficient lighting winners announced
Winners of Eskom’s energy-efficient lighting design competition, created to demonstrate how efficient lighting technologies, such as fluorescents and LEDs, can be used in ultramodern and attractive luminaires for residential lighting, are:
Residential luminaire design (students)
* 1st prize (R30 000): Mathew Holley of the Greenside Design Centre for Tri-light.
* 2nd prize (R20 000): Salona Kassen of the Greenside Design Centre for Locquacious Lamp.
* 3rd prize (R10 000): David Roberts of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology for c.lite.
Residential luminaire design (professional)
Two prizes of R40 000 each were awarded to:
* Julia Anastasopoulos, a designer from Cape Town, for Peg Light.
* David Krynauw, a furniture designer from Piet Retief, for the Wooden Chandelier.

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CITY VISIT

Not just another dormitory town
‘Inclusionary’ housing is what the developers and designers of Olievenhoutbosch have in mind. But can this ‘mini city’ deliver on its promise?

Home at last (Ekugcineni ekhaya) – Olievenhoutbosch is a new flagship housing development well under way after years in planning. A development contract has been signed between the City of Tshwane and Absa. It caters for a mix of classes and uses on what was previously undeveloped, Absaowned land. This development is “inclusionary” in that it intersperses houses for the affordable market (bonded) with those in the subsidy, social housing and rental markets – a mixed-income, mixed-use development. It is not, though, officially an inclusionary housing project as government’s policy in this regard is yet to be legislated. According to the policy a developer would forego potential income by including affordable houses in centrally –locted projects. The local authority, in turn, would provide a subsidy to make good for the developer’s diminished profits.

Coined as a sustainable inclusionary development (SID), Olievenhoutbosch represents a departure from housing systems where affordable and market-related housing are treated as separate processes and products; segregating urban citizens on the basis of income. The Mail & Guardian has referred to it as a “positive solution to avoid ‘ghettoisation’ of the poor”.

With the Minster of Housing as project custodian, Olievenhoutbosch is a result of the Financial Services Charter (FSC) and government’s Breaking New Ground (BNG) policy. It has come into existence through a joint agreement between the national, provincial and local departments of housing, the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and Absa. Since 2004, Absa has been acting as landowner and developer (through Absa DevCo) for the City of Tshwane.

According to Absa DevCo, the project “provides integrated, mixed housing solutions, as well as sites for education, business, public open space, sport and other facilities – a mix required to establish a quality live-work-play environment and which promotes a sustainable society”.

Innovative funding speeds up delivery
As part of the development agreement, red-tape procedures have been dramatically reduced and financial gearing processes simplified. Absa has shortened procurement time frames and provided bridging finance to reduce potential delays on the project.

The R450-million project budget (including top structures) is being spent over three years with funding derived predominantly from provincial subsidies, City of Tshwane top-up funds and Absa Devco’s private investment. Absa has set put bridging finance for bulk service costs while it awaits approval for Municipal Infrastructure Grant and municipal funding.

According to Mala Harrilal from the Department of Housing at the City of Tshwane, top-up funding has been provided by the municipality for the installation of services and water meters.

Design informed by mixed use and open space
In terms of its layout, Olievenhoutbosch recognises the need for mixed use within the development. Land is provided for schools, clinics, sports facilities, churches, small-business opportunity nodes, retail, taxi drop-off zones, as well as a taxi rank, community centre, community markets and a central landmark site (public open space) to provide a sense of place. It is envisioned light-industrial use will be located along the busy Waterberg Road; attracting small-scale manufacturing.

Urban designer Steve Orbell of ADA tells Urban Green File the design rationale follows various underlying principles, such as making connections, balancing movement networks, ensuring local district networks based on “walkable” distances, design for safety and security, a mix of building typologies, investment in the public realm, and allowing for a broad mix of uses.

Prominent in the design is its legibility and connection to surrounding land uses.

Shaped by design elements
According to town planner Andre Kotze, design elements that have shaped Olievenhoutbosch’s structure include:
* A semi-circle of public open space at the core of the development around which everything else ”fits”. It creates opportunity for symbolism and could be developed into a ceremonial public space.
* Boulevards radiate from this central space, intersected by a ring road, which serves to connect and link the site with developments to the south.
* Boulevards act as activity spines linking different residential areas while providing vistas from the centre of the site to the edges. Intersections create opportunities for activity nodes within which land is zoned for higher-density residential, retail and commercial use, as well as churches, crèches and clinics.
* Activity nodes are visible from the central open space, acting as landmarks, which, together with the simple road layout, create a degree of legibility on the site as well as a sense of place within a certain scale; encouraging easy movement around the site. Activity spines, a hierarchy of roads, nodes, visible landmarks and difference in housing typologies work together to make Olievenhoutbosch legible.
* Highest-density, three-storey residential walk-ups are located towards the center while density decreases towards the perimeters. Highest-density land use is closest to public-transport opportunities and community facilities.
* Opportunity for higher density is used at intersections within the bonded areas to form two-storey walk-ups.
* Principles of complementary land use have been applied – schools are located adjacent to public open space; business and light industry are located along busy roads; commercial retail and taxi ranks are located at intersections in close proximity to high-density residential use.
* Unlike many RDP developments where units turn their backs on the streets, all units have been oriented to face streets and public open spaces in the interests of natural surveillance.
* Street lighting is provided on all streets.
* Public open space has been provided among the residential areas as well as along a natural drainage area; taking into account the 1:100-year flood line.

Better subsidised houses
As opposed to “traditional” RDP housing, the subsidised units include greater levels of specifications and finishes, including tiled roofs, individual orientation, variety through slightly differing design features, reduced site areas (to allow easier and affordable maintenance), interior pre-paid electrical connections, potable water and sanitation.

The development has fully-tarred roads, a 100% covered stormwater drainage system and electrical services running below ground – all setting the development apart from the usual fully-subsidised units. In this way, infrastructure maintenance is dramatically reduced as is the life-cycle cost of the development.

But what about sustainability?
At a time when sustainable development is vital in our urban areas, Olievenhoutbosch has had additional challenges to overcome, most notably in terms of budget and margins.

Some green issues have, however, been addressed. The most significant is the planting of indigenous trees along the main roads throughout the development. In total, 90 ha of Eucalyptus trees was cleared from the site (about 20 000 trees). A retention pond has been built to the north-east, at the lowest point, to catch external stormwater.

In time, with correct maintenance, this could become a “natural” wetland.

The urban form has the building blocks of sustainable development through increased residential densities as well as mixed use along the southern boundary. Due to improved service levels introduced at construction stage, Olievenhoutbosch should show lower maintenance costs in infrastructure throughout the project’s life cycle.

The developers have also ensured a level of “ownership” in the development: the project steering committee conducted a significant public-participation process with communities in these areas; taking into account historical political sensitivities in Olievenhoutbosch. The community has had input into the layout and design of the development. Active community involvement in project construction took place during the tender and procurement process with contractors employing local labour for the various phases of services and construction of the top structures.

In terms of management and maintenance of the development, Absa has established an independent company to manage the rental stock based on precedents, which show stringent management is necessary to make rental units work. The City of Tshwane is managing the allocation process of subsidized units. Other than this, there seems to be little or no need for management of the development.

Holding costs problematic
Absa and the City of Tshwane have faced numerous challenges throughout the development phase. The time taken to roll out the development has resulted in Absa incurring significant holding costs despite the municipality’s undertaking to fast-track the process. Environmental impact assessment approval processes have been onerous and have hindered progress.

Increases in the cost of money and building have rendered the affordable R250 000 units no longer viable. The cheapest units now start at R300 000 and this increases the ”gap” in the affordable market. Absa has experienced significant on-site vandalism of the subsidised units; completed units have been stripped bare of wiring and finishes in the time between unit completion and handover. This is an additional and unexpected cost, which has been absorbed by the bank.

Sense of community already exists
Although still very much in a state of development, Olievenhoutbosch has become “home” to most residents. Private gardens are beginning to spring up within yards, spaza shops are operating from front rooms and informal traders are scattered around intersections.

Components of sustainability provided
Kotze believes the project is sustainable and will work. “The bonded units are already selling; the mix is good”. He believes all the components for sustainability have been provided.

Green issues neglected?
While acknowledging margins were thin, and funding a challenge, to fulfil the vision of sustainable human settlements, certain green issues could have been addressed as a minimum requirement, including orientation towards the north for all buildings (admittedly, this would compromise orientation towards open space and street surveillance), the use of passive solar through larger windows, solar water heating (by accessing new and creative funding like subsidies from Eskom), waste-recycling initiatives (also a source of job creation) and channelling of greywater onto gardens. Admittedly, sustainable development costs more at the outset but benefits residents and the environment, especially vulnerable households (subsidized and social markets), in the future.

Built-environment issues also raise concern in terms of sustainability. The development is situated far from employment opportunities. As poverty reduction is the primary goal of inclusionary housing, to ensure future sustainability, such as livework opportunities, the provision of mixed, business and light-industrial uses could be increased. According to Jan Steenkamp, Absa’s project manager for Olievenhoutbosch, significant interest has been shown by retail developers and Urban Green File believes additional commercial use could have been absorbed.

While building typologies have been varied, units painted individually, and top structures have been grouped to create individual enclaves, there is a sense of ”sameness” throughout the architecture.

This may be mitigated with the development of the bonded housing. An overwhelming sense of ”dry and dust” pervades Olievenhoutbosch.

Because the development is new, large tracts of bare earth surround most of the units and line all streets; evidently a mud, erosion and silting problem during the rainy season. A landscaping budget for planting indigenous plants would have served not only to retain the soil and beautify the area but also to provide opportunities for residents to grow herbs, muti and food gardens.

Ongoing management required
The need for post-development management has been well-documented. Many precedents show management inherently linked to sustainability. On site, it is evident water and sewer connections are leaking. Silt has blocked some of the roads. Newly-completed units have been stripped of finishes through theft. Spaza shops and informal traders serving the community are, arguably, necessary in terms of job creation and the informal economy but what effect do they have on the sale of bonded units?

Aside from managing and minimizing negative aspects of the development, management could be used in a proactive way to build community, green the area, grow food, start recycling initiatives, become a platform for skills-development programmes and build cooperatives with sustainability as the ultimate aim.

Lessons learned
Lessons future SIDs can draw from Olievenhoutbosch include:
* The need to promote more of a mix between housing typologies in order to avoid repetition and create visual interest in the development; perhaps mix semis with single dwellings per erf and intersperse walk-ups with freehold units.
* More emphasis on mixed use, especially retail. Larger areas dedicated to retail and business would also promote a more sustainable urban environment with employment opportunities closer to home.
* Orientation – better orientation of units to ensure all open spaces are overlooked as well as maximising sunlight in the units (as adopted by Absa in Chief Mogale, Krugersdorp).
* Develop and implement an integrated management plan to ensure sustainability of the development.

Whether or not Olievenhoutbosch achieves the socio-economic integration principles as a requirement for sustainable human settlements described in the BNG policy will only become evident once the development is complete and all units have been occupied.

Will Olievenhoutbosch combine everyone into a single community, where families from disadvantaged backgrounds are integrated into wealthier circles and exposed to different aspirations and standards of living?

The structure is certainly there as a platform for this to take place. An Olievenhoutbosch resident and beneficiary of a fully-subsidised unit tells Urban Green File: “Ek woon in Olievenhoutbosch. Ek het ‘n huis met water en elektrisiteit. Dis warm en ek’s bly”.

Is this just another dormitory town? While the developers and designers of Olievenhoutbosch could have done more to ensure a pedestrian-friendly environment and to create mixed use within properties rather than limiting use to different property zones, they could, nevertheless, be on to a successful housing model. But more focus on green issues and density is still required.

Influenced by key policies

Policy is an important driver in the case of Olievenhoutbosch as a sustainable inclusionary development.

1 The Housing Act 107 of 1997
In essence, every local authority (in this case the City of Tshwane) is responsible, as part of its integrated development planning process, to take all reasonable steps to ensure inhabitants within its jurisdiction have access to adequate housing on a progressive basis.

2 Breaking New Ground
Breaking New Ground (BNG) sets out a new vision for housing delivery, responding to the lack of a functionally-balanced residential property market, as well as an evident slowdown in housing delivery, particularly in the subsidy and affordable markets. It is also an attempt to try to encourage private-sector investment in the low-income housing market.

According to Reid G, City of Johannesburg Housing Strategy 2007, BNG is an attempt to address challenges such as
* the continuing inequalities and inefficiencies of the economy known in apartheid space;
* continued and growing asset poverty;
* models of mass housing delivery not creating a functionally-balanced housing market;
* the housing programme viewing housing delivery largely on the urban periphery, and thus achieving limited integration and a general lack of the qualities necessary for a decent quality of life; and
* subsidy houses not becoming “valuable assets” in the hands of the poor.

In response to these factors and challenges, BNG sets out a new vision for the housing department in order “to promote the achievement of a non-racial, integrated society through the development of sustainable human settlements and quality housing.”

In terms of BNG, sustainable human settlements are defined as “well-managed entities in which economic growth and social development are in balance with the carrying capacity of the natural systems on which they depend for their existence and result in sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and equity. The delivery process should focus on the development of sustainable settlements rather than on housing, promoting densification and integration. This implies a significant shift from a housing-only approach towards a more holistic development of human settlements.”

3 Inclusionary housing policy
This policy is concerned with “the harnessing of private initiative to include affordable housing opportunities in order to achieve a better socio-economic balance in residential developments” as well as contributing to an increase in the supply of affordable housing.

4 Financial Services Charter
Adopted in 2004, the Financial Services Charter (FSC) actively seeks opportunities and mechanisms to stimulate supply in the affordable market sector. The Charter is now entering its fourth year of implementation with significant successes and challenges; providing R42-billion in housing finance directly to the affordable market comprising those within an income bracket of R1 500 to R8 600 per month. In reality, this market has narrowed, beginning with those earning more than R2 500 per month as anything below that renders the cheapest available housing unaffordable.

To assess the effectiveness and measure the impact of the FSC, specifically on affordable housing delivery to date, the constraints posed by the market must be taken into account as well as increasingly high costs of land, a lack of accessible and well-located land, rates hikes, high cost of money and high default rates.

The cheapest house today retails at no less than R285 000, which cuts out a significant portion of the target market as it had been defined.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & DESIGN

Green gated communities a positive step?
Do green gated communities contribute to the sustainability of our cities? Or do they lack a holistic approach by focusing on individual aspects of sustainability only while jeopardising the urban form?

A new genre of developer has emerged; taking our environment and changing lifestyle demands into account. Ecofriendly development is now a big trend in property! Buildings are becoming greener. Due to limited access to power and water supplies, as well as changing personal needs, the move towards “sustainable” or green housing has largely been driven by demand but mostly by economic and environmental realities. The energy-saving mindset has also become an economic imperative almost “forcing a move towards green building”. In sync with this factor, the demand for accommodation in gated enclaves is progressing from a one-dimensional need for safety and security towards a desire to exercise some sort of control of the environmental quality around the investor’s home – a certain type of lifestyle.

Yurgen Erhart, developing the Lanseria Corporate Estate, tells Urban Green File ecologically-sound development is all about correct planning at inception and throughout the planning phases. “Right now there are limited, genuinely sustainable interventions, which can be adopted while rendering developments cost-effective.” Following waves of concern about climate change, many upmarket, gated residential developments have come under scrutiny with water-hungry golf estates topping the list. Many of these claim to be “eco estates” but are merely offering “green washing”. This article examines an emerging trend, which combines the demand for housing, security and sustainability in green-gated estates.

1. At the urban edge – monaghan farm
Monaghan Farm is pioneering Gauteng’s green-gated estates at the top end of the market. According to owner and developer Prospero Bailey, Monaghan appeals to those who understand notions of minimalism and sustainable living with good taste.

Bailey has converted land from unsustainable monoculture agricultural use into a residential development embracing green principles. This, he says, is adding ecological value to the environment and the existing community while seeking to create a sense of place, which is diverse and aesthetically pleasing.

Monaghan land is zoned as Residential 1 and the developer has put guidelines, design principles and development controls in place to ensure a result in line with his vision. Investors are bound to architectural guidelines, building rules and regulations, residents’ association regulations and specific landscape-design principles while the appointment of architects and subsequent designs require approval by an aesthetics committee.

Low-density, low-rise design is promoted with emphasis on tasteful aesthetics.

“Built” areas occupy no more than 3% of the land with road surface occupying 6%. The 3% is situated on land previously under cultivation, thereby conserving large tracts of indigenous grassland, which weaves through the development. The result: undisturbed views into perpetuity.

No more than 50% of each property is permitted to be “under roof”, including outdoor decking and pools; reinforcing the concept of “building only what is needed”.

Green building principles applied
Monaghan is seriously hi-tech with a fibreoptic backbone. The approach to design is minimalist; requiring the use of natural materials sourced as locally as possible, local labour, good aspect and an emphasis on passive solar to maximise natural light in the units. In addition, solar water heaters, rainwater harvesting and gas cookers are encouraged (a gas depot and deliveries will be provided on site). Energy efficient lighting and insulation in the slabs and roofs, as well as closed Morso stoves, which can double as heaters, complete the green building approach. No boundary walls are allowed between plots. Instead each house boasts a series of small courtyards for privacy and thereby emphasizes permeability and continuity with the landscape.

A recycling depot is provided on site together with four bins per plot for the separation of refuse.

Alien trees are being removed from watercourses while all planting within common areas is indigenous. There is no street lighting and this saves on energy and avoids light pollution. The estate has its own sewage package plant fed by greywater from the units running through reed beds for purification. The farm has 6 km of river frontage – an asset requiring maintenance so 20 people are employed full-time in this regard. Other common areas include an orchard with flowering fruit trees, stables with adjacent paddocks and centrally-located organic vegetable and cut-flower gardens.

Social development an investment
According to Bailey, part of Monaghan’s sustainability initiative entails investment in social development; a Montessori school proposed for the estate has set aside 60 bursaries for children from previously-disadvantage backgrounds – subsidized by the school and the body corporate.

In addition, Monaghan has also donated R1-million towards the development of a hospice at Rafilwe Clinic to assist people affected by HIV.

Security of tenure has been given to previous farm labourers living on the farm within an 80-unit, low-income sectional title development in which water and electricity costs are subsidised by the local residents’ association.

All planning requirements have been fulfilled, including compliance with a stringent environmental impact assessment, Bailey informs Urban Green File. Acquiring planning approval for the township has entailed a four-year process with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture Conservation & Environment (GDACE) taking the longest to engage and approve requirements, apparently focused on socio-economic issues over and above concerns for the environment.

GREEN CRITIQUE
Although a green development, some aspects can be criticised in terms of ultimate sustainability:
* Situated roughly 15 km away from existing retail and commercial use, Monaghan is contributing towards urban sprawl and dependence on private vehicles. However Monaghan is within the “urban edge” proclaimed around Lanseria Airport. But, for land within the urban edge, the density may be too low, especially considering valuable farmland that could have helped to sustain Johannesburg as a city is being used for luxury residences. However aspects of urban agriculture are being incorporated into the development.
* With emphasis on security, close to R25-million is being spent on fencing and related infrastructure – a cost that must be borne by residents.
* Given the location, there may not be adequate emphasis on mixed use.
Gated communities are often seen as inherently unsustainable.

Professional team
Developer: Monaghan Farm
Architects: Various, including Enrico Daffonchio and Sarah Colburn
Landscape architect: Patrick Watson
Green technologies at Monaghan
Home automation: Triac Systems
Energy efficiency: Home Comfort

2. Focus on energy efficiency – parkview and westwood
With 45 and 38 freehold luxurious cluster units respectively, Parkview and Westwood Estates comprise contemporary designs with a focus on energy efficiency. Claiming to be Gauteng’s first energy-efficient residential developments, young professionals and families comprise the target market.

Prior to the project’s launch, Calgro M3 has had to undertake a rigorous township establishment process; adhering to all requirements and, according to town planner, Tinus Erasmus, stringent environmental impact assessment requirements stipulated by GDACE. Zoning for both estates is Residential 1 with a 50% coverage clause on an average stand of 450 m².

Energy demand reduced by 65%
According to project manager Charl Cornelissen, the municipality’s call for energy efficiency in new developments is the key driver for Parkview and Westwood. Calgro M3 has undertaken extensive research into green building and technologies. With market demand as a consideration, the developer has decided to focus on energy efficiency as its contribution to sustainable development. The result is a reduction on energy demand of more than 65%!

To counteract energy loss, static roof insulation is being installed between all ceilings and roofs while insulation is also built into floor slabs. Gas stoves are featured throughout and perform a dual heating/cooking function. Provision is made for separation of garbage within each unit (two bins per unit). The residents’ association set to enter into a three-year contract with Resolution Recycling. All units are fitted with solar water heating. A combination of LED and CFL lighting is used to effect a 20% energy saving in lighting alone.

Regarding landscaping, alien plants will be cleared before construction and indigenous plants will be retained. New landscaping has been designed to be indigenous so, in a sense, the land is being rehabilitated. Parkview and Westwood each have a park providing the required public open space for its density: Westwood measures 1 449 m² and Parkview 365 m². Street lights are provided although they are no higher than roof level. The developments are surrounded by walls and electric fencing in the interests of security.

Sustainable location
According to campaign manager Stewart Cousens, the estates are sustainable in terms of location – situated within a development node, 3 km away from Clearwater Mall, adjacent to Wilgeheuwel Hospital and within 5 km of Charter House, Trinity College and Allan Glen Schools. Calgro M3 has investigated other green applications, such as greywater recycling, but these were not viable in the prevailing economic climate.

GREEN CRITIQUE
Granted, in spite of kudos for energy efficiency, what is not green about Parkview and Westwood?
* Particular attention is not paid to run-off volumes over and above the requirements of the town-planning scheme.
* Given market constraints, greywater recycling for irrigation would be advantageous.
* Exterior/street lighting could employ energy-efficient applications.
* A mix of income within the developments may begin to address socio-economic sustainability.
* Due to the densities, adopting green roof technology could have aided insulation, heat and run-off absorption.

Professional team
Developer and town planner: Calgro M3
Architect: TC Design Architects
Green services at Parkview and Westwood
Recycling: Resolution Recycling

3. Energy consumption top of mind – 61 on shepherd
On a smaller scale, but very much at the top end of the market, 61 on Shepherd in Bryanston, Johannesburg, is also aspiring to be green; mainly from an energy perspective.

According to Greg McKenzie of McKenzie Alman Property Development, 61 on Shepherd is providing a platform for sustainable urban living as leverage for further green improvements, depending on affordability.

For instance, for an additional cost of approximately R200 000, the units could be taken completely off the grid. Over the years, McKenzie Alman has undertaken extensive research into green technology, including the use of geothermal temperature control and alternative sources of solar energy capture, storage and use.

The 61 on Shepherd development offers sophisticated living in a secure estate comprising five freehold erven. The design is contemporary, an interpretation of South African style, and responds to Gauteng’s climate through aspect and the use of passive solar lighting.

Large windows and sliding doors create flow between interior and exterior. Skylights allow natural light to flood the core of each unit. The units are generally 500 m² each on erven measuring between 817 m² to 1 119 m². Although the floor area ratio is 0,5, coverage is around 24% as the buildings are double-storey.
* Sustainable design principles being incorporated at 61 on Shepherd include:
* Careful configuration and orientation of the houses to optimise passive solar opportunities for heating, cooling and day lighting.
* Concrete roof slabs provide high thermal mass insulation benefits. Additional insulation is provided with lightweight screed thermally-insulated with Pratliperl plaster.
* Hot water is provided by solar geysers.
* All units are fitted with low-energy lighting.
* Located centrally, urban sprawl is prevented through densification.
* Surfaces of parking areas and driveways are made from semi-permeable material.
* Gas stoves are provided in each unit.
* All large and indigenous trees are being retained on site.
* Reflective glass on the upper floors.
* Components of existing buildings are being recycled.

Professional team
Developer: McKenzie Alman Property Development
Architect: Gavin Warburton Bullard & Van Rooyen
Town planner: Steve Jaspan & Associates
Sustainable development consultant: Kinetic Business Ecology
Civil engineer: SF Dickenson
Some green technologies at 61 on Shepherd
Roof insulation: Pratliperl
Efficient lighting: Thornton Group
Gas stoves: Bosch

What about urban context?
Green gated communities provide innovative reactions to prevailing realities but can gated estates be truly sustainable? A gated community can be defined as “a separate urban area; isolated from the broader urban environment and enclosed through physical barriers” (Landman K, 2000). Jurgan and Gnad (2001), in turn, define a gated community as “a suburb with uniqueness and exclusivity defined by the number of evident safety measures”.

Connectivity jeopardised
Connectivity in urban form is important, and physical barriers restrict movement and connections between people. This, Landman argues, “brings into question the rights of access to public spaces and public amenity for citizens on both sides of the fence”. The United Nations Development Programme, in its definition of sustainable development, states cities should promote development that empowers people rather than marginalises them.

Aspects of gated estates detracting from a sustainable urban form include contribution to urban sprawl and patterns of development resulting in urban fragmentation, increasing reliance on private vehicles, undermining the sustainability of public transport systems, and preventing cultural and class mix. Within our context, many would argue, living with spiraling levels of crime and noticeable declines in public services, gated development is a pattern of growth wherein the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Gated estates provide a safe environment, allow residents to establish and maintain acceptable service levels, create a sense of community and “place” and protect the investment of the homeowner.

Private sector takes the lead
The examples discussed in this article show extensive consideration of sustainable development. They are all energy-efficient and strive to embrace green standards. Of note is that the private sector seems to be taking the lead when it comes to the supply of energy-efficient housing with little intervention or motivation from the city. This is in contrast to the UK where owners of carbon neutral homes qualify for tax relief on stamp duty. That country’s government is providing incentives for developers to build green by creating demand from the bottom up.

It is all very well to deliver energy-efficient buildings responding to economic and environmental realities but have the developments taken the context, complexities and intricacies of the city into account? Have they considered the connections between people, buildings and nature deeply enough? Do they embrace and allow for change? Do they seek to promote inclusion, social development and urban democracy?

Perhaps it’s not about gated communities being green but rather whether or not they embrace sustainable development and sustainable urban form. Each of the examples in this article embodies elements of sustainability but it would appear more emphasis needs to be placed on holistic development.

THDev’s director of planning TC Chetty summarises this concept: “The environmental concept is not just about plants and trees or energy but takes a holistic view of sustainability.

One must consider everything that exists within an environment, including social, economic and green issues, in order to be truly sustainable”.

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Erosion minimised
Erosion – as a result of increased stormwater volumes and velocities -along the banks of the Braamfontein Spruit has been curbed in a labour-intensive project.

In order to protect river banks from erosion and to prevent collapse of electrical pylons owned by Eskom and City Power, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has completed a R5,6-million project along the Braamfontein Spruit – from George Lea Park, off Sandton Drive, to Marlborough Avenue in Craighall Park, Johannesburg.

According to Conel Mackay of the JRA, the contract was designed specifically to incorporate existing design standards so as not to deviate from what has already been constructed – gabion baskets have, therefore, been continued as the key construction product.

“We also preferred using gabion baskets so labour-intensive methods of construction could be incorporated into the contract.”

Run-off has increased significantly
Given the task of designing the embankment protection, Ninham Shand, led by Dale Timm, associate: water engineering discipline group, approached it from the point of view that erosion is common in urban rivers; mainly because development replaces naturally-pervious areas with impervious materials, such as roofs, roads and pavements.

“In addition, the introduction of drainage pipes results in run-off reaching the river much quicker than under natural conditions.

These factors combined typically increase run-off by three to five times what it would have been from the same rainfall event under natural conditions. While ‘catchment management’ is often promoted as the solution to these problems, this is not an option in a fully-developed urban catchment.

While it was considered by some that the river should be left to find a new equilibrium, this was unacceptable to JRA because of threats to infrastructure; danger to the public falling down the steep, often overhanging, banks and because of strong complaints from downstream authorities regarding the large volumes of silt being deposited in their areas.”

Pre-cast blocks and gabions at Delta Park
The problem at Delta Park was exacerbated by a collapsed footbridge on a rock outcrop on the outside of a bend in the river, continued Timm.

“This was deflecting water across the river and had eroded the bank at least 20 m wide; leaving a vertical bank that was continuously collapsing.

The solution was to remove the remains of the bridge, which had already been replaced further upstream, and to backfill the eroded banks with earth material obtained by widening the banks elsewhere to straighten the stream in order to reduce the extent of the cross waves. With the significant bend and the rock outcrop still in place, large cross waves were still expected to cause ongoing problems so the threatened area was protected using pre-cast concrete blocks (Armorflex 180) – selected to give maximum protection while also providing spaces where natural grasses could be established to give as natural a feel as possible. In less-threatened areas, the banks were merely flattened to allow the planting of the same grasses. In addition, two gabion weirs were constructed across the river to reduce flow velocities to minimise ongoing future erosion of these banks.

One electricity pylon, already protected by a concrete retaining wall, was again threatened as a result of damage to the wall. This was protected with a more substantial reinforced-concrete wall.”

Gabion retaining walls at George Lea Park
A different situation presented at George Lea Park, Timm pointed out. “Immediately below Marie Avenue, the river had eroded vertically downwards by about 3 m with this effect distributed downstream to the culvert under William Nicol Drive, which was not threatened. Along this stretch, earth had been dumped all along the river on both sides; creating very deep, near-vertical banks up to 8 m high. Power lines on large pylons ran down both banks – high gabion-retaining walls had been constructed previously to protect them – and along one stretch, a concrete bottom had been constructed on the river. These works had suffered severe flood damage in places and a number of pylons were again under threat.”

The damaged gabions and concrete channel were demolished and new gabion-retaining walls were installed down most of both banks of the river, Timm said. “To reduce some very high flow velocities calculated in places, a total of five gabion weirs were constructed across the river with additional reno mattresses where necessary for energy dissipation.”

‘Learner contractors’ succeed
Labour was sourced from Alexandra as it is close to Sandton. The City of Johannesburg established a labour desk forum as well as life-skills training in Alexandra. In terms of skills development, Mackay pointed out, the project was specifically designed to incorporate local labourers from Alexandra so training and development, as well as construction, could all be carried out simultaneously and on site.

Other municipalities and consultants could learn from this project, he believes, as all objectives could be achieved but only with proper planning and support structures. “Many expected the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) ‘learner contractors’ would not complete the contract successfully. However sheer determination to succeed, motivation and dedication from the project team ensured the contractors persevered and completed the contract. Without the municipal-owned entities (MOEs) supporting such EPWP programmes, it would be very difficult for the EPWP learner contractors to continue and become successful contractors. It is the duty of all MOEs to be supportive and make the necessary sacrifices in order to promote development and success of such EPWP programmes.”

While it is heartening to see Johannesburg, as a city, making an effort to improve the condition of its urban streams, it is worrying to note a holistic approach is still somewhat lacking. It seems the motivation for this project was stormwater management rather than the improvement of a recreational facility or ecological rehabilitation. Has an opportunity not been lost to involve Johannesburg City Parks and the provincial Department of Agriculture, Conservation & the Environment to also address issues such as water quality, litter and recreational infrastructure such as cycling paths? – Editor

Professional team
Project manager: Johannesburg Roads Agency
Safety officer: Cross Point Trading
Consulting engineers: Ninham Shand (design and contract administration) in joint venture with Semenya Furumele Consulting (construction supervision)
Contractors at George Lea Park: A team of four ‘learner contractors’ as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme of the Department of Public Works as Big 4 Joint Venture (Mbonalepanda Civils, Mpepuoa Resources, Ntsonondo Projects & Contractors and Gokano Construction Projects)  
Contractors at Delta Park: Done Deal Joint Venture (753itis Civils and Rakwena Civils)