Sustainability initiatives recognised
After 10 years of rewarding more than 200 creative public service initiatives across South Africa, Impumelelo has announced the launch of its 2010 Sustainability Awards. The closing date for entries for the 2010 Sustainability Awards is July 30 2009. Entries can be submitted in the following “green” categories:
* Governance
* Science and technology
* Building and infrastructure
* Landscaping and biodiversity
* Transport and mobility
* Agriculture and land use
* Tourism and hospitality
* Communities and cities
* Health
* Education and training
* Arts and culture
* Advocacy/justice

Waste-management strategy
A new Act governing waste management and disposal in South Africa has been promulgated. The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008) provides, among others, for the establishment of a new National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) to meet the objectives of the Act.
According to the Department of Water & Environmental Affairs, the process of developing the NWMS is now under way as one of three waste-policy projects.
Interested and affected parties can register with the department to become involved in this process.

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GREEN BUILDINGS

Resource efficiency achieved

A wide array of evolving ‘green’ technologies is being employed to achieve energy and water efficiency at ABB’s new South African head office. Could this building be paving the way for a more pragmatic approach to green architecture?

As developer and owner, Improvon has invested close to R400-million in ABB’s new South African head office on ABB’s behalf. Based in Longmeadow, Johannesburg, the new complex incorporates ABB’s 11 divisions, including its head office and administrative offices, and manufacturing, assembly and logistics components – all under one roof.

Elaborating on the design concept, Jose da Costa of Improvon tells Urban Green File “it revolved around how the different departments would fit together and be coordinated, and how many people needed to be accommodated. Once we had the space planning, we worked with the architects, CM Architects, to design the building around these requirements”. Chesney Bradshaw of ABB says: “We looked at the Green Star SA environmental rating tool launched by the Green Building Council of South Africa in 2008 but there is only one rating tool available for office buildings. As this building incorporates offices and manufacturing facilities, we will follow the ABB Group’s green building policy without formal certification of the building until the relevant tool has been researched and developed.

This policy spells out what the building should have and how the various energy-efficiency and environmental systems will be maintained once in operation.”

Space utilisation optimised
Santa Green of InteriorsForChange notes, historically, ABB’s different departments occupied a lot of separate spaces, and the idea was to optimise space utilisation and eliminate the need for people to travel between the various premises. The facility also had to be located centrally in terms of public transport. “This is not a high-fashion building but it had to be something that wouldn’t date and, of course, be sustainable.”

Da Costa says: “ABB wanted to maintain an industrial look and feel with a lot of exposed elements like the concrete and steel structure, the services and scenic lifts. As well as it being an A-grade facility, the mechanical workings of the building had to be expressed”.

Planning-wise, the three office floors and warehousing are grouped around a central core of communal and public spaces. The north and south office wings flank external courtyards and break down the mass of the building. Windows on all façades provide visual connections and transparency between the different built elements, and allow natural light into all the spaces.

The warehouse roof has also been designed to maximise natural light into the manufacturing area. A spine runs the length of the 20 000 m² warehouse where all the technical staff and engineers have been accommodated.

Brief expanded
Originally ABB’s brief called for a 45 000 m²-odd facility but the company’s requirements changed once construction had begun so it had to increase the premises by another 11 000 m². This was achieved by extending the north wing of offices, and ground floor and first floor of the south wing. A super basement, with HTLT, computer and store rooms is situated beneath the building.

Flexibility allows for churn

Da Costa notes: “Considering churn was an important design criterion. The north and south wings were designed in modules around the central core; allowing flexibility to move people around. We went to great lengths and expense to create a special electrical grid in the ceiling voids below the floor slabs, without power poles, to facilitate the movement of people and departments.
The whole environment is open plan – the only closed-in facilities are the meeting rooms and quiet rooms”.

Green says: “The space planner worked closely with the architects to design the footprint initially. Firstly, we determined the width of the building and how the spaces would work – essentially the flow diagram – and then the envelope was designed. To facilitate the churn that happens within an organisation of this size, we designed a range of furniture that is fairly standard from senior management to clerical staff. The workstation footprint is the same with differences allowed by adding or removing elements such as a storage unit or a conference table”.

Communal facilities are contained within the core of each floor so the wings are open, transparent environments with low screens allowing natural light to permeate the spaces while offering visual privacy between workstations.

Because the building from east to west is nearly 250 m long, the internal meeting-room walls have been cut back slightly and bulkheads have been introduced to create visual interest along the length of the building.

The central canteen is shared with a kitchen and cold room, services warehouse and office staff. Some 17 cafés and pause areas have been included throughout the office building. All the offices overlook, and have access to, the landscaped courtyards between the building’s wings.

The two major security points on the premises, apart from the site entrance guardhouse, are the reception area for the offices and an underground tunnel for staff access to the warehouse. Once on site, the 600-odd factory workers proceed past male and female ablutions, down an internal staircase, and through the concrete tunnel into the warehouse.

A single security room houses the CCTV system, access control, building-management system (BMS), and smoke-detection system in one area. The whole building is access-controlled so only certain areas are accessible to various levels of staff depending on their clearance.

“There is a high level of security but it is discreet and the building is transparent so everybody feels part of the facility; not isolated,” says Da Costa.

Energy efficiency maximised
Everything, from the building’s orientation on site to the size of the windows, has been done to maximise energy efficiency.
The office building is a concrete frame structure while the warehouse structure is steel. Jon Rosnovanu of Rosnovanu & Associates tells Urban Green File insulation is extremely important to prevent excess heat loss and gain, and the building is ventilated naturally as much as possible but a lot of mechanical ventilation is required. Mark Pretorius of RPP Consulting Engineers notes: “Insulation was installed in the cavity of the office-building walls and sheets of polystyrene were screeded into the roof while granules screeded into the ground floor prevent rising coolth from the basement. Less energy is consumed in the long term so there is a significant overall annual saving. The warehouse is too big to contain the energy so we heat and cool at points to condition the space.

We have also installed a pressurisation system because ABB required a dust-free environment. It keeps pressure positive within the space so, if doors are open, air moves out rather than in, and dust is contained outside”.

Evolving ‘green’ technologies
As a result of the forward-thinking collaboration of the developer, tenant and professional team, many ‘green’ technologies have been incorporated.

1. Solar water heating
As much as 85% of all water heating is done via solar and recovery of heat from the chillers.

2. Variable air-volume system
A variable air-volume system with intelligent diffusers automatically adjusts the air flow according to the ambient external temperature, the number of people in the room and heat output from lighting.

3. External aluminium louvres
External aluminium louvres prevent glare from entering the building and reduce cooling requirements in the summer months.

4. Greywater system
As much as 60% of the water required to flush toilets daily is sourced from the greywater plant. It thus significantly reduces the building’s consumption of potable water.

5. Insulation
According to ABB, insulation in the walls, roofs and floors will help reduce cooling costs by up to 8% in summer and heating costs by up to 30% in winter.

6. Composite pipes
Multi-layer composite pipes help reduce energy consumption as they have an extremely low coefficient of thermal conductance, thus reducing heat loss and gain through the reticulation system.

7. Lighting technology
T5-technology lights with longer lamp life and desk-mounted uplighters help reduce the energy burden on interior lighting.

Variable air-volume system reduces energy load

“We are producing chilled water that’s piped throughout the office building, as opposed to individual units, to try and reduce the energy load,” Pretorius points out. “This is a variable air-volume system with intelligent diffusers that automatically adjust the airflow according to the ambient external temperature, number of people in the room, and heat output from lighting, among others. We have used high-efficiency ABB motors on our airhandling units and some of the variable speed drives. As a by-product of producing chilled water, the chilled-water generators can also produce hot water from the same plant without using electricity. This is very energy-efficient. We are using this energy recovery for domestic hot water to pre-heat the municipal supply. The basement fans, which double up as smoke-ventilation fans, run on sensors that have variable speed drives. The higher the level of carbon dioxide produced by cars, the faster the fans extract the air. And the fans slow down and switch off if not required so they operate only when they are needed and thus save energy.”

External aluminium louvres around the entire office block prevent glare from outside and reduce cooling requirements in the summer months. Figures provided by ABB indicate the building’s insulation will reduce cooling costs by up to 8% in summer, and heating costs by up to 30% in winter.

Stormwater and greywater reused

Rosnovanu says two attenuation ponds have been provided in order to limit stormwater emanating from the site to predevelopment volumes. “This is a council requirement, and helps to restrict the flow into rivers and municipal systems to prevent the flooding that happens every year.

We are also holding some of the stormwater back to use for irrigation.”

All ablution blocks are reticulated into a greywater-plant system. Ivan Goldsmith of Goldsmith Plumbing Consultants elaborates:

“We have about 300 people showering on site every day. The greywater system will clean and polish this water so it doesn’t smell or damage and corrode the pipes, valves and seals. The water will then be pumped through the facility to flush toilets and urinals, and any excess water will go into the attenuation ponds for irrigation”.

About 60% of the water that is required to flush toilets every day will come from the greywater plant, which reduces water consumption significantly.

Composite pipes reduce heat loss and gain

Goldsmith says multi-layer composite pipes are being used that do not contain volatile organic compounds and PVC is not used in the product formulation. Due to the structure of the pipes, overall energy consumption levels are reduced by the extremely low coefficient of thermal conductance.

This reduces the amount of insulation required to minimise heat loss and gain through the reticulation system. The pipes and fittings are flexible and extremely light, thus reducing load for transport.

Solar heating and heat recovery for water

The solar water-heating system was designed by Goldsmith Plumbing Consultants in conjunction with RPP. Water coming into the system will be pre-heated, via energy recovery off the chillers, to about 40°C. Together the solar heating and energy recovery/heat reclamation system will provide 85% of all water heating. No electrical geysers will be provided; only a back-up electrical boiler.

Goldsmith says: “The boiler room has enough capacity to supply the showers at night with hot water without using electricity to heat water during the day. The solar plant on the roof comprises about 100 m² of solar panels with space for additional panels if the company grows and more hot water is required. The system has a payback period of approximately five years.”

Power consumption reduced

Joe Kilian of Joe Kilian & Associates says, by insulating the building and the various energy-efficient measures employed, the consumption on the building has been reduced from between 100 W/m² to 120 W/m² on average to about 80 W/m².

“In terms of lighting, we are using T5 technology in the warehouse, which has a 20 000-hour lamp life, as opposed to the standard metal halide lamp life of 8 000 hours. So, economically, although the fitting costs marginally more, the return on capital investment is good. In the factory area, we have designed for an average lighting level of 400 lux, which we supplement, again with T5 technology, in specific areas where fine wiring is done and 800 lux or above is needed.

Polycarbon sheeting on the warehouse roof allows about 130 lux into the warehouse on a normal sunny day without artificial lighting (30% to 40% of the light required), which is sufficient for working if necessary.”

Desk-mounted uplighters save energy

Standard fluorescent lights have been used to give a safety-lighting level down the central circulation and service core of the offices. In the open-plan areas, each workstation has a desk-mounted uplighter using PL fluorescent lighting.

Built into each fitting is a motion sensor as well as a light-intensity sensor – this measures ambient lighting and adjusts automatically to give 400 lux to 500 lux on the desk surface.

The use of low-voltage downlighters has been minimised – 35 W lamps have been used sparingly as architectural features.

“The entire main and emergency lighting system is BMS-controlled with the exception of the desk uplighters,” says Kilian. “The lighting concept, as a whole, was developed around BMS control, minimal wattage, and highly-efficient light fittings with minimal heat loss that have little impact on the air-conditioning.

The ratio of power usage by using desk uplighters and task lighting, as opposed to conventional fluorescent lighting that floods the entire room, is about 3:1.”

Back-up power ensures self-sufficiency

In terms of back-up power, two generators of 800 kVA each will provide full power to the offices while another two generators of 650 kVA each will supply the factory with 100% of its requirements.

This makes the building completely self-sufficient in terms of power.

Finishes chosen for sustainability

Yolandie Uys of InteriorsForChange says: “The wall finish comprises painted, glassfibre wallpaper. This lasts approximately five times longer and is easier to maintain than a simple painted finish. The ground-floor finish is a product from Interface – a multinational company that has undertaken to eliminate any negative impact the company may have on the environment by the year 2020. Interface has also been awarded a Green Label Plus accreditation by the Carpet & Rug Institute”. Other floor finishes will include tiles and vinyl tiles, depending on the traffic in different areas of the building.

Acoustics considered

“Acoustics are important in an open-plan environment, especially with the amount of glazing used,” Green comments. “We have, therefore, specified soft finishings, such as carpets and textured wall finishes. The screening system between the desks is fabric-covered to assist with acoustics and allow privacy between workstations.

All the meeting rooms are soundproofed, and acoustic ceiling tiles have been used.

The exposed brickwork infill in the interiors also helps with the acoustics and eliminates the need for paint. It is still very difficult at this stage to specify truly low- VOC paint in this country”.

Da Costa adds: “The entire facility has the same look and feel throughout so there is no hierarchy between the staff of different departments and everyone feels they belong. ABB has gone to the expense of buying new furniture for all levels of staff, and finishes are of the same quality throughout the building, except in high-traffic areas where higher quality products are used for longevity”.

Resource efficiency achieved

The new ABB building has been designed to cater specifically to the tenant’s requirements but it is generic enough that it could become a multi-tenanted, multi-warehoused building if necessary, and the systems are flexible enough to accommodate a fair amount of growth in the future.

This large-scale office and manufacturing facility has been conceived as a resource-efficient project from the outset – an approach that has facilitated the incorporation of a number of evolving green technologies. The end result has been achieved through the motivation and forward-thinking of developer and tenant, and the close collaboration between members of the professional team. With this pragmatic approach, the architecture has responded to the content and desired long-term efficiencies of the building rather than a superfluous need to make an iconic statement. In this respect, the project is not only successful but indicative of a more realistic “green architecture” that is beginning to develop in South Africa and abroad.

ABB’s ‘green’ team

Developer: Improvon
Tenant: ABB
Architect: CM Architects
Landscape architect: John Drummond LA
Interior designer and space planner: InteriorsForChange
Civil and structural engineer: Jon Rosnovanu & Associates
Electrical engineer: Joe Kilian & Associates
Warehouse services and layout: ILS

Wet services engineers: Goldsmith Plumbing Consultants and RPP

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GREEN BUILDINGS BRIEFS

Design should consider climate
“Form follows climate,” Tony Wheeler, a director of Environa Studio in Australia told delegates at a recent BlueScope Steel seminar in Johannesburg.

Wheeler, talking about trends in “green architecture”, stated South African architects should make more of passive cooling and heating. He showed many examples of buildings built in 1960, all over the world, designed with consideration for climatic conditions.

Most important, he pointed out, was preventing heat and light from reaching the façade –shading devices are effective in reducing the heat load of a building; significantly minimising the need for mechanical air-conditioning.

Eco house showcases design
Eco House, offering environment-friendly furniture, solar water heating and photovoltaic panels, has opened on 6th Street in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. Functioning as a showroom for Eco Interior Design – part of the Home Comfort group – the house is simply worth a visit.

In a day and age when it is difficult to find quality, custom-made design pieces, the furniture at Eco House will certainly attract the attention of architects. In addition, by visiting the house, one can learn more about the solar water heating and photovoltaic technologies available in the South African market.

International Holcim Awards winners announced
Four projects worldwide have emerged as winners in the second Holcim Awards competition, including a river-remediation scheme in Morocco, a greenfield university campus in Vietnam, a rural planning strategy in China, and a shelter for day labourers in the USA. The winners were selected from more than 5 000 entries originating from 121 countries.

The Gold for River remediation and urban-development scheme in Fez, Morocco, won the gold award. The project comprised the restoration of the Fez River flowing through the city’s Medina (listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site). “Architect Aziza Chaouni of Morocco and urban planner Takako Tajima of the USA are busy remediating the heavily-polluted Fez River to revitalise the ancient heart of the city. The approach includes a series of interventions to renovate traditional tanneries, create public spaces and pedestrian zones, and restore wetlands, as well as biodiversity,” the Holcim adjudicators told Urban Green File.

A “low-impact” greenfields university campus development in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, received the silver award. The new campus for the University of Architecture in Ho Chi Minh City was designed by architects Kazuhiro Kojima and Daisuke Sanuki of Japan, and Trong Nghia Vo of Vietnam. “The project avoids massive land reclamation on an island in the Mekong Delta and aims for harmony with all elements of the surrounding ecosystem: flooding rice fields, mangroves, winds and seasonal changes,” the Holcim Awards adjudicators stated.

The Chinese project received the bronze award while the American entry was honoured with the Innovation Prize.

The third cycle of the Holcim Awards will open for entries on July 1 2010.

Energy efficiency top of mind
Spar’s new distribution centre in Philippi, Western Cape, is energy-efficient in many ways, Dennis Foster, director of Gibb, informs Urban Green File. As lead electrical engineer on the project, Gibb is responsible for the electrical, electronic and mechanical-engineering services and has worked closely with the client to ensure the application of “green design” principles throughout.

Lighting is one area where Forster has achieved energy efficiency. The dry-goods warehouse, for example, boasts new technology in the form of

“Tee bay” lighting with T5 fluorescent lamps while a control mode reduces the amount of artificial lighting during the day when natural light penetrates roof lights. The lobbies, bathrooms, boardrooms and bar, in turn, feature T2 fluorescent lamps – “a wonderfully energy-efficient, low-maintenance alternative to decorative 12 V, 50 W dicroic downlighters but with a very similar warm, white light”.

Solar water heating adds another layer of energy efficiency to the Spar centre. All hot water is provided from solar geysers while the security room is fitted with a solar underfloor-heating system.

Retail rating tool mooted
A rating tool for retail applications is the next project the Green Building Council of South Africa hopes to complete. This follows on the Green Star SA “Office v1” rating tool launched in 2008.

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CITY VISIT

Lumwana: new town founded
In remotest Zambia, the development of a copper mine is the catalyst for the establishment of a new town – from scratch. A visionary urban-design approach bodes well for the future of Lumwana.

Upfront planning and the establishment of detailed urban-design guidelines are said to be the secret to success in the establishment of new towns or city precincts. The initial action and decisions of property owners and public officials alike, often made without much deliberation, will determine the future of a town for many years to come.

The impact is obvious. In the case of Stellenbosch, for example, the quality of the public environment is much more desirable than that of Polokwane or Witbank, for instance. Could this be, among others, because the Stellenbosch city officials established strict guidelines for the positioning of buildings early on?

The small Free State town of Philippolis is another case in point. Here the decision to position houses directly on the street created an intimate scale that prevails more than 150 years on. However an opportunity has been missed to make the most of this town’s unique sense of place through lack of vision in planning more recent affordable-housing projects.

Visionary planning in remotest Africa
Further afield, in the north-west of Zambia, a new town is being established by Equinox Minerals, adjacent to its Lumwana copper mine. Here Urban Green File encountered visionary planning in remotest Africa. Until a decade ago, this area was untouched except for some rural subsistence farming. The landscape comprised densely-treed African savannah at the edge of forests on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Today this landscape plays host to a modern copper mine but it is the upfront urban-design decision-making process that has attracted our attention.

As many African mines are located in remote areas, their establishment entails more than geological exploration and big yellow equipment. Miners have to be housed and given an opportunity for recreation while dealing with the stresses of their high-risk jobs. The provision of this support infrastructure adds a considerable burden to the bottom line of any mine.

For a mine owner, it would be easiest to provide only elementary housing, such as dorm-style hostels. However the mining industry has evolved to the point where the retention of skilled staff is a top priority.

Most mining companies now accept, in order to attract and retain first-class skills, additional investment in staff wellbeing is required. Added to this is legislation in most countries that forces mining companies to consider sustainability. As ore bodies aren’t infinite, communities around mines must be empowered to function independent of a mine with a view to its closure.

In Zambia, Lumwana is at the forefront of long-term sustainability planning. The mine already employs as many as 3 000 people so it is changing the demographics of an entire region. The development of Lumwana Town, on the mine’s property, is a catalyst for urbanisation.

Once the Australian- and Canadian listed Equinox committed to the development of a copper mine and concentrator plant in Zambia, a key priority was the development of support infrastructure, including a construction camp. Also on the agenda was the construction of houses to serve permanent staff once the mine has come on stream. The task was assigned to South African-based construction giant, Group Five, which, in turn, enlisted a team of skilful built-environment consultants for assistance.

From inception, the aim was to develop a construction camp that would form the basis of a future town – a town that would eventually develop its own economy – ensuring it would not rely solely on the mine. In fact, Pierre Louw, finance director at Lumwana Mining Company, informs Urban Green File of the mine’s intention to eventually hand the town over to Zambia. While the mine is developing and operating Lumwana Town at present, it should become a fully-fledged municipality in future – a new town on Zambia’s “new” Copperbelt. The nearest existing town is Solwezi and further east is the traditional Copperbelt.

At Lumwana, properties are being made available to mining staff on a 99-year-lease basis while investors are welcome to develop properties in the town centre on the same basis.

Planning tasked to a South African consortium
Undertaking the design of Lumwana Town is GAPP Architects & Urban Designers.

GAPP advises the Lumwana Property Development Company (LPDC) on the best strategy to establish a new town from scratch. The results of their labour are already visible to any visitor as more than 500 houses have been completed.

An additional 300 beds are available in the mine’s construction camp and the roll-out of a further 500 houses is in progress. On a daily basis, as many as 3 000 people are on site at the mine’s operations.

The town is managed and operated by the LPDC and run on business principles, Colin Graham, construction manager for Lumwana Town, tells Urban Green File.

For now the focus is on establishing and maintaining a functioning town. The establishment of municipal structures will follow much later albeit already considered in the planning stages.

“In terms of the town, it is all about a better standard of services and a better quality of housing,” says Graham.

Eric Noir, the urban designer representing GAPP, elaborates: “At Lumwana the emphasis has not only been on the design of quality houses; built with the best technologies on offer. We have also taken care with the positioning of houses in order to ensure interaction with the street and green space”.

Graham points out: “It is all about establishing a sense of community and culture of ownership”.

Right from the start, the urban-design proposal included a mixed-use town center comprising retail, hospital, community facilities, apartments and even a golf course. Planning also provided for support infrastructure, such as a potable water treatment plant, wastewater-treatment works, a stormwater system, water and electricity networks, street lights and a public-transport system.

Stellenbosch sets the precedent
But where does one start with the planning of a new town in remotest African bush? For Noir, the departure point was a precedent study. “What was it that made some towns more successful than others,” he asked. Which design principles could be applied to Lumwana?

For inspiration, Noir looked towards Stellenbosch in South Africa. In terms of architectural character, he identified some elements that helped establish the town’s unique presence. “Balconies on the first floors, and higher up, articulate building façades and provide views over internal courtyards. At the same time, curtain walled shopfronts at street level allow for interaction with passers-by. Many buildings boast corner façades, accentuated by windows and entrances, and most have colonnaded arcades providing shade and protection from rain on sidewalks. Additional shading (also for parked cars) is provided by street trees. Surface drains in the form of mini canals channel stormwater and lend character to the streetscape.

Courtyards between buildings form public spaces and opportunity for relaxation while the internal courtyards of buildings provide safe parking, observes Noir.

Standing in Lumwana today, it is difficult to envision a Stellenbosch-like town center yet the planning is in place and the town is already developing its own unique sense of place.

It comprises the original construction camp and some “suburbs”. In due course, the town centre will follow. Progression and adaptation are ongoing – some of the original dormitories for single construction workers have been converted into a school. Construction of a community center or town hall is also imminent.

Perhaps Lumwana’s biggest plus is its densely-treed landscape. “A design imperative is to retain as many trees as possible so houses are positioned close to the streets,” states Noir. “In this way, they form ‘perimeter blocks’ that flank park-like courtyards.” The houses are positioned alongside contours. Not only does this reduce the need for cut and fill but, as they lie perpendicular to the contours, they create a rhythm along the street.”

Streets in Lumwana are not treated as mere conduits for cars but rather as a social asset and community space.

Although Lumwana is designed on the principle of a densely-settled, pedestrian friendly town, each house has its own plot. “Many of the inhabitants find themselves in an urbanised setting for the first time as previous generations lived a rural life,” elaborates Noir. “The design, therefore, allows for contact with the countryside through a sense of generous space and openness.”

Location, location, location
Choosing a site for Lumwana Town was not an easy task. The land had to be void of minerals and located upwind of mining activities in order to prevent any dust pollution. It would also be desirable to keep the massive tailings out of sight. As a dam had to be built as part of the river-diversion system and to source water for the processing plant, the opportunity was exploited to locate the town close to this resource.

To allow for future heightening of the dam wall, a freeboard of 2 m above water level had to be safeguarded.

It was also important to keep development away from the many natural watercourses and wetlands in the area.

Three headlands have been earmarked for long-term development in the town; separated by two natural watercourses; all three are connected to the centrally-located town center higher up. These streams form the basis of Lumwana’s open-space system, which is linked to the space around the dam that will be flooded when the dam wall is heightened in future. Open-space spines also run along the ridgelines of the lobes at the centre of the housing component.

Densely built-up town centre
The future town centre – located on the site of the construction camp – will be densely built-up with a distinct urban character. The layout is structured by two main streets: the access road into the town and a “high street”.

Around these, a “distorted” grid of mixed-use streets forms the basis of the town. The access road is envisaged as a formally-aligned boulevard with landscaped traffic circles connecting to secondary streets. The high street passes along a market square – a hardscaped public space that will cater for informal trading; flanked by retail and commercial buildings. As extensive space has been allowed adjacent to the town centre for market gardens, it is envisaged produce from these gardens will form the basis of trade on the square. Public buildings, such as a transport hub, civic centre, police station and hospital are located along “desire lines” of pedestrian movement.

The school complex is being established by converting redundant labour accommodation. The school and adjacent community sports fields are forming an interface with the suburbs beyond.

Spine road links to ‘suburbs’
From the town centre, a spine road extends all the way down to the dam wall. Initially needed for the construction of the dam wall, this road forms the key structural element of the town beyond its centre. Two additional roads loop through the residential area; parallel to the spine road. These, in turn, are traversed by secondary streets catering for cyclists and pedestrians. Also parallel to the spine road, the open-space system allows for pedestrian movement and is broken down into 400 m-long blocks; each a five-minute walk between community facilities.

Efficiencies, in terms of the cost of infrastructure, have informed the urban design choices throughout Lumwana.

Plot fronts have been constrained to 12 m or less in order to reduce the length of water pipes and electrical cables required.

Operated by the mine
As with most towns, success does not only depend on sound planning and design. Equally important are ongoing management and maintenance. In this regard, Lumwana is fortunate as it is still wholly operated by the mine. At this point, it is, in effect, still a mine camp but, as the town develops its own character, energy and local economy, one can be sure operational challenges will increase.

Catering outsourced
Some operational aspects are outsourced, though, including the cafeteria where most of the mine’s staff eat breakfast, lunch and supper. Catering is handled by All Terrain Services (ATS). Between July and September 2008, at the peak of mine construction, ATS served 3 000 people daily (9 000 meals) at its four service points – the construction camp (town), the Malundwe mining pit, the exploration camp and the light industrial area of the mine. Some 4 000 meals are served per day, Marcus Rathje, project manager for ATS, informs Urban Green File. This mammoth task is a logistic challenge. About 80% of ATS’s 420 staff members live off site in the surrounding areas and arrive by bus at Lumwana on a daily basis. Sourcing of food is even more difficult. “We source about 10% of our stock within a 100 km radius of the mine and 80% from the Zambian Copperbelt 300 km away while 10% is imported from South Africa,” adds Rathje. In addition to catering, ATS also handles laundry and manages the convenience store. The company is also keen to start a worm-composting facility for its kitchen waste; it already operates a similar venture at Geita Mine in Ghana.

Competitive advantage established
But why is Lumwana placing so much emphasis on aspects that fall outside its core mining business? Town planning and catering are hardly considered key to mining.

“For a competitive advantage,” answers Graham. “We set out to attract people with the best, world-class skills to Lumwana and, as the mine is really remote, we need to work harder than many other mines in this regard. We accept, because of our remoteness, the costs of outsourced services, such as catering, would be high but it is a worthwhile investment.”

Lumwana believes in outsourcing noncore tasks; leaving the mine to focus on its core business. It is for the same reason LPDC has been established to operate separately but complementary to Lumwana Mining Company.

Rathje adds: “So far, Lumwana has performed excellently in terms of what it has done for the local population. It has been an eye opener to see emphasis placed on the personal safety and comfort of staff.

As a new mine, it is setting a new standard and is one step ahead of many other mines. It must be one of the world’s best mining projects and can certainly boast bringing world-class individuals together  under one ‘roof’ in remotest Africa.”

Challenging environmental management
All is not plain sailing at Lumwana, though. Ongoing environmental management in a mostly pristine landscape poses a challenge.

Although care has been taken to preserve trees within the town and throughout the mine, many had to be felled, nevertheless, to make way for roads, the mining pit, concentrator plant and tailings areas. With sustainability in mind, the LPDC has appointed a Zambian-based contractor – Richmond International – to undertake bush clearing where required and to utilise felled trees as a resource. Consequently charcoal, furniture, railway sleepers, and even pegs and pallets, are being manufactured for the mine.

In addition, Richmond has taken on small construction jobs and ongoing maintenance tasks throughout the town and mining sites. “So far, Richmond has created employment for as many as 50 people at Lumwana,” the company’s Nigel Johnston informs Urban Green File. “Many of our employees worked for contractors during the mine’s construction phase and have now found more sustainable employment in Richmond,” he adds. Another local business has been formed as an initiative of the mine’s sustainability department – Luwaka Enterprises is undertaking smallscale landscaping on mine property and in the town, and it is in the process of establishing a Protea farm. Luwaka also grows vegetables; sold to ATS.

Technology speeds up housing delivery
To speed up housing delivery, a whole gamut of building technologies are used at Lumwana. Most of the freestanding houses have been constructed according to either the Robust Structure or Merkaba building systems. “These technologies were chosen because they allow for faster building,” explains Graham. In addition, LPDC has made use of prefabricated systems, such as Kwikspace and Fabricated Steel Manufacturing (FSM), whereas some buildings have been constructed from Hydraform blocks made on site.

Readers wanting to know more about these technologies can look forward to an article in the July 2009 edition of our sister magazine, Building Africa.

Town development surges ahead
The LPDC hopes to complete the last of its first 1 000 houses by the end of 2009.

Also on the short-term agenda is the construction of a community hall and a golf course with clubhouse. At the same time, it is working hard to attract private-sector investment, specifically in the form of a supermarket and other retail outlets.

As the influx of people increases, the focus will shift to the second lobe of residential development and some light industrial projects.

The development of 1 000 houses, support infrastructure and the construction camp represents a significant investment for the mine at US$86-million – an investment that will place Equinox in good stead as a responsible corporate citizen.

Clearly, this mining company has learned a lesson from the demise of Zambia’s famous Copperbelt. When mining activity subsided in that area, the entire community was affected. At Lumwana, though, the intention is to establish a footprint that would benefit many generations to come.

Visionary but not without challenges
Urban Green File is impressed by Lumwana but many urban-design and management challenges remain as illustrated by this critique.

1 Correct expertise sourced
Town development is never a simple task, especially in a remote province of Zambia and adjacent to a mine. It would be unfair to criticise the Lumwana Town development without first acknowledging its visionary approach in establishing an actual town rather than a dormitory mine camp.

However lessons can be learned from the Lumwana experience while opportunities to improve the future outlook of the town abound.

Urban Green File is relieved and impressed that Equinox has taken the initiative to involve urban designers and architects. So often the development of mining “towns” is tasked to engineers and, although such towns may boast state-of-the-art infrastructure in terms of water and electricity provision, and aspects such as sanitation, they mostly lack character and show a desperate need for proper design intervention.

2 Exceptional positioning of buildings
The best of Lumwana must be the positioning of houses – and the planning of the future positions of town-centre buildings.

The benefit of architectural and urban-design skills is obvious. Houses are not in straight rows as so often found in South African lowcost housing projects. The houses and buildings are being used to establish a unique look and feel for Lumwana instead. In terms of layout, Lumwana is streets ahead of many luxury housing and mixed-use estates.

3 Parkland enhanced
In the case of Lumwana, GAPP has certainly made the most of the unique sense of place – especially by providing open space and densely-treed parkland within the town. However it could be argued that even more could be done in this regard. Was there not opportunity to provide medians in the centre of prominent roads? Perhaps trees could have been conserved or planted on these central road islands? One is also left with the impression that some of the civil-engineering contractors or subcontractors are inclined to, too easily, bulldoze trees in the way of their machinery.

4 Landscaping inappropriate?
A cause for concern, though – in Urban Green File’s opinion – is that some informal landscaping has taken place in house gardens and mine offices. This should be commended but for the fact that exotic species are being transported to Lumwana. Plants reminiscent of colonial gardens have been observed in spite of the abundance of indigenous trees and bulbs growing in this region.

It would, indeed, be unfortunate for an aggressive invader, such as a Jacaranda, to be planted. The risk of damaging the pristine landscape is significant.

However Urban Green File also saw an onsite nursery where trees indigenous to the area are being propagated and grown – apparently for mine rehabilitation. Hopefully, many trees will be grown for planting alongside roads and in gardens!

Some of the prominent indigenous trees around Lumwana include Brachystegia sp, Acacia sp and Albizia sp. Especially in the case of the latter, more could be done to transplant smaller trees as they are known to survive easily.

5 Waste-management opportunity
Waste management is another area of concern. Perhaps there is an opportunity for an entrepreneur here? A properly-managed recycling and waste-collection system should be established, including the management of a landfill site. ATS has already expressed interest in worm-composting for its food waste. This initiative could be expanded to include all households.

6 Structure for success established
One aspect is certain, though. At Lumwana, the basic structure for a successful town has been established through careful urban design. Now it is up to the powers that be – first the LPDC but eventually property owners and municipal structures too – to ensure the vision is seen through in the detail design of the town.

7 Water harvesting needed
Although Lumwana experiences exceptionally high rainfall (more than 1,5 m in the most recent wet season between November and March 2009), the area is dry in winter. It only takes a day or two of sunshine for the muddy site to turn into a dusty one. The establishment of natural and landscaped vegetation, wherever possible, is, therefore, desirable but more will have to be done to secure water for irrigation purposes. While the area has abundant water, it would make sense to create stormwater-retention ponds throughout the town’s open-space system as a source for irrigation. In this regard, a positive step has already been taken by reusing backwash water from the potable-water treatment plant for irrigation of the soccer field. When it comes to the development of the golf course, creative ways will be needed to reuse and recycle greywater for the thirsty greens and fairways.

8 Detail design essential
While tremendous effort has been exerted in the layout of the town and the positioning of buildings, roads and public spaces, the ultimate success of Lumwana will depend on detail design.

And it will be important to ensure cohesion between the designs of different sites. Perhaps some landscape architectural guidelines will be handy.

An element that could be exploited is the availability of natural stone from the overburden in the mining pit. A strong sense of identity could be established throughout the town if stone walls were used on the edges of stormwater culverts and for the construction of pedestrian pathways or bridges. In fact, the dirt roads of the town could, in time, be upgraded to gravel by crushing this overburden rock.

Although the intention is to establish a pedestrian-friendly town, more could be done by constructing proper sidewalks (again from available gravel and stone), and even low stone walls and landscaping next to the road.

The team
Developer: Lumwana Property Development Company
Urban design and architect: GAPP Architects & Urban Designers
Quantity surveyor: Walker Mare Johannesburg
Electrical engineer: EG Africa Consulting Engineers
Civil engineer: Group Five
Contractor: Inyatsi Construction
Building systems and technologies: Robust Structure, Merkaba, Kwikspace, Fabricated Steel Manufacturing Company

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ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING & DESIGN

Public spirit embraced - new approach to retail design
Careful incorporation of public spaces - rather than enclosed, air-conditioned and artificially-lit malls - will secure the success of future retail developments. Urban Green File looks at three contemporary examples.

In the American city of the late 19th century, retail was the magnet that drew people downtown and the glue that held it together. By the turn of that century, the “heart” of most big cities was the retail district. Yes, the end of the Second World War presented many complications, including “cheap” cars and housing in suburbs, and consequent development of suburban retail malls as well as, much later in the ’80s, the decline of many city centres –urban environments that failed to be replaced by unsuccessful concepts of pedestrianised streets.

Being a young developing country, South Africa’s urban patterns have often followed American precedents; mainly in terms of mobility and vehicular-dominated cities. This is also true about retail with the endless construction of inwardly-focused, isolated, artificial and exclusionary retail malls. As it has long been a hobby horse of much-loved and respected Jane Jacobs, we are all too familiar with the notion that mobility (and we could add the “shopping mall”) has killed high streets and any semblance of a quality public environment in South African cities. It is this ambience and vibe that is so cherished in established urban contexts and cities of old yet so sorely missed in the modern-day shopping mall.

Shopping malls – the new high streets
Shopping malls have become our “high streets” and “town squares”. They have, to a large extent, become the modern public realms and market places; offering poor, albeit often the only, “place” and “space” for people to exercise their desires to be public, and socialise, gather, relax and be entertained in a “safe” environment. Time spent in any number of Johannesburg shopping centres, including Montecasino’s retail space, The Zone in Rosebank and Sandton City, or Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront malls and Cavendish Square, reveals a host of young urban adults “hanging” with few other places to experience “publicness” in safety. Our cities lack any idea ormanifestation of democratic public space. If this is what our urban environments have become, we need to shift gears fast and refocus.

As frequent leaders of cutting-edge urban concepts and pioneering vision, a group of open minded private-sector developers and architects seem to have begun to fill this gap; addressing the need for quality democratic public space in our cities.

‘New urbanism’ embraced
This article examines three examples of malls or centres, which have begun to combine quality retail environments based on “traditional” notions of the high street and town square; integrating “new urbanism” principles in privately-owned and -managed spaces. In each case study, the precedent research of the developers and architects looks closely at street lifestyles, village squares and architecture within the shopping districts of well-known European cities. In addition, they look at Long and Kloof streets in Cape Town for good examples of local precedent.

They consider the drama and theatre of “high streets” with their diverse range of tenants, café culture, unique signage, interesting shopfronts, cobbled streets and, most importantly, the hustle and bustle of shoppers as the “soul” of the street.

In all examples, visitors are able to enjoy the beauty of natural light, fresh air, open skies and the changing seasons. But are these places positive additions to the urban environments? How inclusive are they? Do they consciously embrace “sustainable development” principles in any way?

Irene Village: interactive space
Shoppers interact with playful public art in an open-air mall.

In keeping with its context, particularly the nearby old village dairy, the design of Irene Village Mall is inspired by cows and sheds – a “new urbanist” retail center where shopping capitalises on South Africa’s great outdoor environment. Its design is based on extensive analysis of European villages and town squares yet the result is truly South African. Sceptical of shoppertainment, which “underestimates people’s intelligence”,

Retail Africa has recognised a backlash in consumer demand. Irene Village Mall is, therefore, primarily a “lifestyle centre”; combining retail facilities with opportunities for human interaction and leisure.

The “village” comprises 44 000 m² of floor space – 30 000 m² is dedicated to lettable retail space. It is easily accessible with four vehicular entrances leading to ample parking space.

“Like it or not, successful retail centers rely on rigid, regimented in- and outflows of people,” Hannes Pickard of Retail Africa tells Urban Green File. “Retail malls are designed to encourage people to spend money. It is scientific. This is what most malls in South Africa deliver yet they often fail to create a pleasant environment for people. At Irene Village Mall, we have added ambience and human interaction to the mix.”

Steering clear of an artificially-imposed theme, Irene relies on “vernacular” architecture, which appears to be robust enough to withstand changes in trends and use over time. The architecture, referring to the original Irene Dairy Farm, is based on a Transvaal Highveld vernacular, which “should mature in about 30 to 40 years,” says Jan Loubser, also of Retail Africa.

The architects believe, because the design concept relies on a strong vernacular and good urban-fabric concept, the buildings won’t date. Even the planting embraces the vernacular with trees echoing what has been, historically, found in the area: poplars and oaks. The poplars, however, are a controversial choice in that they have been declared invaders so they have been planted in concrete blocks to avoid spreading. “Even the landscape design echoes the idea of cows, the farm house and the nearby Smuts Koppie,” remarks Francois Theron of Baumhaus Architects & Landscape Architects.

Extensively landscaped
Retail Africa believes in spending 3% of its budget on landscaping as opposed to the usual 1% spent by most South African retail developers. Yet it remains a far cry from the 15% norm in the USA.

Nevertheless landscaping has made all the difference at Irene Village Mall in that it appears established and is softened with greenery. “One cannot overestimate the unselfish nature of planting trees, which not only improves the environment for generations to come but significantly enhances the dynamic of any investment and development in the urban environment,” says Loubser.

A substantial amount of the landscaping budget has been invested in soil preparation to ensure the trees and shrubs grow quickly. The outdoor parking area, while it provides 1 489 parking bays, is generously landscaped with trees, hedges and groundcovers. The choice includes a mixture of exotics and indigenous plants; ensuring a distinct sense of place. Creepers have been planted against most of the south- and west-facing walls to provide insulation. In addition, plans are afoot to, in future, harvest the rainwater for irrigation purposes.

Air-conditioning minimised
The open-air nature of the mall reduced the need for air-conditioning. Only the individual shops require mechanical temperature control while the walkways, boulevards and squares enjoy fresh air.

Sense of community achieved
Irene Village Mall provides public space for people to interact, play, sip coffee, and to see and be seen. The central square is attractive throughout the day and late into the evening with cafés and other places for friends and family to pass the time; relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. An interactive water feature, with an upsidedown cow sculpture (“The Udder Side” by Angus Taylor), is an incessant source of pleasure and amusement for children.

Retail Africa has made public art a prominent feature of the development.

Outdoor space in the mall features three interactive sculptures by Taylor, “Game”, “Trixie” and “The Udder Side”. Theron says: “The public spaces have a lot of humour in them yet also show the serious side of life – a movement between folly and realism. People genuinely stop to touch and contemplate the sculptures”.

Pickard adds: “We wanted to make the experience interactive; we wanted to elicit a response, and make people stop and think. This gives the mall a heart and soul.

It also stimulates social interaction and creates a sense of community”.

Mixed-use opportunity?
Irene Village Mall goes part of the way to being inclusive; embracing retailers dependent on public transport by bringing a bus lane (Pretoria CBD bus route) through the parking area.

Bus rapid transit (BRT) frameworks propose this bus lane becomes part of Phase 2 of the BRT route.

In terms of mixed use, Irene Village Mall still has a way to go. Although part of the first floor is dedicated to office use, could middle- to upper-income residential add value to this centre?

Design Quarter - Contemporary galleria
A pedestrianised, covered street is appropriate to the climate.

Zenprop’s brief to the architects of Design Quarter in Fourways was “to create a onestop design and décor destination for consumers,” Paolo Viotti of Vivid Architects tells Urban Green File. Four new concept home stores anchor this scheme with specialist design and décor shops enriching the retail offering. In keeping with the holistic, one-stop shopping experience, two floors of showrooms above the retail level accommodate office space for designers, architects and related firms.

Part of the brief required the architectural design to consider the overall Nicol Grove Precinct with Design Quarter forming the new heart of the precinct; embracing the existing buildings; seeking to offer a varied shopping experience.

Jointly Vivid Architects and Paragon Architects responded to the brief by taking a precinct view; developing connections and links to and from the existing facilities.

One of the fundamental generators of the concept was the desire to maximise the exposure of the Design Quarter to William Nicol Drive, which carries as many as 60 000 cars per day.

The aesthetic is contemporary with the intention to appeal to a design-conscious industry and public; resulting in a slick First World feel. As a group of buildings, placed along an axis facing William Nicol Drive, Design Quarter creates a dynamic series of public spaces – some covered (the main galleria) and others open (the public square in which the axis culminates).

“We wanted the mall to feel like a galleria, being a covered or partially-covered street, culminating in a public square,” states Viotti.

Bridges cross through the mall and courtyard; providing movement at the upper levels while the galleria is roofed over at the uppermost level; creating four-storey volumes with central skylights and allowing natural light into this voluminous space. The significant volume, particularly the concept stores, creates a designer “studio-loft” feel.

A place of gathering
As a firm, Vivid Architects believes, as retail centres are public buildings, they need to offer more than just a convenient place to shop. They should provide a place of gathering and socialising. “Attention to placemaking and the creation of opportunities to experience the natural environment should be fundamental concerns in retail design,” says Viotti. The galleria in the Design Quarter culminates in an open piazza with a human scale and sense of enclosure. It is surrounded by double-volume restaurants boasting mezzanine levels with balconies overlooking the square. The restaurants all have extensive seating on the square; providing the buzz and heart of the centre.

Design Quarter is not a traditional air-conditioned enclosed mall. It creates the ambience of a pedestrianised and covered street instead. It is open on a number of its edges but still provides a weather-protected shopping environment. The “street” is paved with a textured porcelain tile to create the impression of a cobbled path.

Responsive to the environment
Parking is provided in semi-basements; making the most of the slope across the site and balancing the need for cut and fill in terms of earthworks. Another benefit is that the heat-island effect of cars “baking” in the sun is avoided. The basements are ventilated naturally via air shafts while open edges allow natural light to penetrate.

The galleria is located centrally with limited exposure to the sun to minimise the air-conditioning load. However large skylights allow natural light to flood into the voluminous space. As the public spaces are covered, but not enclosed on all sides, natural cross-ventilation occurs. In addition, the open edges have extensive canopies with considerable overhangs, which allow for shading and protection from rain. Considering energy efficiency, relatively low levels of light are used. The exterior lighting has been kept minimal as concern for the impact on the residential neighbours was of great concern. Low-level lighting on the building is the primary means of illuminating the perimeter roadway. The “icon” stores have large areas of external curtain wall; creating opportunity to utilise the spill of light from these shops – this is eye catching and contrasts with the relatively low light levels on the façade. The internal mall and main piazza are also low-lit.

Urban environment improved
Most important is the contribution the Design Quarter makes to the urban environment.

It displays well-executed design and a sense of community by encouraging social interaction. Continuous curtain-walled shopfronts at ground level create a fascinating pedestrian experience. Restaurants in Design Quarter are intended to increase “dwell time” like all well designed European squares. In this way, the precinct becomes a destination; a day out.

The consistent application of detail, the simplicity of design and generosity of spaces set the Design Quarter apart from the commonly-enclosed, themed mall. There is a constant awareness of the natural environment, particularly light and fresh air, which the architects believe has to be the future for all newly-conceptualised retail environments.

Design Quarter team
Client: Zenprop Property Holdings
Architects: Vivid Architects and Paragon Architects
Landscape architect: Insite Landscape Architects
Civil engineer: Sotiralis Consulting
Project manager: CAPEX Projects
Quantity surveyor: JMHT Quantity Surveyors
Main contractor: Group Five

Willowbridge

Green community asset
A ‘high street’ adjacent to a city green belt is a significant community asset.

At Willowbridge in Cape Town, Mini Cape Developments – a joint venture between Kagiso Intaprop and Entertainment Property Services (EPS) – required a unique retail shopping experience with a focus on lifestyle. The developers had in mind a “retail village in the valley”. The retail center had to be very different from the neighbouring Tyger Valley Shopping Centre – a large and successful traditional and regional shopping mall. The client wanted a concept retail centre, which would embrace the unique features of the site; responding sensitively to its context and also challenging the ‘usual’ notion of retail as seen in regional malls. This centre had to be lifestyle-oriented. It had to be open to the air and embody the notion of a linear retail high street. The letting team had conceptualised a unique retail mix consisting predominately of décor outlets interspersed with fashion and convenience stores.

It was clear the retail offering had to be different not only in terms of tenant mix but also in its planning and architecture in order to attract the discerning shopper. “Embracing an open-air, public concept, the developers showed enormous courage in what was to become the first truly open-air mall of its size in South Africa,” Vivid Architects informs Urban Green File.

‘High street’ reinvented
The rectangular-shaped site, bounded by Carl Cronjé Drive and the Elsieskraal River, has dictated the reinvention of the traditional retail “high street” in a contemporary form. The result: a 260 m-long mall punctuated by three public squares at ground level and a series of pedestrian bridges at first floor level. The bridges provide a sense of height and raised vantage points for visitors to survey the squares. Restaurants, with bright umbrellas and music spill out onto each square enhanced by water features and raised planters. Varied use around each square ensures vibrancy long after retail hours are over. On a glazed pavilion adjoining a theatre is a restaurant with views over the river and the valley beyond.

The architecture presents a comfortable, human scale and incorporates the traditional Cape vernacular of the area; achieved through specific material choice, such as dividing columns built from “klompje bricks” and typical “lean-to” veranda roofs.

Combinations of stone-coloured and textured ceramic tiles are used in the high-traffic areas of the undercover walkways while various sizes of flagstone pavers define the open street with its more relaxed, outdoor feel. Bridges, freestanding pergolas, shading devices and other clip-on elements include combinations of steel, Balau timber and aluminium louvres. The colour palette chosen for the building is predominately warm off-white; accented by earthy tones.

The design entices the senses: touch – by using natural materials, smell – fresh coffee and cuisine, sound – nature and sight – in the views and details. “The architecture has been consciously designed around the need to provide a warm and comfortable experience that would immediately make people feel at home,” states Viotti.

Green belt rehabilitated
The site, adjacent to the river and green belt, had been left unmanaged, overgrown and unkempt. “A critical part of the developers’ original winning tender submission was to ensure the complete rehabilitation of the river and its banks,” Viotti informs Urban Green File. “This green belt had to be integrated into the envisaged development.” The green belt and sculpted landscape is intended to be used for picnics, evening concerts and special events or just for a stroll within a safe environment. The design is sensitive to its site; using the open, green space to full benefit with views of the river. Building frontage is maximised where it faces the green belt. Natural ventilation and light are used wherever possible – for example, in the naturally-ventilated parking basement and lower ground floor. The ground floor, where most of the retail is found, is mostly outdoors and the first floor is also ventilated naturally.

Generous landscaping
The parking area is landscaped generously; avoiding a hostile and barren sea of parking.

A natural slope of about 11 m over the site has given the developers the opportunity to tuck the underground parking levels into the slope beneath the building; making them invisible on entering the complex.

‘Street’ not mall
Lighting levels have been reduced to ensure the center appears as a “street” rather than a mall albeit a comfortable shopping environment after dark. This was achieved by maximising reflected light and using controlled accent lighting.

As in Design Quarter and Irene Village Mall, the high-street concept creates opportunities for open-air events, such as craft markets, wine tasting, food festivals and street parties; allowing the centre to function after trading hours. The theatre and mix of restaurants add to this vibrancy; encouraging a degree of public life in a work-play context. This public spirit should allow the centre to evolve further, and morph while it grows and develops character over time as all high streets do. According to Mini Cape Developments, Willowbridge seems to be evolving into a community gathering place as well as a successful retail destination.

Willowbridge team
Client: Mini Cape Developments
Architect: Vivid Architects
Project manager: Duncan Rhodes Project Management
Town planner: CNdV Africa Planning & Design
Civil engineer: HHO Africa
Structural engineer: Sutherland Associates
Landscape architect: CNdV Africa Planning & Design
Transport engineer: Rawlins Wales & Partners
Environmental consultant: CCA
Quantity surveyor: B&L Quantity Surveyors
Main contractor: WBHO

Streets ahead!
A welcome departure from the traditional enclosed mall is South Africa’s new trend towards open-air retail settings.

All three centres are fortunate to have visionary developers and design teams who have embraced the open-air concept. In so doing, they have challenged the boundaries of contemporary South African retail thinking.
They are streets ahead of traditionally-designed retail malls.

They each create quality public environments that more than fulfil their objectives as successful retail destinations.

However the settings could be criticised for being too sterile, private and exclusive. Perhaps they need to be even more outwardly focused; actively attracting and integrating with public transport and, thereby, opening themselves up to a broader demographic profile?

Another concern entails their “greenness”. Are they truly energy efficient?

Do they make use of proven green processes, such as the recycling of stormwater and greywater for landscape irrigation?

Residential function lacking
In terms of sustainable development, retail centres could be even more successful in generating 24-hour activity and lively outdoor spaces by including residential components in their designs. Melrose Arch and the Bedford Centre, both in Johannesburg, have proven successful in this regard; incorporating residential use with retail and commercial; creating truly mixed-use precincts within a privately-managed environment, which protects the value of the investment.

Much depends on the bravado and vision of the client. Also, to a large extent, the success of future open-air centres depends on the shoppers themselves; giving up air-conditioned spaces for outdoor environments with varying climates.

Positive response to context
Architects need to be aware of the delicate balance between creating innovative and brave new architecture, and the realities of commercial viability. “This is only realised when one has the benefit of an informed and creative client who can nurture and facilitate this process,” remarks Viotti. “We are striving to replace the American themed mall concept, which turns its back on life, with buildings responding and contributing positively to their surrounding contexts.

If one can replace the painted blue-sky plasterboard ceilings of the internalised mall with the reality of nature outside, we would make great progress for the future of retail design in South Africa.”

Although the developers of Irene Village Mall, Design Quarter and Willowbridge maintain people shop where it is most convenient and demand is not yet driving the development of lifestyle centres, let alone “green” retail centres, Pickard states, if a development is created with ambience, neighbouring developments will feel the pinch. Certainly, going green, open-air and community focus could provide a competitive edge and make business sense.

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WASTE AND POLLUTION MANAGEMENT

20% of waste to landfill achievable?
Johannesburg hopes to reduce its volume of waste sent to landfill to a mere 20%. Although technology will play its part, effective communication with, and education of, the city’s polluters will determine success.

With focus on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the City of Johannesburg’s waste-management agency, Pikitup, is hoping to deliver a spotlessly clean environment. But just how will the city tackle its mountain of waste and litter?

Pikitup has just launched the Clean City campaign to motivate Jo’burgers to reform their habits in terms of waste disposal and litter. The campaign builds on previous initiatives, including the “100 Spots” campaign (targeting illegal dumping on vacant land) and the pilot underground-bin project (increasing waste-storage capacity).

It is a mammoth task as Pikitup operates four landfills, 42 garden sites, one compost manufacturing facility and 11 depots located strategically across Johannesburg. With 4 000 staff members and a fleet complement of 419 vehicles, Pikitup serves approximately 660 000 households, 182 informal settlements and 12 000 businesses.

Volumes sent to landfill must reduce
“It’s well known that our city is under pressure for landfill space as it simply does not have limitless airspace,” Thabiso Taaka, chief operating officer of Pikitup tells Urban Green File. “We are ‘landfilling’ 4 000 t of waste per day. If we continue at this rate, the Goudkoppies landfill site will have only nine years left, Ennerdale about 12, Marie Louise about seven, and Robinson Deep about three years. So it is essential to reduce the quantities of waste going to landfill to increase the lifespan of these sites. Identifying more land for landfill space would be going backwards. So we have gone out to tender for an alternative waste treatment facility.

We have asked the private sector to propose alternatives, which include generating energy from waste, gasification and separation to recycling and manufacture of products such as roofing insulation or using waste as a fuel – for example in kilns during cement production. So now we are looking at waste as a resource, and this closed-cycle approach will allow us to eventually landfill a maximum of 20% of the city’s waste. We hope to appoint the service providers to put these alternative processes in place within the next year.”

Recycling promoted
But it is not all about alternative facilities and technologies. A lot will depend on communication. In this regard, Pikitup plans to highlight the locations of all the recycling facilities, and to drive separation at source for households, businesses and schools. “We are integrating recycling into the campaign as much as we can,” Taaka emphasises. “The waste we collect should not all be going to landfill and, later in 2009, we will be kicking off an awareness and media campaign to make recycling a culture.”

Recycling would not only save landfill space, it could also generate revenue for Pikitup. Its composting initiative is a good example. In 2008, the company composted about 64 000 t of “green” waste at its Panorama plant, which was then sold to the landscaping and gardening industry.

But, clearly, it is early days for Pikitup in terms of recycling. As much as 1,4-million t of waste goes to landfill in Johannesburg every year. In 2009, Pikitup diverted only about 250 000 t of waste away from landfills through recycling initiatives – only about 18% of the total waste generated and way off the 80% the company hopes to target in future.

1 200+ underground bins to be installed
Recycling would help reduce the volumes of waste stored and eventually disposed.

But a successful recycling programme depends on the provision of appropriate containers as well as regular collection of waste. Taaka notes a major challenge in keeping the city clean is storage capacity. “The onus is on us to provide suitable containers. Only then can we expect people to respond.”

A pilot project using underground bins has already proved successful in concept; 17 bins have been installed in the inner city and three in Alexandra. However challenges have been identified: theft of steel panels on the bins for scrap and vandalism, among others.

The initial single bins were for general waste but an additional 49 bins will encourage separation at source. The intention is to have a bank of three bins per site – for green waste, recyclables and non-recyclables. The bins are “intelligent” and access-controlled with load sensors.

Ken Ellingworth of OMB Waste Logistics, a bin manufacturer, elaborates: “The bins are located in concrete housings underground.

They are raised to the surface by remote-controlled lifts, and the waste is offloaded into special side-loading trucks. The bins can also be used at ground level in certain applications, such as townhouse complexes. Each bin has capacity for 3,2 m³ and a load sensor, which communicates readings to the command centre via the cell-phone networks.

Most of the bins will be manned to ensure they are used correctly although some will have public access. The bins for recycled goods will be access-controlled with swipe cards”.

Taaka adds: “The load sensors enable us to plan our routes better as we don’t drive to a bin to discover it is only half full. It’s a more efficient and cost-effective method. The new bins will also be designed to forestall vandalism and theft, and most areas where the bins are installed will be monitored by CCTV cameras.

On-site managers will deal with security and ensure the correct waste is placed in specific bins. We intend to install another 1 200 underground bins in future.”

Four new garden sites in the offing
Some 42 of Pikitup’s 48 t garden sites around the city are fully operational and four new sites are planned in the coming year. “We also want to increase the capacity of the existing sites with more bins and facilities for builders’ rubble, and introduce the acceptance of other types of waste, such as small quantities of hazardous waste like old paints, batteries and fluorescent tubes,” Taaka says. “This is to encourage the separation of general waste from hazardous waste. Ideally, we would like to have more garden sites in and around the city but we face budgetary constraints.”

Communication campaign launched
Although Pikitup’s new recycling programmes and waste-storage initiatives are plausible, success is not guaranteed.

Unfortunately the habits, attitudes and behaviour of the residents of Johannesburg are not helping to keep the city clean. “Simply put, the City of Johannesburg and Pikitup are saying ‘Enough is enough – we cannot continue with rampant dumping and indiscriminate littering’,” says Taaka. “We really need the cooperation of residents in order to keep our environment clean by not dumping illegally, taking out their bins on the designated days of collection and not littering. For example, if you see someone littering, let it be your problem because that behaviour is a cost shouldered by residents. If we had to increase our equipment and staff numbers to deal with littering and dumping, the city would have no option but to increase rates to meet the cost of keeping the city clean. Eventually it would be an untenable situation. So it is in everybody’s best interests to get this right.”

The objective of the campaign is to ensure the cleanliness of the city through education and law enforcement ahead of the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup, and beyond by maintaining and building on residents’ sense of pride and ownership.

The campaign’s call to action is “Pitch in and we’ll Pikitup” and the theme is “Clean City, Clean Game”. The campaign has six main projects: the Pikitup staff and media launches, Clean City Summit, Pikitup Day, recycling and illegal-dumping initiatives.

“We have successfully motivated our staff to come on board as the chief ambassadors of this project,” Taaka points out. “At the time of writing, the Pikitup clean-up day was planned for June 6 2009 as a publicity device to get the citizens of Johannesburg to join hands for one day a year to highlight these issues and to raise awareness.

“The purpose of the Clean City Summit is to bring together all community stakeholders – churches, youth and cultural organisations, and businesses – to talk about the impact they can have and the role they can play, and to reach residents through these bodies,” adds Taaka. “And then the focus on illegal dumping, recycling and separation at source initiatives will be highlighted at a launch in September 2009 together with the introduction of our Red Card Litterbug project. Our budget for the Clean City campaign is R20-million over two-and-a-half years but we are encouraging the private sector to come on board to help us intensify and repeat these messages through sponsorship opportunities.”

The campaign’s logo is an open hand with skyscrapers as fingers. It is intended to symbolise the hand that litters, and a gesture to “stop doing what is wrong”.

Taaka says: “It’s a funky design and we believe it will encourage the youth to rally behind the campaign”.

World Cup the catalyst for a clean city
In terms of the Clean City, Clean Game theme and associated soccer imagery, the campaign identifies with FIFA’s drive to play by the rules. It envisages this will be achieved by changing the public mindset and attitudes towards waste. Jenny Moodley of Johannesburg City Parks says: “In terms of the City of Johannesburg’s intention to beautify the city in the run-up to 2010, City Parks will support the Clean City campaign by complementing Pikitup’s projects. We have initiated the Xtreme Park Makeover Development with the aim of fast-tracking the delivery of parks by transforming spaces within 24 hours”.

The Xtreme Parks project was inspired by the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition TV show produced in the USA. Johannesburg’s project won a gold medal in the United Nations-endorsed International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom Awards) 2008 – presented in China. The awards focus on best practice in management of the local environment.

Education before enforcement
The Clean City campaign focuses on education, awareness and law enforcement with its message directed at a target market of political leaders and administrators, city residents, Pikitup’s own staff, business communities, and community stakeholders like churches and youth organisations. “Changing mindset through education and awareness is critical,” Taaka observes. “We want to get into the living rooms of all households, and reach out to all the people of Johannesburg, using the media at our disposal, such as print, electronic, community and youth radio stations, newspapers, TV, billboards, building wraps, posters and pamphlets.

This mass-media campaign will initially ride on the wave of the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup. Beyond that we will find another focus to take the campaign forward for as long as we still need to overcome the challenges and maintain people’s cooperation. We have also had discussions with the Gauteng Department of Education to initiate dedicated time for teaching environmental education. Children should grow up knowing it’s not ‘cool’ to litter.

So we are not under the illusion this process of changing mindsets will happen overnight but hope to reap the full benefits in 10 to 15 years’ time.”

300 dumping spots eradicated
The 100 Spots campaign was initiated years ago in an attempt to rehabilitate and reclaim spaces plagued with illegal dumping. Since then, 1 954 spots have been identified throughout the city and, over the past eight months, 300 have been eradicated.

“The project has a slightly different approach now,” Taaka points out. “It is not feasible to only clean the area without maintaining it because people would then come back to dump in that area again. So we first clean the spot, secure it physically with a security guard, then beautify it and hand it over to the community.

The operative word is ‘eradicate’ – those spaces must never degenerate again; changed into facilities with surrounding communities actually taking ownership of the sites and maintaining them moving forward. Those that have been turned into parks are handed over to Johannesburg City Parks for maintenance.

Others are transformed into sports areas, like volleyball courts, or parking lots. In one instance, the community requested an area where young people could earn money washing cars.”

Rezoned as public open space
“Rehabilitated spots must be zoned as public space in order for City Parks to take them over and maintain them,” Moodley points out. “We try to reclaim the space by planting lawn, and installing a bench, a bin and a ‘No Dumping’ sign.”

However there are two challenges facing implementation,” she says. “Firstly, it is critical to support this process through by-law enforcement. In some cases, we have not been able to reclaim spots because of the gap in enforcement. City Parks has now signed a memorandum of agreement with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) so 40 JMPD officers and 34 ‘environmental rangers’ have been assigned to patrol these areas with the authority to issue fines for dumping and littering.

It’s a small step but a move in the right direction in terms of addressing bylaw transgressions.

Secondly, some of the spots are ‘grey areas’ in terms of ownership, and it is unclear who is responsible for maintenance.

These pieces of land must be processed through the regional environmental health department, which will investigate ownership.”

Moodley says, once the owner has been identified, a notice is issued to the owner by the authority. If this instruction is not honoured within 21 days, the regional environmental health department can instruct Pikitup and City Parks to clean the space and send the rates account to the landowner. If the problem is ongoing, the department can sell the space.

In terms of staff complement, the intention is to employ 300 environmental rangers over the next two years, and to eventually be able to man the entire city.

Whistle blown on litterbugs
Members of the public will be able to participate further by “blowing the whistle” on offenders through the Red Card Litterbug campaign – people are issued with red cards and whistles to draw attention to by-law offenders. This project, inspired by a similar initiative in France, plays on the soccer theme as a fun way to prevent littering and dumping.

So, in addition to the spots campaign, illegal dumping will be managed through
* education and awareness;
* enforcement of waste management by-laws;
* environment rangers;
* a contact centre and website for members of the public to blow the whistle on offenders; and public pressure through the Red Card Litterbug campaign.

Involvement is key
“I think the most important lesson to be learned is that public environment forums make a significant impact,” Taaka comments.

“You have to involve communities in rehabilitating dumping spots so they take ownership and maintain the upgraded spaces. The community must benefit not only by beautifying an eyesore but also, economically, by being part of the process.

This instils a sense of ownership and pride.”

Holding residents of the city accountable for keeping their surroundings clean, and encouraging buy-in from the public, is a necessary and, perhaps, overdue strategy for moving the city’s waste management forward.

Education and awareness, together with sufficient facilities and storage capacity, hold potential for success, provided they are adequately supported by implementation and by-law enforcement.

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INSPIRATION

Three pleasant places
Cape Town proves derelict, windswept spaces can be turned into pleasant public places.

For quite some time, the City of Cape Town has been busy with pedestrianisation projects on its Foreshore – specifically in the area between the station and the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). In the process, a dreary and windswept area of the city has been turned into a series of pleasant public spaces.

The Foreshore Pedestrianisation Project comprises three individual projects implemented between 2002 and 2008. The first encompasses the centre islands on Adderley Street – undertaken between 2002 and 2003 – the second is Jetty Square, which as built in 2005, and the last was Pier Place Square in 2008.

In the centre island of Adderley Street, natural spring water, that flowed from Table Mountain to the sea in below-surface storm water pipes, is now on public display in open “grachte”; in turn, lined with Acacia xanthoploea trees in an attempt to “ground Cape Town in Africa”.

At Jetty Square, the pedestrian is engaged to pause and enjoy the skeletal shark figures of Ralph Borland. Positioned on 3 m-high posts, the “sharks” are moved by the wind. “In order to facilitate interaction between the person and the sculpture, Borland has placed a small infrared sensor in the nose cone of each shark that is linked to two servo motors, which transfer motion to the gill chambers via push rods. The gill chambers are rotated in line with the wind direction; producing an eerie flute-like sound, Adam van Niewenhuizen of Earthworks Landscape Architects tells Urban Green File.

At Pier Place, white cobble pavers provide reflected light into an otherwise dark space dominated by large Ficus microcarpa trees. Sculptures of human figures, by Egon Tania, populate the square and tell the story of ordinary people living and working in the area.

The City of Cape Town and its consultant, Earthworks Landscape Architects, should be commended for their initiative. If only more South African cities took the quality of their public spaces this seriously! Van Niewenhuizen states: “Collectively, these squares have made a huge difference to the way people view and interact with the landscapes of Cape Town’s Foreshore. We strive to create places that capture people’s attention to give them reprieve from their daily toil and a place to take in some fresh air”.

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INSULT

Not in public, please
The ‘live-work-play’ environment of Melrose Arch does not allow any photography!

A great city offers its residents and visitors freedom of expression and choice of activity. City dwellers take for granted the opportunity to walk in the park, have coffee at a street café or marvel at splendid sites. And they often take photographs of the inspirational spaces they encounter.

Not in Johannesburg, though. Here the city authorities have allowed a combination of private properties and public streets to be sold off.

The result is the celebrated “live-work-play” Melrose Arch – a clean, compact, mixed-use precinct based on the best planning principles. Perhaps the perimeter fence and boom gates are a warning that this is not a place to “play”. Unless you conform to the strict rules of the property owners and facility managers, you can bet on a very unpleasant experience.

Don’t dare take a photograph of any building, street, pedestrian thoroughfare or “public” square. If you do, several security guards will apprehend you and question you about your “criminal” conduct.

Is this really the image Melrose Arch, the City of Johannesburg and South Africa, as a whole, want to project? Half-a-million tourists are expected for the World Cup. Imagine their surprise when they learn you are not allowed to take a photograph of a place you admire in Johannesburg! Surprisingly, the managers of Melrose Arch believe they have the right to preclude photography. They claim the precinct is a private place. I disagree. It may be privately-owned but it depends on the public for its survival. It needs customers for the many shops, restaurants and hotels.

In fact, it appears to be a series of city streets – how would anyone know these are “private” streets? The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town is also privately-owned. However its owners realise it, in fact, operates like a public space. The V&A is, probably, one of the most photographed sites in South Africa and plays an important role in marketing the country worldwide. Isn’t it time for Melrose Arch to follow suit?

Alternatively, I suggest it drops the word “play” from its marketing puff.

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VIEWPOINT

Disaster risk reduced
Through appropriate environmental design, it is possible to mitigate the physical and socio-economic impacts of disasters on a community.

In order to create a safer environment, a comprehensive approach to disaster-risk management is needed. And a key component of this approach should involve environmental design, says Theuns van der Linde, a scientist at SRK Consulting.

Speaking at a recent conference of the Disaster Management Institute of Southern Africa, Van der Linde named this approach DRRTED – disaster-risk reduction through environmental design. He called for additional research into DRRTED; hoping this would result in the establishment of guidelines for design professionals. According to Van der Linde, the United Nations Global Report on Human Settlements (2007) identifies natural and human-induced disasters as one of the top three threats to the safety and security of urban dwellers in the 21st century.

Buildings and urban environments should, therefore, not only facilitate the mitigation of hazards and effects of disasters, they should also play a role in overall disaster-risk reduction.

Through DRRTED, Van der Linde proposes linkages between the science of disaster (risk) management and the sciences of architecture, engineering and urban planning and design, to find solutions for disaster challenges faced in urban environments.

“Various design guidelines and standards exist with the aim of ensuring safer urban environments,” he points out. “Some of these are the result of legislation, for instance the National Building Regulations, while others present ‘best practice’. An example of the latter is Guidelines for Human Settlement Planning and Design published by the CSIR in 2000; claiming the application of sound design principles could help address opportunities for, and causes of, crime. The CSIR refers to this as crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and states the five basic principles comprise surveillance and visibility, territoriality and defensible space, access and escape routes, image and aesthetics, and target hardening. Some CPTED practitioners believe the principles should not only address crime prevention by limiting opportunities for crime to occur but also the underlying socioeconomic causes of crime.

“This notion of using the built environment, to influence socioeconomic aspects, forms part of the DRRTED principles,” Van der Linde states. The intention of DRRTED is to investigate the potential role of each component of the built environment in influencing the overall reduction of disaster risk in a specific community. DRRTED should consider, for example, how urban planners could utilise land use planning guidelines to reduce the hazard level caused by fires, or how the risk of flood damage along urban rivers could be prevented through appropriate town planning taking into consideration high water levels, floodplains and inundated areas.

Further queries, Van der Linde points out, could look into the foundation options for engineers to reduce the vulnerability of buildings to earthquakes or the potential of land-use planning guidelines to increase income earning opportunities in a specific area. DRRTED aims to reduce the hazard level of any specific hazard with regard to a built environment. This can be done by indentifying zones that can be used to influence the level of disaster risk, and tools to reduce the special extent, intensity and frequency of a hazard.“

Various studies have been done on improving the structural vulnerability of buildings. This could be achieved, for example, by using high-quality building material, suitable structural design principles or ensuring buildings are constructed only in appropriate areas,” Van der

Linde elaborates. “These aspects are incorporated in the various tools proposed in the DRRTED framework. However aspects considering structural vulnerability don’t necessarily account for the socio-economic impacts of environmental design. Yet the socio-economic characteristics of a community often contribute just as much; if not more than the physical and structural characteristics to the vulnerability of the community.

The impact of the physical environment on the socioeconomic characteristics of the community should be considered, says Van der Linde. For this reason, DRRTED aims to identify quantitative and qualitative environmental-design guidelines to improve the socio-economic resilience of a community. In considering the impact of the built environment on the socio-economic characteristics of a community, it is important to consider the functions of the environment. “For example, the CSIR identifies the functions of hard open space as having social, economic, movement, political or symbolic functions,” Van der Linde says. “Another aspect to consider is the economic functions of the built environment.

In South Africa, a significant number of people’s livelihoods depend on the economic activities related to street vending. It can be argued, if the built environment could improve or increase informal trading opportunities, it could influence the level of income of people employed in this sector. This could, in turn, change the socio-economic profile of a community. This important component of DRRTED merits additional research or investigation, Van der Linde points out.