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Contents of
October 1999
EDITORIAL
NEWS
INSULT
LETTERS
TREE OF THE ISSUE
INSPIRATION
FEATURES
Compost from Organic
Components of the Urban Waste Stream
Innovative Sanitation
Products and Systems Evaluated
Marketplaces and Bath Houses
in Katorus
A garden of Acacias
-----
EDITORIAL
The three-day co-located
Afribuild and Afriwater trade exhibitions, held at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, in August
this year, attracted 6 218 trade visitors, 3 903 of whom indicated that they were to visit
both shows. More than 45% of the visitors were drawn from the construction and associated
industries, while 41% were involved in the water and wastewater industries. The public
sector showed interest in these linked shows and 17% of the visitors were employed by
government organisations or NGOs. Foreign interest was considerable.
The Urban Green File
exhibited at Afribuild and we had a number of innovative green products on our stand. We
published the supplement Green Products & Services to coincide with the show and to
give coverage to these products – and 3 500 visitors came to our stand and took away
copies of this supplement, while 80 of these visitors filled in our enquiry form
indicating that they wanted to find out more about a product or products exhibited on our
stand.
We covered the All Africa
Games Village on Alexandra’s East Bank in this supplement because of the energy and
water saving measures that were incorporated into this ‘athletes village’, which
has been planned to leave a housing legacy long after the Games are over in the form of a
vibrant town with its own local economy. We have had two letters and a number of phone
calls criticising the article, particularly the part headed ‘A Village where People
will Want to Live’. These letters will be published in the next issue because we
wanted to give those who phoned in with complaints about the Village an opportunity to put
these in writing.
Trees for Africa organised
their main tree planting event on Arbor Day at the All Africa Games Village where trees
were planted along the border of the Village to act as a noise and windbreak, along the
roads of the Village and at the school and community centres. One tree was donated to each
of the 1 800 houses. (See Upfront page ?.) The Urban Green File will follow the
development of the Village as people move in to occupy the houses and the landscaping
takes shape. It will be interesting to see how some of the promises, such as the
rehabilitation of the small tributary of the Jukskei that flows through the site, are
carried out.
-----
NEWS
AngloGold
Lion Enclosure at Johannesburg Zoo
The new lion enclosure,
costed at R6 million, will become the new habitat of the Zoo's three families of lions and
will comprise three lion camps; water moats to separate the camps; water and landscaping
features to provide the lions with shade and privacy; prime viewing areas for the public;
and night rooms and a cubbing area custom-built to the Zoo's breeding needs. The enclosure
will include a world-class meeting facility and a shop which will be used by the Zoo to
generate income for the development and maintenance of the enclosure and the Zoo as a
whole.
Zoo director Pat Condy
said: "I would like to express the Zoo's deepest appreciation for this magnificent
donation by AngloGold. Not only will this new enclosure benefit the Zoo, but also the
public of the Greater Johannesburg region. It will enable the Zoo to improve the care and
husbandry of our lion families and to upgrade our educational output about lions. It will
enable us to engage in research projects in support of the conservation of the lion in
southern Africa."
Biological
control for a beautiful but dangerous invader
Like many of our invader
plants, Cat's Claw Creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati) was introduced into South Africa as an
attractive garden ornamental. Its common name is derived from its clawed tendrils which
enable the plant to climb up against walls, tree trunks and vegetation in general. The
plant is especially noticeable in spring when masses of attractive, yellow, trumpet-shaped
flowers are produced. A large number of seeds is produced which are spread by wind and
water. The plant also reproduces vegetatively through its extensive root system.
Unfortunately, signs are
that Cat's Claw Creeper is rapidly following in the footsteps of many other aggressive
weeds. It has escaped cultivation and invaded natural vegetation, particularly woodlands
and forests, as well as cultivated orchards, forestry plantations, roadsides and urban
open spaces. In natural forests it clambers up tree trunks and drapes itself over the tree
canopy, where a combination of weight and shading can kill even the largest trees. The
largest remaining indigenous forest in northern South Africa, the Grootvadersbosch of
Magoebaskloof, is threatened by a large infestation of this creeper which has already
severely degraded some of the indigenous forest on the neighbouring Westfalia Estate of
the Hans Merensky Foundation, despite several costly attempts at control.
The first biological
control agent to be released in SA for this plant is the leaf feeding, gold-spotted
tortoise beetle (Charidotis auroguttata) and this release has been made on the Westfalia
Estate. Both the larvae and the adults feed on the leaves of Cat's Claw Creeper - and only
on this creeper, as they are host specific - and high levels of damage are expected which
will reduce the densities of the weed in canopies and on the forest floor, allowing
indigenous plants to compete better. The stress of sustained defoliation might also reduce
seeding and thus slow the rate of further invasion.
Permission to release this
agent was granted by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism in March 1999.
MTN
awarded ISO 14001
Cellular network operator
MTN has been awarded the ISO 14001 environmental certification for its products, services
and activities by the SABS. Conservation of the environment is of paramount importance to
MTN and its management is totally committed to the company's Environmental Management
Programme. MTN looks at the impact of its towers and the roads that lead to the towers in
the interests of eco-tourism which is one of the key revenue earners in this country. And
the company is prepared to have this and other impacts monitored by the SABS.
All programmes are
documented on an on-line Environmental Management System and these include: waste
management, recycling, minimising the use of and conserving natural resources, preventing
pollution, managing land, unique flora, forests and wildlife, and the use of hazardous
materials - with the objective of ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all.
Science
goes shopping in nature's drugstore
A nationwide bioprospecting
project has been launched by the CSIR's Chemical and Microbial Products Programme. The aim
is to discover, develop and commercialise novel biological products, such as
pharmaceuticals and natural pesticides, from SA's 23 000 species of indigenous plants and
thousands of micro-organisms. In the next 10 years, over 250 000 extracts from these
sources will be screened for commercially important biological substances. The project has
already yielded a novel appetite suppressant, a high intensity sweetener and a mosquito
repellent.
Vodacom
awarded ISO 14001
"Given the geographic
extent of our operations and the competitive nature of our industry, we have a duty to
ensure that we are protecting the quality of the natural environment, while offering the
benefits of cellular technology, " says Joan Joffe, group executive: corporate
affairs. "With this certification, Vodacom publicly commits itself to minimising
adverse impacts on the environment in which we operate."
One of the most visible
impacts Vodacom has on the environment is the construction of base stations and the
company's Environmental Management System ensures that sites are constructed according to
strict environmental standards. An environmental checklist takes into consideration issues
such as the effect on vegetation, the identification of sensitive vegetation and of
historically and archaeologically important sites - and the visual impact of masts.
Vodacom is the world leader in the camouflaging of base stations and, currently, these are
disguised as palm, cypress and pine trees, a lighthouse, windmills and a dead Leadwood
tree.
An aspect of the EMS is the
involvement of community service phone shops in environmental education. The phone shop
operators have endorsed the drive and formed a steering committee for its further
development.
-----
INSULT
The Erasure of Amenity
Cities are highly complex
environments and form intricate networks of social relationships. It is difficult to
design, shape or make cities. But they can, in a very direct physical way, be constructed
of extremely simple, very workable pieces.
I do believe that great
cities invariably have some element of great civic design. If God is in the detail, the
second coming in Paris will be through a Metro entrance. By 'civic design' I mean those
structures made for the city user, the visitor, the public - for all of us.
What does it take to make
great civic architecture? Understanding of place, possibly - but most importantly,
respect. Respect for very simple conditions, for basic necessities, for the mundane daily
needs of the greatest number of city users.
Now many things have
changed in Johannesburg, but the summer afternoon, peak-hour thunderstorm has not left us.
And neither have commuters left the city. It is no more pleasant now than ever before to
get rained on while waiting for a bus.
Johannesburg is not known
for its great public spaces....but it has a history of straightforward, functional civic
design. It has adopted simple and effective elements to deal with its locale: the
overhanging pavement canopies of the inner city are one such invention of great civic
design. The wide, folded slab concrete canopies of Van der Bijl Square bus terminus were
another - until recently.
Van der Bijl Square, just
west of the Carlton Centre, has recently been given a 'facelift' by individuals working to
what must have been a very anti-civic, mean-spirited brief. Gone is the shade. Let the
commuters sweat it out! Gone is the shelter. Let the commuters suffer with soggy, squelchy
shoes on the way home! Gone is the opportunity to gather, to interact. Let the commuters
huddle in small groups, isolated in narrow strips of inadequate shade, surrounded by a
wasteland of concrete pavers, reflecting the heat.
What on earth was wrong
with the old Square? Van der Bijl Square was, in essence, a successful piece of civic
building: open to large numbers of users, generous enough to absorb the flow of people on
a daily basis, full of urban amenity, open enough for surveillance. And it had a simple
iconic language of form, too. There were funky folded canopies and a 'watch tower'
pavilion where the bus drivers gathered.
But all that has been razed
and replaced with a landscape of breathtakingly mediocre ambition. The Square is not a
place anymore. Just a wasteland of scattered inadequate booths, hardly responsive to the
very basic needs of commuters. What an ill-fitting city we seem to be making. One of our
few successful, simple, generous, effective urban spaces has been laid waste...by design.
It seems like another wrong move in a city threatened on so many other fronts. In the name
of progress and renewal, we should at least meet the ambition of that which has gone
before....and exceed it. This intervention is a step backwards for civic design.
-----
INSPIRATION
This truly African garden has evolved over the last ten years. It represents change. It is
a garden that reflects the seasons. As beautiful, or more so, in winter as it is in spring
or summer. In winter, the bare acacias display their shining thorns and the fascinating
varieties and colours of their bark. In winter, the tawny veld grass Eragrostis curvula,
which has been used quite prolifically as a groundcover, creates a sculptured background,
with its clumps of curving stems, to the golden, orange and rust red flowers of the aloes.
Although the garden has a
thoroughly wild feel about it, everything has been carefully positioned to create the
splendid vistas and the detailed combinations of form and colour. And it is not just the
colours in the garden, but the colours and shapes of the house that complement those of
the garden, in an unaffected way. The looming dump on the horizon is forgotten.
Maybe this is the
'Africanisation' that Peter Dayson referred to as being seriously lacking, in his general
appraisal as chief judge of the South African Landscapers Institute Awards (The Urban
Green File may/June 1999). The move away from the Eurocentric - the 'natural selection'
that South African designers that have their roots firmly in Africa should be making.
The Urban Green File
presents this issue's 'Inspiration Award' to the house and garden of Athele and Oliver
Wills, hoping that they will sell to a developer with vision who will incorporate both
house and garden into an innovative industrial setting.
-----
LETTERS
Sensitive
retention of historic character
Response to
'Inspiration'- Wandel Street Studios, Cape Town. July/August '99.
The "pretty cheap and
pretty nasty" comments made by Mr Peter Dayson about the "...typical '60s
conversion" by the then Professor of architecture at UCT, in the above-mentioned
article, call for a response.
My late father Professor C
Strauss Brink bought what we referred to as the 'Shed' from Milly's, a delicatessen in the
Gardens, in 1973. The building was in a poor condition and comprised a bare open space
without ceilings or services and with a ladder to an upper level, all of which were being
used for storage purposes. We had moved to the house next to the Shed in the conveniently
located Gardens during 1972, a time when this area was generally run down. The Shed was
acquired with the specific purpose of preserving and converting it for use as an
architect's studio.
The conversion was
completed in 1974, and extensive effort was required to give the Shed a new lease on life.
For example, a stair to the upper level, a circular conference room with a mezzanine
above, ceilings, toilets and a kitchenette were provided. The original arched doorway to
the street, which had been bricked up, was restored as the entrance, once again. The Shed
was sold circa 1980 and as far as I am aware, the new owner(s) - prior to the latest
'restoration', substantially altered the conversion done by my father.
The references to my
father's "...typical '60s (sic) conversion - pretty cheap and pretty nasty", a
conversion which "...obliterated all detail in typical '60s/'70s fashion" are
inaccurate and ill advised. Clearly the conversion, which was completed 25 years ago, at a
time when older more historic buildings were being demolished in Cape Town, provided this
historic structure with an innovative beneficial use, and in so doing ensured that it
would be preserved. Furthermore, the restoration and conversion of the Shed and our
adjacent house, being of the first such refurbishments at the time, showed the way for
subsequent restoration and renewal in this area.
Mr Dayson, when referring
to the latest conversion, states that: "Strictly speaking, however, the bui lding is
not a restoration in its present form. The first floor balcony and plate glass window are
new additions" (to the fa‡ade). These additions may be aesthetically pleasing,
yet they are without particular historical precedent, and as such have arguably
"obliterated all detail" in typical '90s fashion. Such obliteration and pastiche
are mostly unacceptable to historians and professional practitioners of architectural
preservation, alike.
I believe there should be
room for conversions that reflect the complexity and cotradiction of change over time, as
well as responding to contemporary functional needs and stylistic trends, as long as the
essential character of the historic building is sensitively retained. However, I am not
convinced that the latest treatment of the fa‡ade faithfully preserves and projects
the essentially austere early industrial character of the 'Shed'.
Basil Brink
Reply
from Cape Town correspondent, Peter Dayson
When I decided that the
'Shed' deserved an 'inspiration' accolade, I spoke to the architect responsible for its
present conversion and he informed me that the gable detail, the architraves, etc,
etc,were taken from the original drawings found in the Council archives. If this was
indeed the case, I still believe the '60s conversion did the building no favours -
although I absolutely agree that it was probably a forerunner to the upliftment of the
whole Dunkley Square precinct. It appears, however, from further research that the
original building may not have been built according to the drawings and I should,
therefore, retract my "cheap and nasty" comment. Although it still begs the
question - if the original drawings were available in the late nineties, they must have
been available in the early seventies. I would have thought that a professor of
architecture would have had the sensitivity to adapt them to his conversion, especially
considering that the intention was to convert them into an architect's studio.
Peter Dayson, landscape architect
-----
TREE OF THE ISSUE
Acacia Galpinii
Commonly called
the Monkey Thorn or 'Apiesdoring'
According to landscape
architect Alan Roosendaal, who has chosen this acacia as the tree of the issue, the
'Apiesdoring' is a useful tree in terms of the urban landscape. He used the tree in the
urban renewal project at Warwick Junction on the main arterial seam for the Greater Durban
CBD. He is of the opinion that this tree will have a softening effect on the mass of
concrete structures at the Junction, helping to lessen the confusion. The trees were
planted out a year ago at 2,5m to 3m in height from Malanseuns 900kg containers and they
transplanted without a problem and, although there is a high groundwater table in the
area, they are doing very well.
This medium to large tree
has a rounded dense crown but sometimes branches out low down and forms a considerable
spread. A specimen near Rust de Winter was observed to have a height of 20m and a spread
of 39m - recorded by JD Carr in his 'The South African Acacias'. It is a semi-deciduous to
deciduous tree but provides good shade in the summer. The cream-coloured flowers are on
long spikes and they appear, usually in profusion, in spring before the new foliage -
creating an impressive display especially in large specimen trees. The unopened flower
buds, which give the tree a purplish-red colour, are an added attraction in combination
with the new flowers, as is the fresh green foliage which follows.
In Roosendaal's opinion
this is an elegant species and its uses are therefore numerous. He says it has been used
as a street tree but because of its ultimate size might be more appropriate planted in the
centre median of dual carriageways. It makes a good background tree in large regional
parks and along sportsfields. "Its height, spread and large foliage mass is
particularly useful in restoring a sense of scale to the built urban environment,"
concludes Roosendaal.
-----
FEATURES
Compost from organic
components of the urban waste stream
Excerpts from a
paper presented by Mark Freeman of Bohlweki Environmental at the 3rd SAICE Environmental
Engineering Conference - 27/28 May 1999
The growing volumes of
urban waste and the increasing costs of solid waste disposal and landfill site development
in South Africa, together with the dwindling capacity of available landfills as well as
environmental and public health issues, are issues that are forcing many municipalities to
consider ways of recycling or reusing elements of the solid waste stream. One of these
elements is organic waste which has the potential to be composted and reused.
In urban and peri-urban
areas, the major organic components of the solid waste stream are garden waste and sewage
sludge. These can be supplemented by paper, food waste, wood chips, sawdust, crop residues
and other readily available organic wastes.
Composting can be viewed as
a form of waste stabilisation, but one that requires special conditions which have a
practical significance for the composting process. Modern composting facilities analyse
all raw material before use and examine data as a numerical basis from which to calculate
ideal conditions and the ratios in which ingredients should be mixed. Important conditions
include the presence of bacteria and the nutrient balance of the substrate, degree of
aeration, temperature, moisture and technology.
Composting operations in the Johannesburg area
The two main organic components of the urban waste stream are presently
receiving the attention of local authorities and private organisations in Gauteng - garden
waste and sewage sludge. Smaller private composting operations using other organic wastes
- food and animal waste from the Johannesburg fresh produce markets; and horse manure and
straw from the Gosforth Park racecourse - have also been attempted.
Garden waste is collected
separately from mini garden waste sites, which are now being increasingly purpose built by
many local authorities in the metropolitan areas of Gauteng. These garden waste sites are
presently provided primarily to prevent dumping of garden waste in open areas rather than
with the aim of recycling waste for composting. Thus, most of the garden waste still
eventually finds its way into landfills. However, the substantial quantities of garden
waste now collected annually from these sites (over 100,000 tons per annum in the case of
Johannesburg) and the dumping costs incurred in disposing of the waste in landfills, is
focusing the attention of local authorities on the opportunities for composting this waste
stream.
Municipal Parks Departments
frequently utilise a small component of their own garden waste stream for the making of
compost or mulch for use in municipal parks, gardens and sports grounds. These operations,
however, tend to be small scale, simple technology undertakings which produce low quality
compost. They also use only their own garden waste generated from the maintenance of parks
and other open spaces and the pruning of street trees. This composting usually takes place
in an open pile on unpaved ground with occasional turning of the compost pile by a
front-end loader.
Unsophisticated, small
scale composting operations are quite widespread in South Africa, but composting
activities on landfill sites have, in general, met with limited success. At Randburg's
Kyasand landfill site, composting was included as part of an overall recycling programme
introduced in the early 1990s. The composting operation was carried out by an outside
company on an area of the site set aside for this operation. The landfill manager's only
role was to ensure that appropriate materials were set aside for the operation. The
composting operation met with some success but was abandoned when the rest of the
recycling project failed. Attempts to make compost from municipal garden waste by the
compost supplier Culterra have also been abandoned, recently, because of the difficult
process and high cost of removing inorganics from the garden waste. A limited composting
operation using garden waste is also being carried out at the Eastern Gauteng Services
Council's Weltevreden landfill in Brakpan. The compost is of low quality, but this has no
real significance since the partly decomposed material is simply stockpiled for eventual
use as a supplement to the cover material required on site.
An investigation (Stewart
Scott Inc, 1995) was undertaken for the Eastern Gauteng Services Council into composting
of the garden waste stream in the Boksburg area. The results of this study showed that
disposing of the garden waste in a landfill remained the most cost-effective option, in
the short term, due to the large capital investment required to set up a composting
operation which could deal with all the garden waste generated in the Boksburg area, as
well as the sorting costs for removing inorganic wastes in the garden waste stream. It is
probable, however, that the composting option will become increasingly attractive in the
future as volumes of garden waste grow and the costs of disposal increase, particularly if
the composting option is investigated and costed on a regional basis, where economies of
scale can be enjoyed.
The Gauteng based,
privately owned company, Recycling Projects and Composting Services (Pty) Ltd, is
currently active in promoting composting ventures in the Johannesburg area. The company
runs its own composting enterprise on the Waterval Farm, Kyalami Road in Midrand, using
garden waste sourced from the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Demand for the compost
produced apparently exceeds supply. Equipment used at this site includes a shredder, a
front end loader, a windrow turner or tractor and a mobile screen. The company also
markets composting equipment from Germany and the USA and offers a compact system for
either garden waste or co-composting (garden waste with sewage sludge) at a capital cost
of around R4, 5 million. Such a system would require a minimum area of about 2 ha and
could compost +/- 2 000 tons of waste per month. The scale of such a plant could be
readily modified, however, depending on the volumes of waste to be handled.
A further option is to mix
garden waste with sewage sludge. This path is being followed by the Greater Johannesburg
Metropolitan Council (GJMC), which has established composting operations at two of its
wastewater treatment works (WTW) - Northern Works and Olifantsvlei. Substantial quantities
of garden waste from the Greater Johannesburg area are being brought in for mixing with
the sewage sludge generated at the wastewater treatment plants. The Council has entered
into a contract with a private tree-felling and site clearing contractor for the supply of
suitable material for the production of wood chips used in the composting process. The
waste thus comprises predominately tree stumps and branches rather than the finer material
typically found in household garden waste. The contractor is reimbursed on the basis of
one ton of compost for each ton of material delivered to the site. The contractor may then
use or sell the compost in the marketplace, and there is apparently a high demand for the
product.
Used bulking agent and
unscreened compost from the composting operation are recycled into the raw bulking agent
and sewage sludge mix to help facilitate the composting process. Despite this reuse of
materials, however, the GJMC is expecting to have to source wood chips from further afield
in future in order to secure a long term supply of bulking agent.
The GJMC has decided to
follow the composting option as a result of directives from the Department of Water
Affairs and Forestry which restrict disposal of sewage sludge to land. The composting
operation has to be relatively sophisticated, however, to deal with the large and
continuous volumes of waste involved and to ensure that the compost produced is stable and
free of harmful bacteria and pathogens.
Considerable investments
have thus been made in these composting plants. Over R50 million has been spent at the
Northern Works WTW on civil, mechanical and electrical contracts and the purchase of
mobile plant and vehicles in order to, in the long run, treat up to 90 tons of dried
sludge per day. In addition, the operational costs during the 1996-97 financial year of
the various stages of composting (grinding and chipping of bulking agent, composting and
primary screening, compost curing and secondary screening and final disposal of compost)
amounted to over R335 per dry ton.
An even higher capital
investment (over R250 million) has been made at the regional sludge handling facility at
the Olifantsvlei WTW, where a completely automated composting facility has been
constructed. Automatic grinding, chipping, blending, turning and screening equipment has
been installed to handle an expected 150 tons of dried sludge per day by early in the new
millennium. Quite clearly this is not the cheapest way to make compost. The objective of
the GJMC in this instance, however, is to find the most effective way of disposing of
sewage sludge (taking into account all social and environmental factors). The subsequent
production of compost and reuse of sludge is an acceptable alternative (albeit at a cost)
of this disposal problem.
It is important, once such
a large investment has been made, to ensure that sufficient replacement machinery and
spare parts, as well as skilled staff, are available to maintain the plant, especially as
much of the equipment is imported. A smaller scale co-composting operation (sewage sludge
and garden waste) at the Panorama landfill in Roodepoort recently came to a halt as a
result of equipment failure. Taken together with other failed composting enterprises, the
message here is thus one of caution. Local authorities must be prepared to invest
considerable resources, particularly in large scale composting operations, to ensure their
effective functioning.
Evaluating
potential composting operations
The demise of certain
composting operations in South Africa alludes to a failure to understand the key factors
involved in running a composting operation, as well as the true costs and revenues
associated with such projects. Scope exists here for further research and trials to
establish the ground rules for different types and sizes of composting operation.
It is important, as a first
step, when evaluating the merits of establishing a composting operation that an
understanding of the nutrient balance of the feedstock and presence of bacteria, degree of
aeration, temperature, moisture and available technology be acquired in order that an
environment best suited to the biological process is created. It is also strongly
recommended that investigations regarding potential composting projects should include a
detailed financial analysis.
Lastly, trials at pilot
plants can help facilitate accurate data collection regarding the quantity, composition
and quality of the available organic waste, as well as its seasonal variation. This would
also assist in deciding at which stage in the composting process to separate out any
unwanted 'uncompostable' waste material. The GJMC is pioneering the large scale
co-composting of sewage sludge and garden waste and much can be learnt from their
experience. Increasingly stringent legislation in South Africa, together with increasing
waste disposal costs and environmental pressure, is likely to focus more attention on the
merits of composting organic waste in the near future.
Acknowledgement: Freeman's
paper is largely based on work recently carried out by Bohlweki Environmental (Pty) Ltd
for the Khayalami Metropolitan Council (KMC). Permission by the KMC to reproduce the
findings of this work in his paper is gratefully acknowledged.
Checklist of factors to
consider when undertaking a composting project
•
Financial analysis and
need for subsidisation
•
Long-term financial
viability
•
Public/private
partnerships
•
Low cost vs high cost
technology
•
The understanding and
achievement of correct substrate balance, along with aeration, temperature and moisture
levels
•
Surges and seasonality
of waste material
•
Effects on landfill of
organic waste removal
•
Waste separation at
source (if possible)
•
Public education and
participation
•
Environmental Impact
Assessment
•
Odour control and site
drainage
•
Compliance with health
and environmental legislation and guidelines
•
Staff training and
machinery maintenance
•
Markets for final
compost product
-----
Innovative sanitation products
and systems evaluated
by Julia du
Pisani, project leader on ACTMAP
Eighteen million South Africans do not have adequate sanitation. The provision of adequate
sanitation is therefore a priority at both national and local government level, but there
are insufficient funds available to provide every family with waterborne systems.
Waterborne systems are, furthermore, not the appropriate technology for all situations.
As a result of the
extensive need for sanitation, the local market for sanitation products has been
stimulated and a variety of new, innovative and alternative sanitation technologies, both
generic and proprietary, is now available. Many of these are being used successfully
elsewhere in the developing world.
The use of innovative and
alternative sanitation technologies in South Africa has remained limited, partly because
many development professionals are reluctant to use these because of uncertainty about
their performance and long term sustainability.
Experience has also shown
that alternative technologies can fail for the following reasons:
•
all products are not
necessarily suited to all markets;
•
manufacturer's claims,
even when theoretically sound and successfully tested under laboratory conditions, are not
always realised in the field;
•
comparison between
products is often limited to process suitability and price;
•
not all
decision-makers (including technical professionals) have sufficient knowledge of the
specialised field of sanitation to assess the functionality and suitability of the
available technologies; and
•
the specific needs of
the community are not always considered in the choice of technology.
Framework
for evaluating sanitation systems
A uniform and comprehensive
approach to the evaluation of sanitation products and systems is therefore required, both
to assist decision-makers in determining the suitability of products and systems and to
protect the end-user. Such an approach is offered by Agr‚ment South Africa, an
independent statutory Board which has recently published Agr‚ment Criteria and Test
Methods Applicable to a Product (ACTMAP 3) for Sanitation Systems.
An ACTMAP is a guide for
use in the evaluation of the fitness-for-purpose of specific innovative and
non-standardised building systems, products, components or materials. Fitness-for-purpose
of sanitation systems and products is defined as ensuring the health and safety of the
user and the environment, and is assessed with respect to environmental safety, user
acceptability, technical adequacy and sustainability.
ACTMAP 3 provides a
framework for evaluating sanitation products and systems, including those for disposal of
sullage. It was developed with input from manufacturers, the Water Research Commission,
the National Sanitation Co-ordinating Office, the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry, Rand Water, South African Bureau of Standards, Durban Metropolitan Council,
Development Bank of Southern Africa and Mvula Trust.
Sanitation
ACTMAP
The first objective of ACTMAP 3 is to protect the consumer from products applied
inappropriately by:
•
defining the
conditions under which a product is suitable for use;
•
testing and evaluating
the product under those conditions; and
•
documenting the
findings of the assessment in an Agr‚ment certificate.
•
Further objectives of
ACTMAP 3 are to:
•
encourage innovation
by clearly setting out criteria which will be used in the assessment of products; and
•
ensure fairness, by
evaluating all products on the same basis.
ACTMAP 3 covers, inter
alia, technical performance, community acceptance, sustainability, institutional issues,
treatment and affordability. A broader range of issues than is usually dealt with in Agr‚ment
testing is dealt with in this ACTMAP to ensure that:
•
community issues are
addressed;
•
sanitation products
are addressed as elements in a system;
•
environmental issues
concerning sanitation are highlighted; and
•
the costs of the
product or system are documented in such a way that comparison between products is
possible and meaningful.
Each aspect of the product
or system is evaluated individually, while the interaction between and relative importance
of the aspects is also assessed.
Community
acceptance
Community acceptance is
included as an evaluation criterion because technology use, particularly innovative
technology, often requires behaviour change and long-term financial input before there is
acceptance. Without these, a given technology, even though sound in all other respects,
may fail. Furthermore, a technology that is well accepted in one culture may be totally
unacceptable in another. Aspects addressed under community acceptance include:
•
affordability with
respect to both capital and running costs;
•
technical adequacy,
from the perspective of the users; and
•
product acceptance, in
view of the costs and technical performance.
The assessment should be
done with communities where the system has been in use for a minimum period of six months,
but preferably for two years or more, and the manufacturer and local authority may not
intervene before or during the assessment.
Environmental
aspects
The environmental aspects
of the treatment and disposal of the wastes and wastewater are taken into account because
the disposal of human body wastes, and effluent containing such wastes, has far-reaching
health impacts - and the Agr‚ment certificate will provide information on the likely
effect of the system on the environment.
The assessment of
environmental aspects will include identification of, for example, the water requirements
of the system relative to water availability. Other aspects relate to water (surface and
ground) pollution, safe disposal of wastes and an evaluation of the impact of system
failure. The focus of the environmental assessment is to define the likely effect of the
product or system on the health and safety of the environment and on the maintenance of
environmental integrity and sustainability.
Other
factors assessed
Another unique aspect of
ACTMAP 3 is that it includes an assessment of the required institutional structures and
level of skill. Sustainability and life cycle costing are included, because all
technologies have specific operational and maintenance requirements. Where these are not
affordable to the user or the local authority, the technology may fail in the long-term.
Decision-making
tool
While an ACTMAP is prepared
as a guide to ensure a standardised approach by experts involved in assessing products on
behalf of the Board of Agr‚ment South Africa, it is accepted that a wider audience
may use the ACTMAP. This ACTMAP has, therefore, been written in such a way that it will be
useful to technical professionals, local authority departments involved with the provision
of sanitation and decision-makers. However, only Agr‚ment can issue a certificate in
terms of ACTMAP 3.
Evaluations based on this
ACTMAP, facilitate decision-making about appropriate sanitation methods, while ensuring
that proven and accepted safety and health standards are maintained as far as the users of
the system, the community within which the system is situated, and the environment are
concerned.
Certificate
An Agr‚ment
certificate will describe the system or product, list the uses for which it has been
assessed to be suitable, list conditions that must be met if the assessed performance is
to be attained, and state which of the National Building Regulations are deemed to be
satisfied by the subject of the certificate. It certifies that a product or system is fit
for the purpose for which it is intended under specific conditions and for certain limited
applications, and both the product and the conditions of use (the system requirements) are
defined and documented. This certificate is therefore a tool to assist due diligence in
the choice of sanitation technology.
An ACTMAP does not replace
any SABS standard specification or code of practice, but is developed for products not
covered by the SABS.
Cost
The cost of Agrément
certification is borne by the manufacturer and can, because of the extensive evaluation,
be fairly high. Because of the potentially high costs, Agrément will consult with experts
on the likelihood of the product achieving certification before accepting the product for
evaluation. Where appropriate, the manufacturer is provided with advice on necessary
modifications required for certification and given the opportunity to make such
modifications.
Sanitation products and
systems which receive Agrément certification will meet the requirements of the National
Building Regulations and the minimum standard of adequacy for sanitation systems as
defined in the Draft White Paper on National Sanitation Policy, June 1996.
-----
Marketplaces and bath
houses in Katorus, Gauteng
Public places helping to
generate a city economy
The identification of
development nodes in the dormitory towns of Katlehong, Tokoza and Vosloorus (Katorus) and
the building of marketplaces in these nodes is a Presidential Project aimed at creating a
city economy in these one dimensional towns which came into existence during the apartheid
era solely to provide labour for the towns of Germiston, Alberton and Boksburg,
respectively. GAPP Architects and Urban Designers were appointed to do the Urban Design
Framework and to design the buildings for the marketplaces. Each marketplace comprises a
largely open air market hall for hawkers, a small row of trading shops and a bath house.
The flushing system for the
bath house, designed by Eric Noir of GAPP, which utilises recycled water, was proclaimed a
runner-up in the 1999 Mail & Guardian Green Trust Awards - Water Awareness category.
An innovative solar roofing system, designed by Solar Heat Exchangers and GAPP for the
bath house, has reduced both the capital and operating costs and made the building more
energy efficient.
Urban
Design Framework
"Presidential Projects
are aimed at repairing the badly damaged parts of our country. Very recently, the
dormitory towns of Katlehong and Tokoza were a war zone. Kwezine station in Katlehong is
right next to a hostel and, during the troubled times, the hostel residents returning from
political rallies in the city would rampage through the residential area when they got off
the train. To stop these running battles, the community literally uprooted the railway
line. Now a somewhat uneasy truce exists in the area and the line is being reinstated, at
great cost. Kwezine has been identified as a development node and a marketplace is under
construction," said Erky Wood of GAPP. "The 'apartheid city' was idealogically
driven, it would never have happened naturally. As urban designers, we need to make sense
of these patterns of nonsense. There is no urbanism in these dormitory towns and we need
to try and get some critical mass into the system and to stop the economy from escaping to
the city."
Working with a newly
formalised Structure Plan for the area, GAPP created an Urban Design Framework for the
three towns, that are now collectively called Katorus. A large floodplain divides the
three towns and there are few linkages between them. They originated as pools of unskilled
labour for their parent towns and they each had a one to one relationship with their
respective parent town. Nothing else was relevant. To this day, the taxis only travel from
Vosloorus to Boksburg and then on to Johannesburg. The area is ruled by a taxi mafiosi and
each group of taxis follows a prescribed route, not daring to cross into forbidden
territory - to pick up a passenger in central Tokoza and deliver him to central Katlehong,
for example.
The Framework, of
necessity, takes the few internal linkages that are already in place into account and
builds onto existing activity patterns such as those around the Natalspruit hospital. The
road structure is the supergrid that holds the framework together. It needs to be
something that makes sense, drawing on existing roads of some importance - either mobility
roads, allowing rapid movement across the township, or activity roads that support
commercial happenings of some sort. Many of the existing roads have been extended in the
Framework to create meaningful linkages and to allow movement through the urban fabric.
The roads must tie up with the wider metropolitan context. Major development nodes have
been identified at points that are serviced by both activity and mobility roads. An
activity node must be within a leisurely five minute walk of the community it serves and
the node is related to already existing patterns of activity. "Cities pattern
themselves on such aspects and people invent opportunities around these. People are far
more inventive than urban designers, " commented Wood.
Six development nodes have
been identified in the Urban Design Framework and it is at these points that marketplaces
are being built to serve as catalysts to further development. A major node is Natalspruit
which is already a hive of activity, related to the hospital, the railway station and an
important entrance road to both Tokoza and Katlehong. The road is lined with a double row
of informal traders in parts and there is a formal shopping centre and a taxi rank. This
node was earmarked for a marketplace but a suitable piece of land has not yet been
secured. Two other nodes have been identified at Spruitview and Zonkezizwe but the land
has not yet been obtained. At three further development nodes - Kwezine, adjacent to the
station in Katlehong; Yende Street, adjacent to the municipal taxi rank in Tokoza; and
between the 'Gold Spot' entrance to Vosloorus and the Lesedi shopping centre -
marketplaces are at various stages of completion.
The 'Venus' marketplace in
Brickfield Road has been completed and opened to trade. This location was not one of the
designated nodes in the UDF but land was available in this part of Katlehong South where
there was a bridge across the wetland and roadside hawkers had already established
themselves. The new marketplace should encourage the emergence of a development node.
A variety of activities,
such as a post office, a clinic and a school, should be grouped together alongside the
marketplace and the local councils have been asked to take this into consideration in
their planning - to look for synergies. Bus routes are recommended so that the activity
nodes in Katorus are connected. 'Placemaking' is a vital aspect of urban design and the
planting of trees will give significance to otherwise featureless areas, making them
different and special. Trees can help to create a land value profile.
"People live in the
public environment - but in these dormitory towns, the environment is so non-supportive
that it has virtually no social significance. There are huge vacant areas, which means
that space has no significance. Because of the ridiculous way that these townships were
planned, there is no sense of identity. So how do you create a land value
philosophy?" asked Wood. "Once you start to develop meaning in the urban
landscape - your house is close to shops, to a school, to a clinic - a value will become
attached to it. This will give a sense of spatial value. The property market must be
anchored to something. The fundamental principles of urban design are about adding
value."
The
community marketplaces
The Katorus Market Society
(KMS) is an arm of the national community based organisation, The Market Society, which is
involved in similar projects around the country. The project is seed funded by the Katorus
Special Presidential Project and the KMS, comprising local councillors and other community
leaders and including representation from government, manages the funding. The KMS
represents the people of Katorus who are involved with the creation of a normal economy in
their town through the setting up of structures to provide an economic base. The whole
strategy is based on the needs and aspirations of the people. KMS employed numerous
community researchers to study established activity/production/trading patterns.
At the celebration of
GAPP's Green Trust Award at the newly completed 'Venus' marketplace, Dr Norman Reynolds of
The Market Society said: "It is public places which generate a city economy, bringing
in economies of scale, diversity of selling and inner city transport. Markets do not stand
alone, they are the initial components of city systems. People will meet here, get
information here, do business here, eat something, have a shower and use the toilets. The
bath house will be run as a separate commercial venture. The toilets and toilet paper will
not be charged for - but showers will be sold. At the entrance there will a small shop
selling soap, paper towels and other related commodities. The marketplace, as a whole,
will also play a major social policing role in the town."
Florence Mokoena, manager
of the KMS, said that 'Venus' had had applicants far in excess of the number of trading
spaces available in the marketplace and that they had been carefully chosen to provide a
diversity of commodities. "We have a training component as part of the programme for
our traders. We are trying to give them the business skills they need to upgrade their
businesses. As owners they have a say in the running of the market. We want to turn our
people into micro-entrepreneurs."
Eric Noir, who was largely
responsible for the design of the marketplace, said: "We took a minimalist approach,
providing a core structure which the traders can use in whatever way they choose. The
small shops, which can also serve as storage areas, are being fitted out by their owners.
Formalisation helps economic growth. The hawkers are able to move from the roadside to
formalised space in the market precinct and as their business grows, they can move into
small shops. One day they might be able to move from the market to a shopping centre. They
are climbing the ladder towards a normal life. Informal trading is just daily
survival."
Collen Masina, the market
manager at Venus said that generally things were going well and that close on 50 traders
had already registered and paid. He said that at a meeting traders had raised complaints
about the dust and said they were concerned about protection from rain. Masina said the
tree planting and landscaping plan would help to alleviate the dust problem and that they
were discussing a uniform system to enclose their allocated spaces against rain. "Two
weekends ago, we organised music to draw attention to the marketplace and if you spent
twenty rand, you would get five rand's worth of goods free. The market is new and we need
to promote it and to encourage customers by giving them good value."
The
public bath houses
Solar roofing
system
The bath houses in the new
marketplaces in Katorus include an innovative solar roofing system. This design is the
work of Eric Noir of GAPP and Waddy Jones of Solar Heat Exchangers. For the last 12 years,
Jones has been building solar panels and installing industrial water heaters. Noir
approached him about solar for the bath house but found even his lowest price too
expensive for the limited budget of the Katorus project. Noir suggested that he made the
panels part of the roof and the two of them started working on a brand new design. Noir
says that this design is the system for the millennium - it overcomes all the problems of
previous systems.
The bath house is correctly
orientated so that the north-facing side of the roof catches the best winter sun. Noir
describes the solar roofing system as a massive glazed tray fitted onto the trusses of the
roof on the north-facing side - the solar system is, in fact, the roof. Each solar array
is fitted into a cold-rolled roofing profile placed horizontally instead of in its
customary vertical position. Glass is used as a covering quite simply because it allows
heat through and then traps it - and because rainwater runs off glass. The horizontal
positioning of the roofing profiles means that the number of roof trusses can be reduced,
while the purlins can be excluded entirely, reducing the cost of the roof structure. The
solar array is a thermal collector. This collector or captor comprises copper pipe which
is clipped into a fin to extend the area that is exposed to the heat of the sun.
Turn-around manifolds direct the water back and forth along the pipe. The absorber is
black Chromadek. There is a laminant under the fin which is made of polystyrene and
masonite and also acts as insulation in the roof. The armour-plated glass on top of the
profiles is so well supported that it can be walked on.
Jones comments that there
is also a large cost advantage to using the roofing profile, as the metal trays, that he
used to have built to hold the solar system in place on the roof, were hand-made and very
expensive. The new system is assembled on site and this saves time. The weight of the
whole solar array, including the water in the panels, is 26kg/m2 which is slightly heavier
than corrugated iron but much lighter than the 48kg/m2 of concrete roof tiles. A sprinkler
system on the roof will ensure that the solar arrays remain free of dust.
The polyethylene tanks that
are used for hot water storage in the bath house were designed and patented by Jones. They
are square and take up less space, light and manoeuvreable, well-insulated and much
cheaper than standard steel cylinders. It is because the tank system is not pressurised
that this inexpensive poly- ethylene tank can be used. One of the improvements of this
solar heat exchange system is that the water is drawn out of the copper pipes in the
panels, at night, to guard against freezing. A small cell senses when the sun is up and
switches on the pump which takes the cold water through the solar panel - when the sun
goes down, the pump is switched off and the water drains back into the tank. No
anti-freeze is needed.
Flushing system -
Runner-up, Green Trust Awards
The customer wishing to buy a shower, pays for it at the reception area and the
attendant presses a button which releases 20L of water into a holding tank above the
shower. The water is set at a temperature of 38C and this can be monitored by the
attendant. The customer is then able to have his shower in his own time by pressing a
button which is preset to release water for 30 seconds at a low but acceptable pressure.
The customer can soap himself when the water is not running.
All the grey water from the
showers and the wash troughs, where the customer can have a shave, runs down a slope into
a grey water collection tank at the far end of the building. This grey water is used to
flush the toilets by means of a system designed by Noir. The flushing tank extends the
full width of the building and is located under the concrete shower seat. The toilets are
located along a concrete slab above a continuous sloping trough which is permanently
filled with water. This water is flushed down the communal trough, periodically. The
flushing system operates on a time switch which can be over-ridden when the facility is
busy - allowing for more regular flushing.
The toilets are not
standardised - they are a special design by Noir, made out of roto-moulded plastic and
there is nothing breakable in evidence. The use of this design meant a slight saving in
capital costs. The plastic seat rim, which fits into the concrete slab, forms into a
funnel which goes down into the trough. The funnel and seat are all-in-one and they can be
lifted out for cleaning. Odours are piped out through the roof. The funnel reduces the
width of the trough and consequently the quantity of water needed for flushing - a 75mm
depth of water is enough to wash away the solids. The row of nine toilets is flushed with
130L every 45 minutes. The system can be stopped by the attendant if the facility is not
being used.
Noir designed the flushing
system to work on the principle of suction so that there was no need for pressure. A small
12V engine pulls a P-trap up and down, every 45 minutes. When the P-trap is tilted down,
it releases water and when it is tilted back up, it refills. The waste is, in fact,
syphoned out. There is another small pump in the grey water collection tank below the
flushing tank and as the municipal water comes in, so a percentage of grey water is drawn
in. A ball valve in the tank controls the level of the water to make sure that there is
enough to flush out the system. The water comprises 50% municipal and 50% grey, which
means that half of the water that is used for flushing is already paid for.
The bath house will
probably be open from 5am to 9pm, which is a fourteen hour operating period. The flushing
system will operate 20 times on an average day - which means that 2,6m3 of water is used,
daily. A bath house equipped with a conventional system would use an average of 6m3 a day.
This means a saving of at least 3m3, half of which is recycled water. Estimates of savings
in money terms can already be made but these will be confirmed when all four bath houses
are in operation and the situation can be monitored on a comparative basis.
-----
A garden of acacias
House Wills,
North Riding, Gauteng
"Acacias speak of the
African bushveld - they are ubiquitous - in any one area of pristine bushveld, there are
invariably four or five species of acacia to be found. They reflect all that is Africa.
They are Africa. They are so tough and they have so much character. When we built our
house out in North Riding, I knew instinctively that I wanted acacias in the garden. I
have always loved the African bushveld," comments owner Athele Wills.
This little piece of
man-made African bushveld surrounds House Wills which is on a small-holding in an area of
North Riding that is in the process of being re-zoned 'non-toxic industrial'. In the late
'80s, when architect Oliver Wills designed his avant-garde house, the area was zoned for
cluster housing, and although the property, which they inherited from Athele's father,
over-looked the Randburg dump, they set about building both house and garden thinking that
they would live there forever. With the conversion of the area to industrial, the Wills'
have decided to sell - but their main objective is to save the house and the wonderful
acacia garden. "We have had offers to buy but the intention is to bulldoze both house
and garden to the ground - we don't want to sell unless we find a buyer with vision,"
says Athele.
Athele's interest in
acacias started before they moved onto their six acre property when she sowed seeds of the
'longthorn' variety of Acacia karroo (the Sweet Thorn) into tomato boxes which she kept on
the balcony of their flat. She had no previous horticultural experience. Three of those
original seedlings which were planted out on their new property grew into the magnificent
specimens which form part of their bushveld garden of over 30 acacia species, today.
"The 'Karroo Longthorn' is one of my dead favourites - the very long white thorns are
so outrageous. This variety or sub-species (A.. karroo is, at present, being
re-classified), largely from the Aberdeen/Graaff-Reinet area, is said to have developed
its much longer thorns to guard against the browsing of goats," said Athele.
In the first five years
after the Wills' moved onto their property, they planted only acacias and these form both
the backbone and the tone of their garden. Nurseryman Neil Fishwick, who was in charge of
Top Turf's propagating nursery of largely indigenous plants for the Lost City Gardens at
the beginning of the '90s, gave them a great deal of advice about the growing of acacias.
Athele says that she finds acacias endlessly fascinating, each with its own character -
different growth form, shape of thorn, type of bark, and shape and colour of leaf.
Acacias change, sometimes
even quite dramatically, with the season: the Natal acacia, Acacia natalitia, has bark
which changes from a dark bottle green to an almost luminescent green to a greeny brown in
winter. This species, which was initially classified as another sub-species of A. karroo,
is one of the few South African acacias that is evergreen. Athele says that she has never
seen it without leaves. Even individuals of the most widespread and common A. karroo - the
typical highveld variety, have different coloured bark: either a rusty, autumn colour or a
warm brown or a pitch black. A. nigrescens (the Knob Thorn), which is one of the round
leafed acacias, has a much bigger leaf form in Zimbabwe than it does in the northern parts
of South Africa. Another of the round leafed acacias, A. mellifera (the Black Thorn),
bears flowers in little puffballs (globose heads, as they are known in botanical terms)
that come straight off the older wood and can be, although rarely are, bright pink in
colour. "I have spent ten years growing acacias and their tremendous spectrum of form
and colour never ceases to amaze me. You can never get bored with acacias," maintains
Athele.
Another of Athele's
favourites is A. luederitzii (the False Umbrella Thorn) which often has very distinctive,
large, inflated pairs of thorns. In the winter months these large white thorns that are
shaped like buffalo horns are in stark white contrast to the dark bark. Athele loves A.
polyacantha (the White Thorn), which she considers to be the softest and gentlest of them
all. A large shady, tranquil tree with whitish coloured bark and weeping leaves. She says
that once you have experienced this acacia, you will never need to plant a Jacaranda
again. Athele feels hard done by that one her much-loved acacias, A. albida, has been
reclassified as Faidherbia albida.
It was Athele's brother
Connall Oosterbroek, a great lover of indigenous plants, who eventually suggested that
they should introduce other plants to their garden of solely acacias. They started
rescuing aloes and now have about 15 species in their garden. Radio 702 announced that a
property in Randburg was going to be developed and the owner, an aloe enthusiast and a
member of the Aloe Society who had collected aloes from all over the country where roads
were being built, was prepared to give away aloes to people who would come and collect
them. Connall and Oliver did the removal, a big job as the large Aloe castanea and Aloe
marlothii were heavy and prickly and it took up to six people with ropes to move the large
specimens. Neil Fishwick had given advice about their transplanting. According to his
instructions, the roots were chopped off and the aloes left out of the ground for several
months to dry out. "We didn't lose one aloe. When we planted them we had to stake
them and it took three to four months before they grew new roots. They did not skip a beat
in terms of flowering - they flowered the year we moved them and we moved them at the
beginning of winter. Some of the marlothiis even flowered while they were still lying on
the ground before we planted them," relates Athele.
There was a whole cluster
of spotted aloes on a nearby property in North Riding that was being developed and was
going to be bulldozed and Connall rescued these. They appear to be A. parvibracteata which
is easy to cultivate and immensely proliferous from the base with purplish-green leaves
and waxy orange flowers and they now make a stunning display on the large mound adjacent
to the front of the house. This aloe is not indigenous to the highveld but a number of
Crinum graminicola and four different Hypoxis species were rescued from neighbouring veld
that was about to be developed and these are local grassland plants. "I would love it
if more developers would start seeing the value of our wild plants," commented
Athele.
"Prior to the recent
development that has taken place in our area, we were in a relatively large, almost wholly
enclosed area of grassland which supported a certain number of birds and animals. With the
ground gradually being cleared for development, the wildlife was no longer able to live on
the adjacent stands and it has all come to us. What little there is left has nowhere else
to go." Close to 80 bird species have been spotted on the Wills' property since 1989,
including the Black Sunbird and the Whitebellied Sunbird, Yellow and Orangethroated
Longclaws, a Blackshouldered Kite and Marsh Owls. Swainson's Francolins breed on the
property and there are two families of Helmeted Guineafowl both of which have albinos. A
Redthroated Wryneck is often heard calling to his mate. Since the water feature was built
18 months ago, a Pied Kingfisher pays the small dam, which is stocked with Tilapia, a
visit almost every day, as do a number of Cormorants. "There are plenty of little
striped fieldmice, hedgehogs and big hares with pink see-through ears on the property and
we have seen a mongoose - the one with the white dot on its tail, and we sometimes find
genet droppings," related Athele.
An idea
for an industrial developer with vision
Architect Oliver Wills has
formulated a concept which will save their much-loved, owner designed and built house and
garden and yet allow for the development of a main warehouse/factory for an anchor tenant
and a number of mini-warehouses, all with frontage along the road. He calls the
development 'Acacia Park'. In the late '80s, when the area was zoned for cluster housing,
they built the house in the southern corner of the property, as close to the building line
as possible, thinking that one day they could sub-divide if they chose. "The house
can easily be converted into offices - and without any additions, this will cost the
developer between R50 and R 100 000 and provide about 400 m2 of office space.
The suggested new reception area will provide another 100 m2 and another 100 m2
can be added on above the children's wing - the flat concrete slab allows this area to be
utilised as a double storey. The house is worth R1, 2 million and the land, which is just
under 6 acres (23 741 m2), is also worth R1, 2 million. These are very
conservative figures. Landscaping would probably cost another R 100 000. We want only R1,
7 million for the property," explained Oliver.
It is an ideal stand for
the kind of light industrial development that Oliver envisages because it is a corner
property and access is to be had from both roads. The Wills' have built two large
embankments on the property which screen the house from the Randburg dump and the main
road - and these will create an enclosed garden area for the proposed office facility,
which will also be partially screened from the main factory. The existing garden can be
used for client functions. The acacia woodland can then be extended through between the
main factory and the mini-warehouses, providing informal parking under the trees. The
small office component of each mini-factory will look inwards onto the acacia garden.
Oliver's plan envisages only 25% coverage - 3 000 m2 of space in the
mini-factories, while the main warehouse is
2 500 m2, and
the rest of the property will retain the wonderful bushveld ambience of the main garden
and continue to provide a habitat for the birds, small mammals and reptiles.
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