Construction World February 2020

PROJECTS & CONTRACTS

DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS HAVE A SUSTAINABILITY RESPONSIBILITY The fact that South Africa and Nigeria are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, while the continent as a whole barely accounts for 5%, places a major responsibility on designers and architects to be environmentally responsible.

H owever, convincing clients of the imperatives of sustainability is a balancing act between the often high upfront initial costs, versus the long-term operational savings, and having a healthy and productive workforce that caters for the wellbeing of employees. 6WULNLQJ WKLV EDODQFH LV WKH GLͦFXOW WDVN RI 0DUOL 6ZDQHSRHO Head of Sustainability at the Paragon Group. The group focuses on both interior architecture (Paragon Interface) and base design 3DUDJRQ $UFKLWHFWV 6ZDQHSRHO H[SODLQV WKDW UHJXODWRU\ VWDQGDUGV VXFK DV 6$16 ;$ ZKLFK SHUWDLQV WR HQHUJ\ HͦFLHQF\ UHSUHVHQWV WKH PLQLPXP QXPEHU RI ER[HV WKDW QHHG WR EH WLFNHG in terms of sustainability. However, Paragon always strives to remain ahead of the curve. +HUH WKH DLP LV WR DFKLHYH D *UHHQ 6WDU UDWHG GHVLJQ DV FHUWLͤHG E\ the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), which is an LQWHUQDWLRQDOO\ UHFRJQLVHG DQG WUXVWHG TXDOLW\ FHUWLͤFDWLRQ IRU WKH GHVLJQ FRQVWUXFWLRQ DQG RSHUDWLRQ RI EXLOGLQJV LQWHULRUV DQG ͤW outs. What gives the Paragon Group a competitive edge in the market LV WKDW LW LV DEOH WR LQFRUSRUDWH VXVWDLQDELOLW\ LQWR ERWK WKH H[WHULRU and interior design. With those projects where it is only responsible for the interior, such as the award-winning Discovery Place in Sandton, it is able to deploy the latest trends and developments in workplace design, and how this impacts on employee well-being. ̸$W 3DUDJRQ ZH DOZD\V VWULYH WR FKDOOHQJH WKH FRQYHQWLRQDO ZD\ of doing architecture. This not only ensures responsible design, EXW LW PRWLYDWHV XV DQG NHHSV XV H[FLWHG DERXW ZKDW ZH GR DV professionals. It is important that our projects take into account their surrounding environments, especially with the trend towards designing multi-building precincts, where the interconnectivity between all of the different buildings, including all of the communal VSDFHV DQG IDFLOLWLHV LV FULWLFDO̹ 6ZDQHSRHO FRPPHQWV Sustainability is not only about ‘green’ buildings, but encourages RXW RI WKH ER[ WKLQNLQJ ̸,W PHDQV WDNLQJ WKH ODWHVW WHFKQRORJLHV DQG H[SORULQJ WKH RSSRUWXQLWLHV WKHVH UHSUHVHQW LQ WHUPV RI GHVLJQ and how we interrogate on way of working, and possibly do things GLIIHUHQWO\ WR HQKDQFH RXU SODFH LQ WKH ZRUOG ̹ With the South African construction industry in the doldrums, VXVWDLQDELOLW\ LV VWLOO SHUFHLYHG DV DGGLQJ RQWR WKH ͤQDO SULFH WDJ ̸6XVWDLQDEOH EXLOGLQJV GR KDYH ͤQDQFLDO LPSOLFDWLRQV̹ 6ZDQHSRHO acknowledges. This is especially true if technology such as photovoltaic systems is incorporated. However, cost can be mitigated by DGRSWLQJ ͤUVW GHVLJQ SULQFLSOHV

IDFLQJ 6RXWK $IULFD DW SUHVHQW ̸,W LV DOVR D FKDOOHQJH LI WKH FOLHQW RQO\ has a small budget, or if sustainability is simply not a priority for that particular client. However, as a country and as an industry, I do think ZH DUH VWDUWLQJ WR PRYH LQ WKH ULJKW GLUHFWLRQ ̹ Swanepoel points to neighbouring countries such as Namibia DQG %RWVZDQD ERDVWLQJ WKHLU ͤUVW *UHHQ 6WDU UDWHG EXLOGLQJV ZKLFK ERGHV ZHOO IRU WKH UHVW RI $IULFD ̸$GPLWWHGO\ VXVWDLQDELOLW\ DV D driver has had a minimal impact on the continent to date. There DUH VRPH ZRQGHUIXO H[DPSOHV EXW LW KDV \HW WR NLFN RII DV D PDMRU WUHQG ̹ :LWK WKH 3DUDJRQ *URXS LQFUHDVLQJO\ LQYROYHG LQ $IULFD LW LV slowly starting to introduce best practice in sustainability to the rest of the continent. Back home, Swanepoel is currently in the design phase for a major new healing centre project that is anticipated to break ground this year, and which will be built in phases. The aim of the project is to introduce people to a responsible and mindful way of living, and hence will include sustainable elements such as a permaculture farm, a wellness centre, and a restaurant focusing on farm-to-plate food. ̸:H DUH WDNLQJ DOO RI WKHVH H[FLWLQJ FRQFHSWV DQG LPSOHPHQWLQJ them in a very real way. It will be interesting to see how we can take ZKDW ZH OHDUQ IURP WKLV SURMHFW DV D SUDFWLFH DQG XVH LW WR LQͥXHQFH XV DOO WR EHFRPH EHWWHU GHVLJQHUV̹ 6ZDQHSRHO FRQFOXGHV ƒ

such as building orientation, natural YHQWLODWLRQ DQG GD\OLJKWLQJ ̸7KDW will not necessarily result in a Green Star rated building, but it is still a UHVSRQVLEOH GHVLJQ ̹ Therefore the Paragon Group always engages its clients in a GLVFXVVLRQ DERXW PD[LPLVLQJ WKHLU total cost of investment, and the importance of reduced operating costs in the long run, which is critical given the water and power shortages

Left: The healing centre will include sustainable elements such as a permaculture farm. Right: Paragon Interface designed the award-winning interior at Discovery Place.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD FEBRUARY 2020