NEWSWORTHY
NATIONAL ENGLISH LITERARY MUSEUM ACQUIRES 5-STAR GREEN STAR SA PEB V1 AS-BUILT RATING
The National English Literary Museum was the first Public & Education ( PEB ) building in South Africa to achieve a 5-Star Green Star SA rating for its design in November 2013 , and it can now add an impressive 5-Star Green Star SA PEB v1 As-Built rating to its list of achievements – a first for the Eastern Cape as well as South Africa .
The building aims to reduce potable water consumption by more than 95 % below benchmark , and water meters have been installed for all major water uses to monitor and facilitate management of water consumption . Storm water detention ponds were introduced to release storm water gradually and prevent the erosion of the related river system . Rainwater is harvested from the roof area and used for irrigation , toilet and urinal flushing ; and xeriscaped landscaping was used to reduce the need for irrigation as the garden consists of indigenous plants that are endemic to the environment .
Annelide Sherratt from Solid Green explains that a Topsoil Management Plan ( TMP ) was implemented to guide the contractor on separating all topsoil impacted during construction , in order to protect it from degradation , erosion , or mixing with fill or waste . This way , 75 % of the original topsoil was retained on site .
Air-conditioned and mechanically assisted natural ventilation systems were specified to effectively deliver optimum air quality to each occupant throughout the occupied area . The air-conditioning system is a Variable Refrigerant Volume ( VRV ) system with heat recovery , which can provide cooling and heating simultaneously to different parts of the building . This feature has the potential to deliver maximum energy savings .
Furthermore , a heat-recovery system can transfer the heat extracted from those spaces requiring cooling to areas demanding heating , thus reducing energy requirements and operating costs . The project only utilised refrigerants and other gases with zero ozone depletion potential that do not contribute to long-term damage to the Earth ’ s ozone layer .
Natural lighting to interior spaces has been optimised ; artificial lights can be adjusted individually ; and occupancy sensors were installed in order to further reduce energy consumption . In addition , energy-saving heat pumps have been installed at dedicated points of the building to supply hot water and heating systems .
A unique feature of the building is the archive section , which has been placed below the ground with a green roof that insulates the building , making air-conditioning unnecessary in these spaces . And , on the north and west façades of the building , gabion walls and natural stone cladding have been used as thermal massing to stabilise the indoor air temperature .
Green materials used include recycled rubber and bamboo flooring , low VOC paints , coconut mosaic wall cladding , and recycled plastic carpets . Where possible , materials were reused and recycled and sourced locally , to minimise transport distances and fuel consumption .
The National English Literary Museum not only provides a valuable cultural resource to the Eastern Cape , but is also an important learning resource for building users and visitors on the benefits of green building design , construction and operation .
CHRYSO S . A . ACQUIRES EXPERTISE OF ACCLAIMED FRENCH DECORATIVE CONCRETE PRODUCER
Chryso Southern Africa has added the Moderne Méthode range of respected European decorative concrete products to its Concrete Aesthetics division . Shaun Gayaram , Chryso SA ’ s Project Manager : Concrete Aesthetics , says the Chryso Group in France recently acquired Moderne Méthode , and its Béton Academy training facility , both established and developed in France . The acquisition has now started operations within Chryso Southern Africa and its developer , Michael Archambault , visited South Africa recently to demonstrate the decorative finishes to Chryso staff . Archambault is vastly experienced in the field of decorative concrete and has , for example , worked on the Paris Disneyland theme park . Gayaram says the decorative concrete offering of Moderne Méthode is wide-ranging and built on the company ’ s expertise in stamped , polished and microtopped concrete , millimetric coatings which feature overlays of stabilised sand , granite , marble , and resins and also include finishes with a metallic appearance . “ These innovative , robust and sustainable pattern-imprinted concrete systems are extremely attractive and versatile and should have major potential as overlay for both new and restored concrete surfaces in South Africa ,” Gayaram stated . http :// za . chryso . com
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