Architect and Builder August/September 2019 | Page 19

all the new projects, an oversupply of
A-grade as well.
But it is part of the natural cycle of
the industry and not the harbinger of its
imminent doom. Those empty B grade
spaces represent a massive opportunity
for the future.
Water and energy scarcity solutions
The fact that SA effectively ran out of
water in 2016 and that around 41% of
water is lost due to bad infrastructure is
obviously concerning. So too is the reality
that obtaining water usage licences for
new developments is now far harder than
it has ever been.
But the good news is that solving the
water scarcity problem has been declared
the number one priority for Government.
Cape Town, after staring down the
barrel of its own Day Zero in early 2018,
has made tremendous strides in water
conservation. Rand Water recently carried
out a major water infrastructure upgrade in
Gauteng, which, despite howls of protest
from the public and media because of
the required shutdown of services, is a
definite positive.
Going forward, successful building
developments will require that water and
energy consumption be reduced and,
as far as possible, buildings contribute
to energy generation, and water be
collected and reused. The technology
already exists to achieve this. At Co-Arc
International Architects, for example, a
major project we successfully completed
in Accra - Ghana required that we not
only conserve the limited water supply,
Cranes
but reuse and augment it to the point
where we achieved a 76% saving in
water consumption. The same project had
60% savings in net energy consumption
and an embodied energy almost 100%
less than average.
Retail not heading for disaster
Much has been made of the consumers’
change in buying patterns and the
potentially disastrous consequences for
retail developments. Certainly shopping
habits have changed and online retail is
growing rapidly.
Yet the fundamental reality is that
people still want to be together and to
commune with others. They still want
to be seen to be purchasing and to be
able to touch, feel and try out products -
before perhaps buying online. So bricks-
and-mortar retail isn’t dying. It will just be
different and unlock new development
opportunities for our cities.
Several new developments
The cry that “there are no good new
developments in South Africa” is contra-
dicted by top - quality developments
such as the Leonardo, a 55-floor mixed-
use property development currently
under construction in Sandton and
which will ultimately be Africa’s tallest
building. Midrand’s Waterfall City,
an 800,000m² mixed-use space, is
of similar quality.
Both projects are being driven by
people who are positive about the country,
optimistic about where it can go, and
believe in its capacity to lead Africa.
Addressing the skills shortage
Slow economic growth, fewer new
projects, cost-cutting and BEE require-
ments have all contributed to many
experienced people – whether trades
people or professionals – being lost to the
industry via emigration or other factors.
As an example, when we started working
on The Leonardo there were 12 engineers
in the country with high-rise experience.
This has been subsequently reduced
significantly as a result of retirement
and suitably trained young engineers
moving overseas.
We addressed this challenge with a
new all-South African team. We worked
with one of the last remaining structural
engineers with the necessary experience
and expertise and trained new people.
In our own office, we now have 12
architects, mostly under 35, who know
what it takes to do a high-rise building.
This pool of talent opens new doors for us
as a business and there’s surely no reason
why other architectural firms cannot
do the same.
In conclusion
The above are just some of the solutions
to our industry’s challenges. But if you
add into the equation the fact that South
Africans are a hard-working and resilient
bunch, then we can challenge the nega-
tive thinking that pervades the building
industry right now.
Be bold, be positive, think in new ways,
look beyond the traditional structures
of how we do business … and we can
move forward!
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