Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa July/August 2014 | Page 42

The new Military Health
Base Depot raises the
standard for multifunctional military bases in
South Africa to a new level.
It puts the latest technology
and best facilities at the
disposal of its users

SUSTAINABILITY
The project addresses the challenges of
sustainable design on various levels:
Energy Efficiency
The greening of lighting and HVAC
installations was made a priority and energy
efficient equipment was specified by the
mechanical and electrical engineers. With
the increased capital costs of the green
equipment taken into account, the HVAC
installation projects a saving of R3,5M (net
present value) over 20 years. The capital
cost payback period is 8 years.
For the lighting installation, the
resultant saving is projected at R6,0M (net
present value) over 20 years with a capital
cost payback period of 6 years. The lighting
system is equipped with occupancy and
daylight sensors that automatically adjust
electric lighting depending on the natural
daylight available.
Hot water in the 3 largest buildings is
provided by a heat-pump system, which
results in further energy savings.

Passive Design
Special care was taken to provide
good insulation to all the buildings,
including
the
warehouse
areas.
Especially important was insulation to the
pharmaceutical warehouse which is airconditioned to maintain a temperature
of 22 degrees. Insulation was added
to the existing buildings as part of the
restoration process.
The buildings are orientated north and
the glazing is protected by large overhangs
of aluminium filigree. Low emissivity glass
was used for windows and shopfronts to
regulate heat flow. For areas with limited
protective overhangs, a reflective low-E
glass was specified.
Water
Rainwater is harvested from the roof for
use in the vehicle washing area. Stormwater surface runoff is directed to
lushly planted rain gardens where it can
percolate into the soil, reducing the load
on the municipal storm-water system.

Sanitary fittings are of water saving
and low-flow types. The heat pump has
a circulating system that provides instant
hot water, thus saving the standing
cold water in pipes that would normally
be wasted.
Transport
One of the main reasons for deciding on
the site in Thaba Tshwane, in spite of its
challenges, is its proximity to the Pretoria
inner city and transport nodes e.g. a taxi
rank, Pretoria Central Railway Station and
the Gautrain.
A portion of conveniently located
covered parking is reserved for motorcycles and bicycles and there are shower
facilities for cyclists.
Indoor Environment Quality
The majority of spaces are supplied with
air-conditioned, filtered, fresh air. In the
case of HVAC failure or maintenance,
there is the option of natural ventilation
through openable windows.
Materials with low Formaldehyde
and VOC (Volatile Organic Compound