Green School South Africa
OVERALL WINNER | OTHER DEVELOPMENT AWARD | SUSTAINABILITY AWARD
The Green School is part of a global network of schools that actively engage in creating a future that is rooted in sustainable practices at all levels . The Green School ’ s focus is on sustainability through the learning environment , curriculum and co-curricular activities . Situated in the Paarl-Franschhoek valley , from the outset the South African Green School ’ s challenge was to create a campus that is part of this global community but that is defined by its context , climate and heritage . In Paarl , where the summers are very hot and dry , and the winters wet and cold , the building envelope becomes an essential device to passively control the building climate .
The site is located in a low-lying valley , spatially defined by the Paarlberg to the north , the Drakenstein Mountains to the east and south , and the Simonsberg Mountains
towards the south west . This spatial arrangement , at a macro level , is the inspiration for the space making not only at a site-specific scale , but also down to the individual buildings and spaces between them . The architecture of the individual buildings is defined by organic tectonic shapes originating from the mountains that contain the valley but also more directly from the Paarlberg Boulders .
The Living Building Challenge ( LBC ) is a sustainability framework that the Green School in South Africa has taken on board to guide and inform all decision making . It is a tool that all consultants , contractors , and subcontractors have used to ensure that most sustainable practices are employed in the design , specifying and construction of the school . The LBC looks at the place , water , energy ,
66 SAPOA Awards