Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
Massive walls were intended to act as thermal
buffers, preventing the building from heating
up quickly in the summer and cooling down
quickly in winter (Maritz, 2002). However,
the external shading had a negative effect
on inside temperatures in winter. As Figure
2 shows, the shading makes it impossible for
thermal buffering to occur. Instead the walls
remain cold. The orientation of the building
worsens the situation, as it is turned towards
the morning sun, which is a cold sun. The
warm afternoon sun does not penetrate into
the interior and therefore NO thermal buffering
of the walls and floors occurs.
Figure 3 – Solar passive design
Passive solar design requires proper training
and utilisation by the staff members, for
example, curtains have to be withdrawn in
winter to warm up the inside space. Contrary
to the design principles of passive design,
electrical coolers were installed in the offices.
The public wing comprising the multi-purpose
hall, library and exhibition hall, are cooled
naturally by three windtowers, or badgir (see
Section 5.1). They have proven to be very
effective during summer. The rooms are cool,
not cold, and have the added advantage that
moist air, not cold and dry air, enters the halls.
The wind towers have proven to be efficient
enough, without using the installed backup
system of electrical pump and sprayers.
However, as no shutters or doors were installed
to close the openings, the cooling effect is also
maintained during winter.
4.2 Building materials
The construction of the HRDC integrated a
wide range of building materials, ranging from
industrial to natural. An overview of some of
the most used materials will illustrate what has
been incorporated:
Many industrial products can be recycled
or reused. Examples of industrial materials
are steel imported from South Africa, burned
clay brick manufactured in Kombat and
Mariental, or local ready mixed concrete. The
HRDC obtained concrete test cubes from an
engineering lab, which were used as paving
for the entrance area. Steel is a material that
can be reused for many purposes, such as
gates and burglar proofing. Second hand door
and window frames were extensively used.
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Stabilised soil blocks were one of the most
widely used wall materials in the construction