The GreenHouse Project's Adventures + Lessons in - ELLEN ...

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The POTTING SHED from start to finishThe originalpotting shed was asmall, rectangularbuilding. The shedprovided accessto three longglasshouses atright angles to the western wall of the potting shed.The adjoining glasshouses were used for propagatingplants. It was constructed of face brick and had anasbestos roof. Because of its function and being halfsubmerged into the ground, the building sufferedproblems with damp. A wash house and shed, aswell as a carport were located on the east side of thepotting shed.The renovation began with careful demolition ofthe prefabricated buildings to make space for an accessramp and landscaping. An asbestos roof was takenoff the pottingshed, while thewooden rafterswere retained. Thepotting shed ‘shell’was then dividedinto three officesand reception areausing re-usablewooden partitions.The architects wanted to retain the attractive face brick.They also wanted to add windows to bring more lightinto the building.The toilets were built on, as was the kitchen area.The kitchen forms the link between the main office andthe meeting room. The meeting room is a convertedsection of glasshouse.The building itselfdemonstrates soundenvironmental principlesincluding energy and waterefficiency. A built-in solarstove cooks staff lunches,a solar water heater warmswater, rainwater is harvested,greywater from basins iscleaned by biological systems,and two composting toilets have been installed to dealwith human waste at source. Energy is being managedin the building design through the use of celluloseinsulation in the ceiling and reflective glass.Energy was further saved by re-using existingmaterials, thereby saving energy embodied inextraction and manufacture. Where second-handmaterials were not available, small companies andlocal artists were contracted to make elements ofthe building thereby boosting local economies. Theproject is also testing traditional and new alternatives toconventional construction such as the straw bale wallthat has been used to close off the boardroom.The potting shed office was sufficiently completeto be officially opened during the World Summit onSustainable Development (WSSD). Staff moved intothe office after the summit and have been happy intheir new ‘home’ ever since.Where second-hand materials werenot available, small companiesand local artists were contractedto make elements of the buildingthereby boosting local economies.8The GreenHouse Project
Chapter 3:The building processThe potting shed renovation was noordinary building process. Usually contractorswant to finish a building in aslittle time and for as little money as possible.We wanted to build with integrity. Contracts wereawarded to architects, contractors and buildersbased on their social responsibility credentials, theirempowerment potential and their commitment to agreen building process.Our social objectives included the use of locallabour, small businesses, previously disadvantagedpeople, more women, and processes that offered skillsdevelopment for local people.Environmental requirements included conservation ofresources, zero waste, no pollution, and no toxic materials.Broadly, the contractor finally chosenwas a female, emerging contractor.Her appointment therefore challengedconventional race and genderstereotypes. The building processwas to include a substantialempowerment component.Workers were to be taught aboutthe importance of caring for theenvironment, how to behave in anenvironmentally-responsible wayon a building site and how to usecertain green building techniquessuch as mud plastering or dung flooring(these were taught at special ‘learn andbuild’ workshops held in the course of construction).Further, the building process was to be guided bya Green Specification which would spell out ‘green’building practise on site.Selection and appointment ofcontractorsAn emerging woman contractor, Abathandi Projects(Thulie Manana), was appointed to commenceconstruction of Phase one in January 2002. She waschosen from a small group of women contractorsrecommended from the DBSA’s ‘Women inConstruction’ programme. Candidates were interviewedand the architects inspected previous constructionworks. The Bills of Quantity were negotiated betweenAbathandi and our quantity surveyor.CBS Architects chose to go the route of a negotiatedcontract as we had specific social development goalsand a tendering process would not necessarily ensurea high standard of work or that our green requirementswould be met.Later we contracted Onzela Mjana, Thulie’s foreman,and his wife Mandisa to build the ‘willow wall’. We hadbuilt up a trusting relationship with them and theywere committed to our green building goals, includingensuring that half of the construction team would bewomen. We were also under pressure to completethe works in a month before the World Summit onSustainable Development and couldn’t start anelaborate new process. However, the willow wall was amuch simpler construction than the office.The building process was to include asubstantial empowerment component.Workers were to be taught aboutthe importance of caring for theenvironment, how to behave in anenvironmentally-responsible way ona building site and how to use certaingreen building techniques such as mudplastering or dung flooring.Adventures and Lessons in Green Building9
Page 1 and 2: The GreenHouse Project’s Adventur
Page 3 and 4: ContentsForeword...................
Page 5 and 6: The South African NGO theGreenHouse
Page 7: Re-use versus recyclingExamples of
Page 13 and 14: hadn’t had training. Without the
Page 15 and 16: The Dummies’ Guide to green build
Page 17 and 18: Some of the materials chosen for th
Page 19 and 20: icks on their sides and the insides
Page 21 and 22: Potting shed roofVarious options fo
Page 23 and 24: Attractive red mud, found onsite, w
Page 25 and 26: Low-flow water tapsSelf-closing,pus
Page 27 and 28: Chapter 6:Energy conservation strat
Page 29 and 30: LessonThe GHP sod roof was a comple
Page 31 and 32: Energy discussion and learningThe D
Page 33 and 34: Why was the building so ‘expensiv
Page 35 and 36: Chapter 8:ConclusionsIs renovation
Page 37 and 38: Chapter 9:AppendixThis chapter offe
Page 39 and 40: © The GreenHouse Project, Tel: +27
Page 55 and 56: ContactsThe GreenHouse ProjectPO Bo

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