+IMPACT Magazine Issue 25

PROJECT
PROJECT
When property developer Alleyroads
bought the Illovo Country Club in 2012
on KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) South Coast,
affordable housing was top of mind.
“Our main aim was to close the infrastructure gap in
South Africa, as demand for affordable housing far
outstrips supply,” says Ivan Pretorius, founder and MD of
Alleyroads. While upmarket property developments have
mushroomed along the North Coast over the past decade,
middle-income earners have been left behind. “There
were also economic drivers that made us choose the South
Coast,” explains Pretorius, including the development of
the Durban port towards the old airport, as well as the
expansion projects of Toyota and Illovo Sugar, which
required additional personnel to be housed.
The other objective Alleyroads wanted to achieve was
sustainability. Last year the company secured funding for
R325 million from the International Finance Corporation
(IFC), a division of the World Bank. Alleyroads also became
an EDGE Champion, one of only a handful of African
companies that were chosen by the IFC to accelerate
green building adoption. While the IFC is responsible
for EDGE certification worldwide, the Green Building
Council South Africa (GBCSA) is a Certification Provider
is the country.
Pretorius says the group chose to pursue EDGE
certification because it’s kinder to the planet and on
people’s pockets. “As a developer, by greening our housing
projects, we put less strain on the national electricity grid
and this ensures sustainability into the future,” he asserts.
“The tenants living in our units also derive direct benefits
from the reduction in their monthly utility expenditure.”
There was also a market advantage to working with
the GBCSA, Pretorius believes. “GBCSA’s certification
systems, such as EDGE, are widely recognised and
respected in the industry,” he explains. “By working
with GBCSA, Alleyroads can aim for green building
certifications for its projects, providing a market advantage
by demonstrating commitment to sustainable design
and construction.”
The striking entrance to the estate. Solar bulbs are used for
exterior lighting, which contributes to energy efficiency.
FROM COUNTRY CLUB TO ESTATE
Construction began in 2015, with the first phase of the
development consisting of 80 units, then financed by
the National Urban Reconstruction and Housing Agency
(NURCHA). Later, Phases 2 and 3 were added, consisting
of 160 sectional-title units. In total, the development now
consists of 240 units.
Each unit has a floorplan of 65m² and consists of two
bedrooms and a bathroom. It comes fitted with builtin
cupboards, granite kitchen countertop, and modern
sanitary ware and tiling in the bathroom. The complex
has ample parking, with plenty of visitors’ bays, as well
as 24-hour security. In addition, it features amenities like
tennis courts, a play area for children, a swimming pool
and a club house, which was part of the original country
club house.
PREDICTED SAVINGS
Hano Oberholzer, director of BDH Solutions, who advised
Alleyroads on the green building design and helped the
client understand the ins and outs of the certification
system, is thrilled with the result. “I am immensely satisfied
that all our hard work paid off,” he enthuses. He says he
worked closely with the GBCSA to prepare the application
and achieve the certification.
The new development has achieved considerable energy
savings to its residents through practical solutions, such as
the fitting of 288 solar panels that provide 157 230kWh of
renewable energy a year. In addition, just over 65 exterior
solar security lights contribute to a further saving of
28 470kWh a year. Alleyroads chose to use power-saving
The group pursued EDGE certification
because it’s kinder to the planet
and on people’s pockets.
An aerial view of the estate shows solar roof panels,
which produce 157 230kWh of renewable energy a year.
bulbs with a luminous efficiency of 96 for interior lighting.
Reduced window-to-wall ratios and roof insulation ensure
optimal energy efficiency. This energy reduction adds up
to a predicted savings of 26% of all energy measures for
the entire estate.
On the water side, significant savings have also been
achieved. These include restricting water usage in the
kitchen and bathroom taps, as well as the shower, by using
aerators that reduce water flow to three litres/minute. All
the toilets in the estate have a dual-flush mechanism with
The kitchen taps are fitted with aerators that
slow the water flow to reduce consumption.
The new development has achieved
considerable energy savings to its
residents through practical solutions.
a six-litre, high-volume and a three-litre, low-volume
flush. Overall, a 35% saving was achieved in the predicted
water consumption.
But the most impressive saving of all was using less
embodied energy through the choice of construction
materials. In this, the estate achieved a 56% reduction,
resulting in a saving of 40 tonnes of CO 2 a year. Some
of the smart measures that were incorporated into the
building design were the choice of ceramic floor tiles with
a thickness of 10mm, ensuring minimum heat loss with
a U-value of 0.49W/m 2 .K.
On the roof, micro-concrete tiles on timber rafters were
used, which generated a U-value of 0.36W/m 2 .K. The
exterior walls were built with a combination of face brick
(92%) and dense concrete bricks (8%) that were plastered
and painted. The interior walls, on the other hand, were
exclusively built out of dense concrete bricks, which were
plastered and painted. All window frames are made out of
100% aluminium. The roof insulation consists of 100mm
Aerolite to keep homes cool in summer and warm in winter.
This glass wool ceiling insulation product has a thermal
conductivity K-value of 0.040W/m 2 .K. Lastly, all ceilings
consist of 7mm PVC and have a thermal resistance of
0.112 W/m 2 .K.
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POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25
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