Form follows green function

While many new 'green' buildings contain superficial additions, sustainable design has to incorporate basic space and functional considerations before moving to more advanced features.

This is something IT services provider Adapt IT discovered while working with construction company JT Ross and Jay + Nel architects to create a new office building in Rydall Vale Park, KwaZulu-Natal.

Grant Smith, development director at JT Ross, says from the beginning there was a focus on the structure's functionality and ease of use, as a way to maximise efficiency and ensure longevity.

“We collaborated with Adapt IT on the building design from the outset, and they were close to the design and implementation,” says Smith.

Dean Jay, principal architect at Jay + Nel architects, adds that Adapt IT specifically wanted a green building, and functionality was one of the expressed criteria.

The project took 18 months, including protracted discussions in the initial stages, with actual construction taking less than a year. The offices were completed in December last year.

Peter Hilditch, business unit manager for infrastructure and networks at Adapt IT, says the company decided to adopt principles of environmental sustainability in 2008, and has incorporated this approach in other areas of the business.

“Along with moving into this building, we also refreshed the entire internal IT infrastructure,” he notes. This involved considering vendors' green credentials, the efficiency of cooling mechanisms, the disposing of materials, and promoting energy savings.

“Being an IT company, we looked very carefully at everything from the network and server infrastructure to the choice of laptops.” Hilditch adds the company tries to create awareness around efficiency throughout the organisation, through internal marketing initiatives and running a paperless office.

According to Smith, one of the key directives was that the building had to be easy and simple to build, without misusing materials (by incorporating decorative or superficial elements, for example).

“It was important to create flexibility of space. Durban is quite an inhospitable climate, with the wind howling virtually every day. We wanted to move away from having a blob of a building in a sea of green, and to try and create a design that allows people to move in and out of the building without being exposed to the elements.”

Another focus was the simplicity of the offices and its ability to absorb people in a way that its use could change over time to accommodate single or multiple tenants.

“A fundamental aspect of green building design is functionality,” notes Jay. The greater the lifespan of the building, he explains, the longer it will be used and continue to be rehabilitated. He adds this is often an overlooked aspect of sustainable design.

“If you design a building to be comfortable and a pleasant place to live and work in, it will continue to be used and the occupants will look after it.”

A fundamental aspect of green building design is functionality.

Dean Jay

According to Jay, the recent trend towards greening buildings in SA has been very superficial so far. “Some just have a few energy-efficient features and a solar panel on the roof and suddenly it's called green. But you have to design a building to be passively green before making it actively green.”

Jay explains that, especially in a place like Durban, air-conditioning is one of the biggest issues. “In passive green design, particularly in a hot climate, a primary goal is to design the building to preclude sunlight from entering in any way, and to control sunlight so it doesn't place a load on the aircon system. That way it's also cheaper to operate.”

Hilditch notes one of the key concepts was the careful planning of space in the office, which meant achieving greater efficiency in the same amount of square metres. “We need to start doing away with huge offices for individuals. Once people get over the initial change, they're usually quite receptive to working in an open-plan office.

According to Hilditch, the mood in the company has improved dramatically due to the more collaborative work space, with a noticeable increase in productivity. “It's open plan throughout - even the CEO sits in an open area. This has aided communication, as before you had lots of little offices in various business units spread across the organisation.”

Several areas of the building serve both a functional and aesthetic purpose. A huge wooden deck provides an outside meeting area and doubles up as a source of light for the basement below.

“A conventional basement would have been rather dingy, and the aim was to incorporate as much natural light as possible into the building,” says Jay. “The deck above, an approximately 1 000 square metre slatted wooden structure, became the lid of the basement. From a cost and light point of view, it gave a unique functionality to the roof of the building “.

The brief was to ensure there were no dark spaces within the offices, and Hilditch explains that the hot sides of the building were fitted with sunscreens to control the amount of sunlight filtering in. “They used clever ways of sheltering the building from sunlight that were cost-effective and efficient.”

According to Hilditch, all the furniture was also replaced, and the company was careful in choosing items that used sustainable materials. “We procure from companies that have environmental sustainability policies in place and put in furniture that was either made from recyclable materials or could be broken down into components to be individually recycled.”

Hilditch adds that the bathrooms and foyers have movement-sensors to control lighting, and that an efficient storm water disposal system was installed. “The water drains into tanks outside to use to wash cars, and there are solar panels to power the geysers.”

The project was a learning experience for all three parties. Smith says his company gained a lot of knowledge about how to, for example, manage waste created through the construction process. “Dean demonstrated ways to insulate the roof more cost-effectively and how to use fewer materials. He shared a few trade secrets we can use in future.”

“Traditionally people just chuck everything in a bin, whether it's metal or bricks or wood,” explains Smith. “It was incredibly difficult to manage, but we tried as best as we could to ensure each respective producer was separately responsible for disposing of its own waste. That way we didn't end up with an immense jumble sale of waste that gets buried in different corners on the property.”

He adds that while it wasn't a perfect process, it provides a benchmark against which they can build on going forward.

The team says there are things they would have liked to have done better - the benefit of 20:20 hindsight. “We could've chosen the materials slightly differently, to avoid weathering due to the proximity to the sea,” Smith points out.

According to Jay, the country still needs to mature in its approach to green building and design, from a marketing tool to something that makes a difference. “The demand is there, which is a start, but there's still veneer of marketing attached to it. Our green building guidelines also come from Australia, which is not identical in terms of climate,” he adds. ”We have a way to go, but we're going in the right direction.”

From an IT perspective, says Hilditch, the country hasn't adopted international trends as yet. “SA has been a bit slow to catch on.” He notes there's no generic model when it comes to incorporating a more green approach, as companies will have to work with what they have.

“We were in a fortunate position to start from scratch with a new building and refreshing our IT systems, while most companies will already have infrastructure in place. You have to look at things intelligently and buy green equipment that's applicable to your environment.”

For any company looking at embarking on a sustainable building project, considering the developer and construction company is vital, stresses Jay. “It's a big investment to make a building green, so you have to thoroughly research your partners. Check people have actual deliverables as opposed to just marketing promises.”

“The process isn't easy and one has to appreciate that green buildings are only one element of a green lifestyle,” Smith point out. “It's one component, and you have to surround yourself with people with a sound knowledge base to make it easier to transform entirely.”