Understanding the need for a comparative framework when selecting an appropriate building technology for sustainable human settlements in South Africa

Abstract

Research Report: By investigating the mechanisms behind environmentally sustainable construction technologies, designers and other critical stakeholders could gain a more comprehensive, holistic understanding of the implications for certain design and implementation decisions during a building's life have on the larger environment. In the context of South Africa, innovative building technologies offer a new means of combating the carbon footprint of human activities and settlement development, producing in the building industry, on resources and the natural environment. By conducting a comparative study of present IBT systems against the existing traditional form of brick-and-mortar construction, potential embodied energy savings in material selection will be investigated and form the basis for recommendations for future studies regarding environmentally sustainable human development.

Design Project: The City of Tshwane municipality’s population will almost double from 3.5 million to 5.8 million by 2050 (Green Book, 2023). Pretoria, as a city within this municipality, is set to experience urban growth pressure. With this expansion comes several critical issues hindering the city’s ability to adapt and develop, such as: access to adequate resources and services, the reduced quality of life of its residents and associated potential mental health issues, as well as the loss of critical biodiversity. The intervention addresses the pressing need for improved access to mental healthcare resources in a city where a notable portion of the population suffers from mental health issues. Thus, it proposes a facility that provides complementary therapy interventions in combination with conventional therapy, and presents how access to public green space can play a vital role in healing. In an effort to improve Pretoria’s environmental vulnerability, this renewed purpose aims to preserve and regenerate green sites across the city as it continues to densify. Salutogenic and biophilic design strategies are used to provide a comprehensive solution using natural systems to address human wellbeing and the state of nature in the city. The design resolution, located in Nieuw Muckleneuk, is a series of spaces bridging the Walkerspruit river and nesting into the ground at either end, anchoring and reconnecting each side of Trim Park into a newly activated urban green site. It illustrates how innovative building technologies (IBTs) can reduce a project’s carbon footprint and energy demands. Moreover, contextually-specific passive design principles and the curated introduction of indigenous plant species at a site level, exemplify how architecture is enriched when the context and site are allowed to shape the buildings. This presents a new typology in which architecture serves as a facilitator between critical urban stakeholders to ensure symbiotic collaborations that produce environmentally-responsible building practices and an improved sense of urban wellbeing for the city, its residents and nature.