The Department of Public Works within the Green-Building space (isiZulu)
Story & Images by Salma Mahomed
Department of Public Works is the Implementing Agent of choice for all government infrastructure. As the ‘Implementing Agent of Choice’, it is vital that the Department of Public Works acts as a leader towards positive change in the realm of infrastructure and built environment projects. The Department has taken this role head-on and is now implementing the Green Building Policy that was formalised in September 2017. A Green Building Unit, consisting of various built environment professionals and candidates, has been formed to drive the green building programme.
Figure 1: The Bisho Massacre Memorial Building. The building incorporates green building
elements such as water harvesting, Natural Lighting and passive architecture to
reduce the electricity and water consumed by the building.
The Green Building professionals were recently invited to attend the National Green Building Technical
Committee meeting in East London. Green building professionals from all over the country attended
the meeting. The aim of the meeting was to report on the progress of green infrastructure projects
around the country and the progress on green building implementation targets. The meeting was
informative and eye opening as the team participated in interactive presentations and discussions
regarding challenges faced by government departments in implementing green projects and methods
to mitigate these challenges. The meeting was closed with a site visit to the Bisho Memorial Building.
The site visit was inspiring as the team witnessed elements of modern green building principals
integrated into a building that celebrates the rich political past of Bisho.
The team thereafter attended a Green Building Energy Savings Company (ESCO) Contract Workshop
held at the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works. The workshop focussed on the
Western Cape Department’s approach to the unique challenges that the implementation of green
building projects face especially with the procurement and management of ESCO’s. The participants
discussed the challenges faced so far and various possible solutions were presented and discussed. The
DoTPW’s approach of including interested parties from various directorates into the green building
team was found to be both a unique and effective solution to driving green building projects forward.
The participants also learned about the New Engineering Contracts (NEC) contracts used to facilitate
green building projects in the Western Cape.
Figure 2: (left to right) Mr L Fenner, Mr S Mathonsi and Mr S Khanyile of Department of Public Works KZN inspect the Solar Panels on the
Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works building. The energy generated by the solar panels is fed into the building and any
surplus is fed to the main municipality supply
The workshop included two site visits. The first was a visit to the Western Cape Department of Human
Settlements building. The building is utilised much like the Oliver Tambo building in Pietermaritzburg,
as the head office of the Department. The building generates part of its own electricity via 52 solar
panels upon the roof. Electricity consumption in the building is reduced by setting up equipment on
timers to ensure they do not draw current whilst the building is not in use. Various recycling
programmes are active throughout the office block to ensure that occupants of the building are
encouraged to recycle paper and plastic waste. The water reticulation around the building includes low flow taps and fixtures to reduce water wastage. This furthermore creates a culture of awareness about
efficiently usage of energy and water.
The second site visit was the Administrative Block of the Karl Bremer Hospital. The building is 5 Star
Green Star rated building. The building recycles 100% of its water usage. The recycled black water is
used in the toilets. This reduces water wastage and dependence on municipality water supply. Rain
Water harvesting methods are also utilised and the rainwater system is merged with the black water
system. The building also utilises natural sunlight to reduce electricity usage and passive architectural
design to minimise the need for heating and cooling systems. The landscaping/greenery surrounding
the building is unique in that the philosophy for xeriscaping (water conservation in landscaping) is used.
Plants that are water-wise make up the greenery. The materials for the building were locally supplied,
which further reduced the embodied energy within the building.
Figure 3 Dr S Gichia of Department of Public Works KZN inspects the Solar Farm
at the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements
Healthcare facilities can built incorporating the Green-building philosophy seamlessly. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
The Green Building Unit has started working on a programme for monitoring and evaluation of new projects and retro-fitting of some existing buildings in the Department of Public Works Portfolio to comply with the green building policy. The team aspires to lead all other Government Departments into a greener, more sustainable built environment