Initially, Nedbank Namibia’s new head office achieved a 5-star Green Star Office Design certification. As the building was only three points shy of a 6-star rating, the sustainability consultant advised on the additional measures required to realise a 6-star rating. The client gave the go-ahead, and these measures were implemented to achieve the 6-Star Green Star As-built certification.

Marloes Reinink, director at Solid Green Consulting, says that the entire certification process required vision and dedication from both the client and professional team. All professionals and contractors had contractual obligations and targets to implement, track and report on throughout the Green Star processes. Elri Syfert from WCE was the Accredited Professional on the project and assistance was provided by Annelide Sherratt from Solid Green’s side. WCE also assisted Nedbank in procuring an independent commissioning agent to ensure that future maintenance was properly considered during the design process, and that all systems were correctly commissioned before handover.

The Nedbank Head Office Campus in Windhoek, a visually striking sixteen-storey building located at Freedom Plaza on Independence Avenue, is characterised by strong contemporary geometries.

Furthering industry knowledge and capacity

 The 6-star certification is reserved for highly efficient buildings that also address social issues and contribute to the community. Martha Murorua, Managing Director of Nedbank Namibia, mentions that the achievement showcases the quality of Namibian workmanship.

“Our new head office is a symbol of our commitment to supporting the local economy and creating job opportunities for the people of Namibia,” Murorua says.

With 97% of the contract value allocated to Namibian companies, this building showcases the collective positive impact we can have on empowering and supporting local capacity development.

Furthermore, as part of the innovation points achieved on the project, all major contractors, sub-contractors and consultants completed the GBCSA online course for New Buildings. This elevated the understanding, knowledge and capabilities around sustainability within the Namibian market, and set a benchmark for future developments in this respect.

External louvres act as dynamic façade elements and passive shading devices to limit glazing and heat loads.

Landmark sustainability

The visually striking sixteen-storey building, located at Freedom Plaza on Independence Avenue, and covering a total gross floor area of 10,716m², is characterised by strong contemporary geometries. The ground floor accommodates Nedbank’s public entrance and client interface, client service and a coffee shop.

Energy modelling was carried out by Solid Green very early on during the concept design stage. The intention was to identify design measures that would reduce energy consumption. The most significant design changes resulting from this process were:

• changing the East and West façades from solid panels to etched glass, reducing heat load gains by 50%.
• external louvres acting as dynamic façade elements and passive shading devices to limit glazing and heat loads.
• double glazing to the East, West and North façades, which also assists with noise reduction.
• a split between perimeter and internal office heat load zoning.
• blinds on the North façade to allow for better glare control.

The modelling also identified that, by increasing the size of the photovoltaic system on the roof, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be significant enough to permit the building to target a 6-star As-built certification.

For Rowan McNamara, Director at Kerry McNamara Architects and his design team, the process of achieving a 6-star rating has been very rewarding.

The experience has been unsurpassed in expanding our knowledge and commitment to sustainability and green building. A unique and interesting process was the 3D simulation and finetuning of the façade louvres and performance glazing with the team at Solid Green Consulting. This allowed us to achieve excellent external views for the occupants whilst maintaining thermal comfort and energy efficiency. We are very proud to be a part of this sustainable landmark in the Namibian built environment landscape and congratulate all involved in this achievement.

Energy modelling carried out by Solid Green allowed the design team to achieve excellent external views for the building occupants whilst maintaining thermal comfort and energy efficiency.

Innovations and resource savings

Of the 1,600 tons of reinforced steel used for the building structure, 92% consisted of recycled metal to minimise the embodied energy and resource depletion associated with the use of virgin steel. In addition, the use of Portland cement was reduced by an impressive 47%, by substituting fly ash that came from power stations. And 93% of waste generated during construction was recycled.

Peak electrical demand was reduced by 30% due to the installation of the PV system, with an annual production of 262.8MWh. Energy modelling further established that the energy efficient design and the addition of the PV system achieved a 40% energy saving compared to similar buildings. In total, carbon emissions associated with operational energy consumption have been reduced to 27.1 kg CO2/m²/year from 272.6 kg CO2/m²/year – a 90% improvement compared to a conventional building of this type.

Energy efficient initiatives include the installation of 100% LED lighting as well as a lighting control system that allows daylight harvesting – when the light outside is bright, the lights inside will dim, saving electricity and reducing glare in the office space. To further improve occupant wellbeing and productivity, fresh air is supplied at 33% above the minimum required by the SANS building regulations for conventional buildings.

 Submetering of all substative energy and water loads is in place, and a building management system records energy and water consumption for monitoring, reporting and tuning. In addition, energy and water data is displayed as a learning resource in the building reception area to inform users and visitors about resource consumption.

Rain water and airconditioning condensate is collected, treated and stored, together with treated water collected from sinks and showers. Topped up with ground water collected from a sump, this water is then pumped to the roof and used for toilets, irrigation and façade cleaning. In this way, the building uses 20% less water from the municipal supply and 50% less water ends up in the municipal sewer system.

Another exciting feature, and one where Innovation credits were awarded, is the Sun Cycles Innovation. A small shop has been set up in the basement where employees as well as tourists can rent a Sun Cycle e-bike to be used in the Windhoek CBD for short business trips and city tours. Cycling facilities with showers and lockers have also been included to promote sustainable transport. In addition, a green cleaning policy has been implemented to address environmental best practices for cleaning the interior of the building. The building’s waste is also being monitored and reported each year, so that waste reduction targets can be established.

In conclusion

Murorua believes that Nedbank’s commitment to sustainability and positive social impact puts the bank among world-class leaders in building practices, setting an inspiring example of what can be achieved through collaboration. She concludes, “The 6-star rating is testament to our collective dedication and perseverance. Let’s keep pushing forward towards even bigger achievements.”

Project Team

Owner: NedProperties (Pty) Ltd
Sustainability Consultant & Accredited GBCSA Professional: WCE Consulting Engineers / Solid Green Consulting
Project Manager: Emcon Consulting Group
Architect: Kerry McNamara Architects Inc.
Civil & Structural Engineer: WCE Consulting Engineers
Electrical & Mechanical Engineer: Emcon Consulting Group
Quantity Surveyor: Herselman Van Greunen Quantity Surveyors
Independent Commissioning Agent: Ecolution
Main contractor: Namibia Construction (Pty) Ltd

The post Nedbank Head Office Campus leads the way to building excellence in Namibia appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Click this picture of the Biophilic map to visit the interactive version.

Solid Green’s office in Rosebank (see images above), Johannesburg, was awarded a prestigious LEED Platinum certification for Commercial interiors and the first 6-Star Green Star SA Interiors v1 certification in 2016; and won the Highest Rated Building category at the Green Star SA Leadership Awards in July of the same year.

The office refurbishment was primarily aimed at improving the indoor environmental quality for employees, which was achieved by implementing both Green Star SA and LEED interior principles. According to Solid Green’s founder and director, Marloes Reinink:

We wanted to create a space which is energy and water efficient, but more importantly, a space where our staff can thrive and enjoy what they are doing. Our offices are filled with natural daylight and natural ventilation, and incorporate elements of biophilic design, all critical elements to a healthy indoor environment.

The post Solid Green’s Offices on the Biophilic Map appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

To illustrate this point, let us investigate the best means of heating hot water with scenarios at the extreme ends of the energy price and carbon spectrum. If energy was very expensive and came predominantly from fossil fuels, then efficient hot-water heating technologies such as heat pumps or thermal-solar systems would make a lot of sense in terms of paybacks, lower electrical demand and reduced carbon emissions. On the other end of the spectrum, if energy were to be hypothetically free and completely renewable, efficient hot-water heating technologies would never make sense.

At some point on this continuum, a tipping point is reached. The question is, has this point been reached with rooftop PV at the current price? Analysis reveals that for, multi-unit residential and office buildings, it has indeed.

Solar Panel Array (Credit: MaxPixel)

Looking past the bad reputation that resistance hot-water heaters have gained, in part due to the lone prescriptive hot-water heating clause in SANS 10400 part XA, they have various advantages over solar-thermal or heat-pump systems. These advantages include:

• reduced maintenance
• simpler reticulation
• lower installation cost
• reduced space requirements
• silent operation
• easier concealment

Solving the problem of matching demand and production

In a conventional residential development, the economics of solar PV have been precarious given the absence of a feed-in tariff. Daytime peak solar output does not coincide with morning and evening demand peaks. Batteries are a solution to this, but their high price usually eliminates them as an option.

But what if there were another way? By coupling resistance water heaters – timed to heat mostly during daytime solar production peaks – with rooftop PV, one can use geysers as thermal batteries. Electrons that would otherwise have gone to waste are used to heat water.

Regulatory compliance

In deploying a rooftop PV system with geysers and timers to ensure peak production is absorbed by the geysers, there is a hurdle: the aforementioned energy regulation of SANS 10400 Part XA excludes resistance heating as an option for domestic hot water.

Comically, if interpreted at face value this allows one to light a diesel fire under a boiler, but not to power a geyser with 100% renewable solar energy.

Fortunately, this clause has been successfully challenged at building councils, where the improved environmental and economic performance of rooftop PV combined with timed resistance geysers has been demonstrated by way of rational assessment.

To meet the energy regulation, we have to show that at least half of the energy used to heat hot water comes from solar PV. This is not an onerous amount of PV and, in fact, the economics of it incentivise the developer or homeowner to maximise rooftop PV. In doing so, the submission is in line with the overriding regulation that states the intention of SANS 10400 Part XA: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Analysis: Capacity generation

Analysis has shown that, for a given investment, a developer can buy more generating capacity by using a grid-tied PV system (and using geysers timed to heat water during daytime hours) rather than a solar hot-water system. The same applies when comparing this system with PV and heat pumps, assuming a set investment.

In other words, viewed at system-level, a given amount of money will produce better environmental performance if spent on grid-tied rooftop PV and geysers than if it were spent on alternative hot water heating technologies. This unexpected result has everything to with the declining price of rooftop PV, a trend that is set to continue.

In the details

If specifying such a system, attention must be paid to the thermal properties of the geyser. We now have a resistance-geyser energy labelling standard, and it pays one to pay a premium for a properly insulated geyser that scores well on this scale.

It is worth noting that in the absence of a minimum amount of rooftop PV, a geyser on its own will not be compliant with SANS 10400 XA. Similarly, it will not deliver good financial and environmental performance.

Viewed another way, using geysers to utilise excess solar power during the daytime production peak actually enables and incentivises developers to maximise PV area on residential rooftops.

To enquire about using geysers on projects that have rooftop PV installations, contact info@sans10400xa.co.za for details on a rational assessment of such a system.

The post The Return of the Geyser appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Excellence in design for greater efficiencies

EDGE Experts encourage the construction sector to design and build green by serving as trusted and experienced advisors. EDGE Experts are able to: provide clients and professional teams with a greater understanding of bioclimatic design and green technologies through their skills, insights and thorough understanding of the EDGE software; provide a cost-benefit analysis of green concepts, systems and solutions that best match the client’s aspirations; and assist the client in imagining and realising an entirely green portfolio.

Energy efficiency simulation in the design of homes

Energy modelling has been shown to be one of the best-value tools in saving energy. Solid Green has now developed a solution that uses bespoke software and automation to provide architects with answers to all the most common questions on any residential project, to provide a solution that is energy efficient and thermally comfortable.

Sun Path Diagram

Results are quantified and presented for every room in the house, and the associated cost of heating and cooling is anticipated to give clients real metrics by which to make decisions. In this way, the cost of Energy Efficiency Simulation is radically reduced, while maintaining the quality of predictive information to the client.

Solid XA:Online

Solid XA was designed to allow specifiers to quickly and easily create and manage residential projects for SANS10400 XA Rational Assessment. The app is used to: input details for walls, glazing, roofs and floors; upload building plans; and enter client’s invoicing details. Through this easy-to-use system, multiple projects can be managed, and materials profiles can be saved for reuse later. Once all steps have been completed, the assessment is speedily performed by Solid Green.

To find out more about our services and products for residential projects, or to see how your residential project will perform before it’s built, reach out to us at hello@solidgreen.co.za.

The post Support for Residential Certifications appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Chilufya Lombe, Director at Solid Green, says:

One of the most important aspects of passive design is fully understanding the local climate and making sure that the building is able to take advantage of the prevailing conditions. Solid Green has an extensive library of detailed weather data that are used to conduct simulations and analyse weather data.

1. Sunlight and Thermal Modelling

The area is characterised by high diurnal temperature swings for large percentages of the year. This large difference between maximum and minimum daily temperatures indicates that there is a lot of potential for using thermal mass for passive cooling. Low night time temperatures means the building fabric can store ‘coolth’ and release it during the day, greatly reducing the need for active cooling. Fig. 1.1 – 1.5 below illustrate the modelling for this building in these specific climatic conditions.

Sun Path Diagrams

Fig. 1.1 – 1.2 represents the path the sun follows with respect to the site location. This is often the easiest way to help design teams visualise the impact of the sun on the building. All shading elements as indicated on the tender drawings are captured in the actual building model; and self-shading from the building’s own form is also accounted for in the model. No adjacent buildings are present on site that can have overshadowing impact.

Sun Path Diagram, Fig. 1.1

Sun Path Diagram, Fig. 1.2

Temperature Distribution Charts

Fig. 1.3 – 1.5 show the temperature and humidity distribution for different months of the year. Every hour of the year is represented.

Temperature Distribution, Fig. 1.3

The percentage of hours above 26 °C is a good indicator of how much discomfort should be expected when using natural ventilation for cooling.

Temperature Distribution (Day), Fig. 1.4

With the correct treatment of the façade, night time temperatures should always be comfortable in this climate. It is also clear that winter temperatures can fall quite low and heating will be required in winter months.

Temperature Distribution (Night), Fig. 1.5

2. Passive Design Modelling

A baseline model was created using known design parameters and best-practice inputs for different building elements. This baseline was then used to test the impact of various passive design elements.

To truly optimise a building, a large number of combinations must be tested to ensure the interconnectivity between important design variables is fully assessed. Take glazing as an example: if the glazing specification is changed, then shading requirements, heating and cooling loads, thermal mass and natural ventilation requirements will also change. Fig. 2.1 illustrates how, with just a few options for various building elements, you can generate a large number of combinations to test.

Parametric Design Combinations

The most efficient set of solutions must be identified and assessed for accurate recommendations to be made. This is one of the big advantages of optimisation – you typically end up with a number of optimal solutions and have the choice to decide which solution best meets the design objectives.

Parametric Design Combinations, Fig. 2.1

3. Building Fabric Investigated

Thermal properties of standard materials were used directly from the extensive DesignBuilder materials database. The following tables represent various changes that can be implemented to achieve both the most energy efficient and thermally comfortable solution.

Glazing – options investigated, Fig. 3.1

Roof Insulation – options investigated, Fig. 3.2

External Walls – options investigated, Fig. 3.3

Ground Floor – options investigated, Fig. 3.4

4. Summary of Results

Based on the results generated from the above, recommendations were then made with regards to the best combination of building fabric. The initial design was over-insulated for this climate and led to the building not being able to cool down passively at night. The table below shows that the proposed changes not only reduce the buildings energy use for active cooling but also save the client money.

Best combination of building inputs:

Best Combination, Fig. 4.1

Fig. 4.2 shows the savings by means of the most effective combination of factors.

Overall Savings, Fig. 4.2

5. Conclusion

The baseline building can be improved by 30% overall in HVAC energy by optimising the building fabric. That represents 30% less energy to offset if the client would like to make the house carbon neutral. Reducing the cooling load effectively decreases the number of hours that the building will require active cooling. Although the overall heating has been increased, the energy consumption over a whole year has been decreased because heating is only required for two and a half months. These recommendations are therefore in line with the client’s objectives for an energy and cost efficient home.

The post Residential Modelling: Case Study appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Solid Insight is a one-stop solution for managing resource use in buildings – it connects energy and water meters and other sensors in buildings, and reliably brings consumption data to the web for use to powerful effect. The interface allows users to easily create live dashboards where data are presented in an attractive, clear and understandable format – thus allowing users to pursue sustainability goals as informed and responsible agents.

Taking the product beyond its initial scope of energy and water monitoring, many clients are now also implementing Solid Insight to manage portfolios of distributed rooftop solar investments, making use of its single, easy-to-use dashboard. The initiative has already been piloted at the GBCSA’s offices in Cape Town in 2014, and at Solid Green’s own offices in Johannesburg, which have just received the first 6-Star Green Star SA Interiors certification for a refurbishment undertaken in 2015.

To find out how Solid Insight can bring your data to life, contact warren@solidinsight.co.za.

The post Solid Insight: Your One-Stop Solution appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

This tool has, however, been out of reach for single-family residential homes and small developments. Despite seeing mainstream adoption in commercial projects, residential architects have not looked to simulation to inform their designs. That is, until now.

New methods

The reality is that the amount of work that goes into optimising the energy performance of a free-standing house is about the same as that required for an office building or large retail complex. The quantum of energy saving is, however, far greater for larger commercial developments.

The engineers at Solid Green Consulting have applied their minds to the problem and come up with a solution that uses bespoke software and automation to provide architects with answers to all of the most common questions on any project, to provide a solution that is energy efficient and thermally comfortable. The result is a seamless product that leverages the power of best-in-class Energy Efficiency Simulation software with the comparative advantage of the architect, engineer and software. By playing to the respective strengths of professionals and computers, we can streamline the workflow as follows:

The optimum division of strengths to most cost-effectively fit simulation into a residential project

The result is that architects do not need to pay school fees in learning new software. Results are quantified for each possible intervention, such as double-glazing, performance glass, heating systems and insulation. They are then presented for every room in the house, and the associated cost of heating and cooling is anticipated to give clients real metrics by which to make decisions.

Room-by-room analysis for summer and winter are presented so that architects and clients can make decisions using high-resolution payback and thermal-comfort prediction data.

In doing so, Solid Green has been able to radically reduce the cost of Energy Efficiency Simulation whilst maintaining the quality of predictive information to the client. To see how your residential project will perform before it’s built, reach out to us at hello@solidgreen.co.za.

The post Revolutionising Energy Efficiency Simulation in the design of homes appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

How does EDGE work?

• The developer and professional team perform a self-assessment of the proposed design. They may get a sustainability consultant to help them achieve EDGE compliance and ensure all details are correctly entered into the tool.
• If the self-assessment checks out, the developer may secure preferential finance from an investor. Getting this preferential finance will be contingent on achieving EDGE certification.
• The developer’s professional team puts the documentation together to show compliance for EDGE certification. They may employ the services of a sustainability consultant to do this.
• The developer appoints an accredited EDGE auditor to act as the independent assessor of the submission provided by the professional team. The interim audit is an assessment of design documentation, and the final audit is an assessment of the as-built documentation as well as a site audit.

What are the costs?

1. Incremental increased cost of construction for materials and systems required to meet EDGE requirements.
2. EDGE auditor fees.
3. Registration fees with the GBCSA. These are based on the number of typologies and the project area (see calculator below).

Disclaimer: This calculator is based on official published fees found here. It is kept current as far as possible.

To get an instant proposal for EDGE accredited auditor services, contact us.

Frequently asked questions

The post EDGE Services appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

The initiative is a partnership between the GBCSA, World Bank Group member The International Finance Corporation (IFC), and local roll-out partners The National Home Builder Registration Council (NHBRC) – with Solid Green Consulting as technical consultants on regionalising the tool and testing it for the South African conditions and market. To achieve the EDGE standard, a 20% reduction must be achieved for energy use, water use, and embodied energy in materials over a business as usual baseline.

According to Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA,

This entry into the housing market is another major milestone for us and illustrates our commitment to bolstering and promoting green building in all sectors of property development in South Africa. This partnership puts South Africa in a leading position globally to test and apply a simple, easy to use green rating software for homes at scale and will extend the GBCSA’s impact of trying to transform the way that residences are built.

Warren Gray of Solid Green Consulting affirms, “We believe that the EDGE rating tool’s arrival in South Africa will see widespread application in the residential space, a sector that has until recently seen low adoption rates of green building rating tools. With the financial and funding incentives to which the tool provides access, developers have shown a keen interest in EDGE.”

For more information, visit www.edgebuildings.com.

The post EDGE: Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Use the form on the Solid XA homepage to get an instant quotation on a SANS10400 XA assessment for your building. Enter your building’s GFA, client and your projects’s name and we’ll give you a cost and generate a formal quotation PDF.

Get a quick quote on the Solid XA homepage.

On the homepage you can also learn more about South African energy regulations and why Rational Assessment is the best Path to Compliance.

Manage projects

Solid XA was designed to allow you to quickly and easily create and manage your projects for SANS10400 XA Rational Assessment. Use the app to input details for your walls, roofs and floors, upload your building plans and enter your glazing, systems and client’s invoicing details. Manage multiple projects and save materials profiles for reuse later. Solid XA guides you through the entire process. When all steps have been completed, submit your project for assessment, which will be performed by Solid Green and returned to you speedily.

We’ll guide you through each step required in submitting your project for assessment. Save and manage multiple projects for submission when ready.

Creating new projects is quick and easy. Simply complete the new project form.

The solid XA app allows you to input and visualise your materials data for walls, floors and roofs.

Upload your building plans and mange your project. When all steps are complete, hit submit and we’ll complete your assessment.

Convenience

Through the SANS10400 XA Rational Assessment Path to Compliance, you need never do XA glazing calculations again while saving clients money on reducing the requirement for insulation and double glazing. Design better buildings by spending budget where it saves energy.

Visit Solid XA see how easy it is to complete your SANS10400 XA assessments online.

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