Quite a lot has changed since our last update in May. We have installed glass window and door panes to reduce noise nuisance from the road, and to keep the winter chill out. The floor was also still unfinished and, as it was getting colder, we had to do something quickly as the concrete was not very comfortable. With tight budgets, we looked for options.

I had done some research into green flooring options and the ultimate green option would be linoleum (not to be confused with vinyl). Linoleum is made of linseed oil and is therefore a renewable material. This product has a bad branding as hospital flooring but a lot has changed over the years and there are some attractive linoleum products available on the market including a liquid version! However, we decided on a more budget-wise option with the intention of installing our linoleum floor sometime in the future.

We opted for a B-grade carpet option (a carpet which has some manufacturing faults and cannot be sold). We worked with the Belgotex Foundation to find a woman-owned business to install the carpet in our office, thus contributing to the development of a women entrepreneur. Theresa Noluthando of Tamto Dimazana Investments was great and it was a pleasure to work with her. We were obliged to work with the available faulty carpet, but are now happy with our new black, red and blue flooring tiles. Something different from our standard approach to green.

The large sliding doors on the office’s north side open onto a sizeable garden area, and this really does make a huge difference. There is one big evergreen tree which gives shade throughout the year – great in summer! And a porch that receives the winter sun and warms you up in between meetings. We are working on a WIFI extender, which will allow us to take conference calls in the garden, as it is usually so much nicer to sit outside. In the medium- to long-term, we will need to think of a heating solution in the office for winter. Although, at the moment, it’s not an issue as there are not many people in the office at any given time and we have placed desks next to the windows – the sun is the greenest heater.

We are currently working on making the garden “spring” ready by getting rid of building rubble that had mixed with the soil, and enhancing the soil with compost. We are creating a summer hangout spot and a winter sunspot, so we can move through the garden as the seasons change. Obviously, there is going to be a veggie patch and some fruit trees. We discovered a beautiful orange tree in the garden. However, the tree did not get enough sunlight to produce sweet oranges but, by trimming the larger tree, we created more sunlight for it.

I cannot wait till spring comes and life becomes a bit more green again!

The post OUR NEW OFFICE: CHAPTER 7! appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

We left the two structures, converted the main building into the main office space (with kitchen and ablutions) and designed the outbuilding at the back of the property as a multi-purpose space with a large boardroom which could also function as a yoga/exercise or chill space. We started demolition in early 2020 and, when COVID hit, there wasn’t much of the structure left; and it took a while before we were allowed to continue building the structure up again. So, how has COVID made us rethink the spaces we were building?

Building Structure

Early on in the specification process, we decided to pioneer a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) structure for the roof, instead of using a concrete coffer slab. This was done to reduce the building’s embodied energy, and because it is much lighter and therefore helped to reduce the amount of strengthening and modification that the foundations required.

However, a CLT roof is quite expensive and it was a considerable cost in our budget. Lockdown hit and we were all working from home for a number of weeks. Our successful transition to remote working helped us to realise that a phased approach might work. So, we decided against constructing the CLT roof immediately. We installed the glulam timber beams for a future CLT roof, but opted a more economical roofing solution. When we eventually get the rights for a second floor, and if we need it, we will close the office for a couple of weeks and make the adjustment in the future.

Need for smaller meeting rooms/phone booths

With the move to online and remote working, the space planning allows for maximum flexibility and churn in terms of how power is supplied, and the old ablutions have been transformed into phone/meeting booths to meet the need for video conferencing.

Initially the kitchen and the ablutions were located within the main office building, and we planned a mostly open space office plan. During COVID we realised that we need smaller meeting rooms where staff can take a video call with their project teams. So, we transformed the toilet rooms and the kitchen into smaller meeting rooms, and the ablutions and kitchen moved to the multi-purpose room in the back of the building.

Working from home to the max

Solid Green has always had a “working from home” policy and staff were working from home 2 to 3 days a week. The idea with the new office was that we wanted to create an office environment for flexible working with no allocated desks/workspaces. We had 20 workstations in our old office and decided to only take 8 desks to the new office. The remainder of the desks were donated to Streetlight Schools. This was good forward thinking!

Energy Neutral Building

We always had the goal that our office would be extremely energy efficient, while still thermally comfortable. Over the December holidays, most of the things lying on site were taken away by more needy people. Then, in early January, our Distribution Board was stolen from the site. And, as if that was not enough, a week later the municipal electricity meter was also taken! We quickly installed the solar system with inverter and battery system, and we are up and running. In fact, we ran all the construction activities (including grinders) with solar power and we are now running on 100% solar in the office and are no longer connected to the municipal supply.

Flooring options

We researched the most sustainable flooring option for the office. Due to a height difference, this would have required putting in a raised floor system and we wanted to have a linoleum floor on top of that. Most people will pull up their nose at Linoleum as it is seen as a “hospital product”. However, the product has evolved over time and it is really a beautiful product in different finishes. And now linoleum is made from all-natural materials, including wood flour, rosins, ground limestone, powdered cork, pigments, jute and linseed oil. It really is one of the most sustainable flooring options available.

Linoleum is still our preferred flooring option, but due to COVID we had to look for a more economical option. We are currently investigating upcycling used carpet tiles (more about this in the next newsletter) as a temporary solution.

Recycling – Upcycling

During demolition, we aimed to ensure that there was limited waste going to landfill. Most of the materials, including timber and bricks, were reused or recycled somewhere. The old Oregon pine roof timbers which were cleaned up, inspected and reused as the outside decking. And the interior fitout is going to be put together from mainly recycled, reused or upcycled materials.

A renovation always takes more time than you think and never progresses according to the planned schedule, especially when it is interrupted by a global pandemic! There is still some work to be done on our dream office. The back buildings still need to be renovated and transformed, and we intend to build an attenuation pond/wetland system so that we do not have to release any stormwater into the municipal system. And, over the coming months, we are going to upgrade the landscaping, plant a veggie garden, create an outdoor seating area, and make our space comfortable with fitting and soft furnishings. That being said, we are already loving our new home and are looking forward to developing it further this year!

The post OUR NEW OFFICE: CHAPTER 6! appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, also known as the UrbanSDG , aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. We regard this as a truly transformational element of the 2030 Agenda, as it is the only goal that is location-specific at a manageable scale. However, collective impact is essential to ensure that the ambitious goals of this, and other related SDGs, can be refined and supported.

Over the past decade, the terms resilience and sustainability have become used more frequently, sometimes interchangeably. It is our intent to ensure that there is greater clarity on the full meaning of these terms because, although these are certainly compatible concepts, they are not the same thing. In an ideal community, economy or business there will be both sustainability and resilience. However, either can exist without the other – although that is not the ideal scenario.

The term sustainability implies continuity – an ongoing process which starts with a functional system and works to maintain that system without artificial inputs. Resilience, on the other hand, refers to the ability to bounce back after a disaster (man-made or natural), so this path starts from a negative point of impact and works toward recovery and proactively preparing for the future.

Since its inception, Solid Green has worked with sector leaders and policy makers to further both sustainability and resilience in Africa’s urban centres. Recently, this work has included Net Zero and Net Positive certifications and advocacy work; training and policy formulation in South Africa and other African countries; and projects that move toward addressing sustainability and resource efficiency at a precinct, district or even city scale – such as Oxford Parks and Sandton Gate; and our current work testing the EcoDistricts protocol for the City of Johannesburg.

We envision that Solid Green’s newly formalised Sustainable Cities and Research department will provide a platform for our experts to engage in various research projects, sustainable city-making guidelines, and strategic input to guide the implementation of policies and plans. We are inspired by the opportunity that this affords us to continue our important work in this sector, to support our clients and our communities and, importantly, to actively participate in shaping our ambitious shared future.

The post Exploring Sustainable and Resilient Cities appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

The 3rd Ghana Green Building Summit in 2020 was adapted as a virtual summit, taking place online only, in order to observe safety protocols in the fight against the global pandemic. The aim of the event was to reduce the negative impact of real estate projects on the environment while conserving natural resources.

The premise for the 2020 Summit’s theme was that, in the near future, greenness will rank far higher on the purchase and letting decision-making process of prospective property owners. The main theme was ‘BEYOND COVID-19: is a pandemic-proof architecture a reality?’, which was discussed under the sub-themes of Design, Innovation, Certification, Finance, and Sustainable Cities.

Chilu introduced his talk by identifying a major focus shift that has taken place over the last five months towards a greater awareness of health and indoor air quality; decentralised renewable energy networks; and socio-economic imbalances.

He said, “In our pre-Covid19 reality, commercial buildings guaranteed a degree of security around energy and IT infrastructure. But fresh air, thermal comfort and an environment conducive to motivation and productivity were not guaranteed. We spend 90% of our time indoors, and our environment is the largest determinant of our overall health. Yet indoor air quality is 2 to 5 times worse than outdoor air quality; indoor air pollution is ranked in the top 5 environmental risks to public health; and 50% of illnesses are known to be caused by aggravated indoor air pollution. Despite this knowledge, in most buildings, there is little to no awareness of the quality of the indoor environment being provided.

The pandemic and resulting lockdown displaced people from commercial buildings. Where were we displaced to? Many employees who previously had access to equal resources in their places of work found that they did not have the requisite infrastructure at home to continue to be productive.

“So, the current context has highlighted not only the need for healthier, more self-sufficient buildings, but also equal access to healthy places that are conducive to wellbeing and productivity. In responding to these demands – essentially the demands of a better-informed workforce – the future office will therefore have to deliver fresh air and a high indoor air quality, as well as thermal comfort, energy security and IT infrastructure – in order to ensure motivation and productivity.

“In future, there are a number of things we look forward to seeing. These include companies providing little pods for home offices (4mx2m). This solution helps with controlling your own indoor environment, providing energy security and the kind of IT infrastructure that you need. We expect to see more commercial clients actually willing to offset the cost of home offices or places for employees to work.”

It is interesting to note that most countries do not yet have legislation on air quality. In the new, healthier normal, good air quality will become non-negotiable. Reporting of building performance will have to include data on the quality of indoor air being provided to occupants. And the private and public sectors will have to work together proactively in defining and developing appropriate policies that address air quality and, indeed, all aspects of occupant health and wellbeing.

Download Ghana Green Building Summit 3 Report

The post The new, healthier normal appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

As a result, we are now operating at full capacity from remote locations. We remain fully available to support our clients, fellow consultants and suppliers on an ongoing basis.

As the situation evolves and our reality shifts on a daily basis, adaptability, mindfulness and compassion will be our greatest resources, while the health and wellbeing of all remain our ultimate goals.

#stayhome #stayhealthy #staysafe

The Solid Green Team

The post COVID-19: Driving Change Together appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.