However, now and then, a project team is required to do some site work. The Sustainable Cities and Research Department recently visited Mauritius as part of our role in supporting The Precinct in targeting an EcoDistrict certification. Phase 1 of the development, Unity Building, has already secured a 5-Star Green Star Office v1.1 Design Certification.

The property is being developed by Gateway Real Estate Africa (GREA) in partnership with GRIT Real Estate Income Group. Strategically located at the entrance of Grand Baie, approximately 20km from Port Louis, the project is envisioned as a state-of-the-art office space.

The EcoDistricts certification will be a first for Mauritius and aligns well with the ESG targets set by both GRIT and GREA, organisations that are committed to making sustainable development decisions that are focused on driving carbon neutrality and maximizing the positive impact on the communities they serve.

Adrie Fourie, Head of the Sustainable Cities and Research Department and I, embarked on our journey in the middle of February, not knowing the full extent of the adventure that awaited us. After an uneventful flight, the first thing that hit me was the density of the air and the heat, which I surprisingly enjoyed. However, my suitcase was nowhere to be found! Fortunately, the officials at the airport were efficient, taking my details and assuring me they would reunite me with my suitcase soon.

The drive from the airport introduced us to this beautiful, green island with an undulating landscape and an architectural expression unique to the island – culturally inspired buildings sit next to modern structures hiding between dense tropical vegetation. It was like nothing I had seen before.

Our hotel, a stone’s throw away from The Precinct, is an eco-responsible and EarthCheck Silver Certified hotel, boasting several sustainability initiatives, including:

• Wastewater recycling used for irrigation purposes, with automated sensors, aerated taps and rainwater harvesting systems to reduce potable water consumption.
• Renewable energy initiatives across the whole chain of hotels, contributing to 20% savings in power consumption.
• Motion sensors to switch lights and HVAC off when guests are not in their rooms.
• Integrated waste management where waste is separated for recycling, managing nearly 40% of waste being recycled.
• Food waste that is reduced through programs that distribute surplus foods to nearby communities and farmers, who collect non-donatable food for composting.

Fortunately, after breakfast the next day, I was reunited with my suitcase. While doing my research for this trip, I found several stats that spoke about the low levels of theft and crime in Mauritius and the speedy recovery of my suitcase felt like a testament to that.

I facilitated the first EcoDistricts workshop, providing insights on Centering Equity in EcoDistricts to the steering committee comprising relevant stakeholders and role-players. The training session focused on defining all vulnerable groups impacted by the project. The EcoDistricts Protocol understands that, when cities identify and acknowledge those most vulnerable to change, they experience stronger and longer-lasting growth. The well-attended workshop provided us with significant insight into contextual nuance and its impact on equity.

The next two days, facilitated by Adrie, required participants to workshop specific ways in which the three Imperative Commitments – Equity, Resilience and Climate Projection – will be embedded in The Precinct EcoDistrict. Focus was placed on creating a strong commitment from all stakeholders in support of “collective impact” to tackle the complexities and interconnections of precinct-scale sustainability. The remainder of the sessions were focused on collectively identifying the action plan that will move The Precinct toward carbon neutrality, while formulating its sustainability strategy around the 6 Priority Areas of the EcoDistricts Protocol: Place, Prosperity, Health & Wellbeing, Connectivity, Living Infrastructure and Resource Regeneration.

We also had the opportunity to visit La Croisette Mall, an exceptionally beautiful space with an open-air design. This design approach provides a unique shopping experience as a result of the strong connections created with the external natural environment. It also reduces the need for air conditioning and electrical lighting. Walking in the streets of Grand Baie and grabbing a drink while overlooking the crisp blue harbour littered with boats and catamarans, made this the most holiday-ish work trip I have ever been on.

Before leaving, Mauritius had one last surprise in store for us, Cyclone Freddy! With staff on high alert, the building was readied for a 1 in 100-year storm. Many businesses on the island were forced to close, the international airport was shut and, while Cyclone Freddy passed at approximately 120km to the north of Grand Baie, waves reached heights of 8m, a significant amount of rain fell across the island and, the next morning, the after-effects were still very visible.

The trip to Mauritius was very successful workwise, and it was an experience I will never forget – from the weather to the people, the warm beaches and the ever-changing menu at the hotel restaurant. But the most valuable part was spending time with my colleague Adrie and getting to know someone I work with on a personal level.

Hopefully we will be invited back once the project is certified and the other two building on site have been completed, with no suitcases going missing and, hopefully, no hurricanes to give us the full experience of island life!

The post The Precinct targets Mauritius’ first EcoDistrict certification appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

During 2020, I started working with Solid Green on a few projects on a contractual basis which really planted the seed for ongoing collaboration in a more permanent capacity. One of the projects I have been involved with was research for an American-based NPO on water efficiency opportunities in South Africa, with the aim of conserving water and avoiding associated carbon emissions from water heating. Next month, I will be participating in the virtual Hot Water Forum being hosted by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), where I shall share our findings and learn from similar studies conducted worldwide.

Another project I am involved with focusses on learning more about, and applying a city-scale certification protocol: testing the EcoDistricts protocol for the City of Johannesburg. The aim is to understand the local context and how implementing this new model of urban development can be applied successfully and replicated continuously, to create more equitable, resilient cities that are focussed on moving toward carbon neutrality. We are also engaging with a local developer on potentially pursuing an EcoDistricts certification, and it is great to see the market responding to the new service offering we are hoping to expand.

I am also working on an offshore Green Star certification – engaging with a design team and client who are new to the green building industry, which is both challenging and rewarding. I particularly enjoy facilitating the change we know is needed.

The real beauty of Solid Green is that they create platforms for ideas to be discussed, debated, and ultimately developed into an exciting new road down which to travel. And this is a space where I can thrive.

Armed with an undergraduate degree in urban planning with a strong focus on economics, I started my career as a Development Economist – helping cities, municipalities and private clients identify growth or investment opportunities while advising on the possible social, environmental and economic impacts their decisions might have, and helping to maximise the positives and offset the negatives in appropriate ways.

After a few years I transitioned into an advisory role around urban management and sustainable city planning, and I think it was here that my interest in the green building industry took hold. In support of this interest, I completed a master’s in architecture through research on water conservation in the building environment, and I completed a Postgraduate Diploma at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands focussed on green cities for eco-efficiency, once again helping me to refocus on the city-scale.

I am a trained Climate Reality leader, a Living Future Ambassador, an EcoDistrict AP as well as a Green Star AP+. Clearly, I have a thirst for learning and a passion for ensuring that we treat the earth with the kindness it requires to support us in the long-term.

I have always been a keen advocate for moving away from business-as-usual, to get off the path of least resistance and motivate for new ways to approach development while being mindful of our impact on the communities around us, supporting the environment for future generations and shifting mindsets along the way. I am looking forward to the opportunity I have been given by Solid Green to continue the work I love in a supporting and nurturing environment.

The post Adrie Fourie: Sustainable Cities & Research appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

In March 2020, the City informed us that a little celebration dance was in order! Our EcoDistrict team consists of Solid Green, Activate Architecture, KDM Quantity Surveyors and Satplan. From the Solid Green team, Marloes Reinink and Adrie Fourie are the overall sustainability leads for the project team; Chilufya Lombe and Alex Varughese are in charge of the modelling; and Zendre Compion is the EcoDistricts Accredited Professional guiding the team through developing an appropriate methodology suitable to the CoJ.

The overall aim of the project focusses on reducing the carbon footprint of the city and on allowing for better adaptation to the challenging climatic conditions the world is facing. The project must achieve the following objectives through its methodology:

• Develop CoJ’s approach to neighbourhood and district-scale equitable and sustainable development.
• Explore different facets of sustainable District Design.
• Guide Public and Private interventions and investments in the EcoDistrict to achieve greater sustainability.
• Draw together this learning as a tool for the City to inform its policy, standards and guidelines towards a sustainable low carbon future.

The EcoDistricts Protocol is an urban development framework for achieving people-centred, economically vibrant, resource efficient, neighbourhood- and district-scale sustainability. The tool is a freely-available, flexible performance framework rather than a prescriptive standard, recognising that every neighbourhood or precinct has a unique history, set of challenges and opportunities – and therefore its own individual ability and need to advance a place-based sustainability agenda.

The study area for this project is Orange Grove Special Development Zone, a neighbourhood in Johannesburg that is part of the Corridors of Freedom. The team will be looking at sustainability issues at the building, block, precinct and neighbourhood scale. Some of the outputs will centre on developing a carbon model that sets a baseline and targets for emission reduction goals and pathways, as well as new standards and guidelines for EcoDistricts to meet local context and constraints.

Says Liana Strydom, spatial planner at the City of Johannesburg:

Neighborhoods provide a unique scale to accelerate innovation and impact: small enough to innovate, yet big enough to leverage long-term investment and public policy. Orange Grove, and specifically the area identified as a Transit-Oriented-Development precinct, provides an excellent case study to prioritize the right kind of investments at the right scale – and also to consider the impact that investments will have in either creating more or less inclusiveness.

Reinink adds:

With the current global health crisis, we believe that this forward-thinking work is more important than ever before. Research shows that those who are most vulnerable to health hazards, namely those living in under-served communities , are also those who are most at risk from climate change. This includes the health risks posed by air pollution , which is linked to higher rates of death in people with Covid-19. EcoDistricts are therefore essential to the City’s pursuit of spatial equity.

Solid Green is excited to be working on this ground-breaking project, and wholeheartedly supports the forward thinking of the City of Johannesburg. We hope to contribute proactively to the sustainability of the city in which we live.

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