Fine-tuning the details of the CLT structure and the steel supports and brackets turned into a very involved and complicated process as we kept finding new aspects of the old building that we had to work around. However, we have now placed the orders for the timber beams, CLT slab, steel supports, and performance glazing facade. The wet works on site are proceeding well, so everything should be ready for when all the other elements arrive.

Design concepts have been underway with regards to the layout, look and feel of the new office interior. We have taken the information from our biophilia workshop and how we want to use the new offices spaces, to inform how we use the furniture we already have from the old office, and to decide what we want to add. The ideal would be to reuse as much as possible from the old office with some clever design solutions that will make the space functional, adaptable and ergonomically efficient. Natural lighting, glare, acoustics and multiple workspace options – including sit desks, standing desks and couches – have been identified as the main interior design challenges that we want to address.

In terms of waste management, we have been working with our contractor to ensure that we don’t have materials going to a landfill. All the old fittings – doors, windows, roof tiles, HVAC etc – that had some value have been collected by salvagers so they can be used on other sites. A special effort was also made to capture the gasses from the old HVAC units and not just let them be released into the atmosphere as they are powerful greenhouse gasses. They were removed by the HVAC contractor to be reused elsewhere.

Most of the original brickwork is being saved and cleaned so we can reuse it onsite. The old Oregon pine roof timbers will also be cleaned up, inspected and reused. The rubble from the section of the old building that needed to be removed was a little trickier. Most of the smaller waste haulers do not really offer a recycling service and the larger contractors were not interested in our little project. We eventually found a company that would take the rubble and crush it to be used as aggregate in new bricks as long as we delivered the material to them. We also found a few other construction sites near us that needed fill material and where happy to take the rubble off our hands. One waste skip was mistakenly taken to be used as a fill stabilisation at a landfill in the beginning of the process, as the contractor thought that it was an acceptable use. Ironically, the site supervisor, was quite taken with the idea of reusing or recycling materials and has taken to the process wholeheartedly!

We are looking forward to moving into our new home soon. Watch this space for more updates!

The post Our New Office: Chapter 3 appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

A strict process of waste, erosion and sedimentation control was implemented during construction – a process that proved to be new for the main contractor and the earthworks contractor, and therefore challenging in terms of compliance and documentation.

With a floor area of just under 310sqm, the project uses 31.5% less water than a baseline building through the use of low flow fittings and efficient kitchen equipment. A third of the site is dedicated to vegetation, which does not have any permanent irrigation systems installed. The project had originally looked at using captured rainwater for irrigation, but xeriscaping turned out to be a more efficient design decision as it avoided the need for water tanks, controls and pumps required for an irrigation system.

There was a 33% energy saving over a baseline building, which was achieved using efficient lighting and HVAC systems. These systems were optimised using a ‘whole building’ design approach that included a highly reflective roof and shading to minimise solar heat gain. The project also has water tanks on the roof and a generator to ensure continuity of operations during service disruptions such as water-cuts or load-shedding.

“The operation of all the systems were verified through the appointment of an independent commissioning agent who checked the design and conducted on-site audits during the commissioning stages,” says Gavin Westbrook, sustainability consultant at Solid Green.

This process revealed that some of the lighting did not achieve the required brightness levels as required by both KFC and LEED. More and brighter lighting was added to the project after occupation and tested again to confirm compliance. This was one of the lessons learned, which will be applied to the base KFC design for other projects.

The project has higher than baseline delivery of fresh air into the occupied spaces and utilises low VOC (volatile organic compound) finishes. Gavin explains that an Indoor Environmental Air Quality Plan was implemented during construction to ensure the healthiest indoor air quality for occupants. LEED requirements also ensure that no smoking happens in the building or in the immediate vicinity. “These are actually less rigorous than the legal requirement in South Africa, but the signage requirements are more stringent so we needed to add more signage around the exterior of the building after completion, in addition to the signage at the entrances, in order to achieve compliance.

All the operational waste from the restaurant and kitchen will be sorted on site for recycling or disposal, including packaging, food waste and cooking oil.

“The project was a challenge for the design team as they needed to go through an iterative design process and get into the details of the materials specified far more than they are normally required to do,” Gavin concludes.

We believe that this has been a positive experience and will guide the implementation of sustainability principles and processes in KFC’s branches moving forward.

The post KFC Newmarket receives LEED Retail certification appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.