Our proactive approach extends beyond task execution; we proactively identify potential challenges, take initiative, and foster effective collaboration. Through collaborative problem-solving, I have gained valuable insights that have expanded my problem-solving capabilities beyond what I could achieve independently.

I was born and raised in Sandton, attended Jeppe High School and hold a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Inscape Higher Education. While I have always been fascinated by architecture, I have also been driven by a desire to deepen my understanding of sustainability within the built environment.

In today’s world, sustainability is of paramount importance, encompassing the preservation of natural resources and the protection of the environment. Social responsibility also plays a significant role in achieving sustainability goals. By integrating these elements into the design and construction processes, I believe we can create a built environment that not only minimises its environmental footprint but also enhances the well-being of its occupants and contributes to a sustainable future. My aspiration is to make a positive impact toward a sustainable future in South Africa.

As a member of Solid Green’s modelling and simulation team, I am responsible for generating SANS XA 10400 reports and conducting performance modelling. Our team is actively engaged in seeking innovative solutions, employing methods such as brainstorming and extensive research.

My experience at Solid Green has ignited my passion for further studies in sustainability and engineering. Gaining a deeper understanding of engineering principles within the modelling department will enhance my skill set and enable me to contribute more effectively to our sustainability objectives. I look forward to learning more, contributing more and, ultimately, helping to make the world a better place for people and nature.

The post Xenia Scott is working towards a more Sustainable Future appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Designed by Thinkspace in close collaboration with ENSafrica and various expert consultants, the office interiors boast various spaces in which to work privately, collaboratively, and to interact socially. Building occupants can easily access surrounding amenities with reduced reliance on private occupancy vehicles. The site is within walking distance to various amenities including accommodation, retail outlets and schools, and is close to the MyCitiBus stops and the Cape Town Station, connecting to various Metrorail Stops.

The interior fit-out area comprises seven integrated office levels and one mezzanine level, a total usable area of 5941m². It has a dedicated client front office reception, meeting room zone and restaurant. The project fit-out is designed and constructed to achieve a 5-Star Green Star Interiors v1 Certification.

The fit-out comprises quiet, sound-proofed private spaces, which have special features to facilitate virtual meetings and which provide individual, customised settings, including air flow, temperature and lighting adjustment. Annelidé Sherratt of Solid Green says that the project was awarded an additional innovation point for this feature:

Enclosed spaces provide appropriate speech privacy levels for their intended function, in accordance with the ‘Performance’ method, with sound insulation between acoustically sensitive rooms and other occupied spaces.

Accessible communal areas on each office level enable natural collaborative flow and provide spaces for in-office and remote connection. These prime areas across the office are shared by all occupants and have access to natural light and impressive views over the city. They also have accessible feature hand-basins, custom planters containing indigenous plants, organic-shaped lights and walk-ways which show-case environmental land-art. Various communal areas can be used formally and informally, encouraging movement, allowing people to choose where they work and promoting spontaneous connection.

The building is targeting an energy consumption of 160.9kWh/m²/year, far less than the SANS10400 XA requirement of 200kWh/m²/year. Energy sub-meters are provided for all substantive energy uses to accurately monitor consumption, with live trending. Energy efficient lighting is used throughout the building and spaces can be individually switched. Occupancy sensors are installed to assist with this. The vast majority of appliances and tenant equipment are energy efficient, rated under the Energy Star® system or the European Energy Labelling scheme.

All selected gaseous and fire suppression systems and thermal insulants used for the development have an Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) of zero, to eliminate any contributions to long-term damage to the earth’s stratospheric ozone layer. Paint, adhesive’s sealants, and carpets have low VOC emissions.

The furniture, assemblies and floor coverings specified have third party eco-labels and certificates, demonstrating reduced environmental impact. For ENS, the development was a great way to put their principles into practice. Mzi Mgudlwa, Chief Executive of ENSafrica commented:

It is not enough to say you believe in upholding Environment, Society and Governance principles. You have to change how you do business to ensure ESG becomes a way of life – more than mere ideals to strive for, but reality. This is something that we believe can only happen at the day-to-day level, little by little, and it spans all aspects of our business (including our office interiors). It is the only way to sustain our business, and to show how much we care for our clients, our people, and our planet.

Project Team

Owner: ENSafrica
Accredited professional: Solid Green Consulting
Architect: DHK
Electrical engineer: Converge Consulting
Fire engineer: Sutherland Engineers
Mechanical engineer: Ekcon Engineers & Project Managers
Quantity surveyors: Du Toit Pienaar Quantity Surveyors
Sustainable design review: Solid Green Consulting
Sustainable building consultant: Solid Green Consulting
Wet services: Sutherland Engineers
Main contractor: Stabilid Cape
Project manager: Abland
Environmental consultant: Vivienne Stern & Associates
Interior designer: Thinkspace

The post ENSafrica fit-out: people-centred spaces 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.