Green Architecture in Africa

Green Architecture in Africa Professional challenges for designers Hector Chapa Sikazwe, 2009, Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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Green Architecture in Africa Professional challenges for designers Hector Chapa Sikazwe

Keywords Green architecture, sustainability, design costs Global warming, Energy efficiency, Co2 emissions, bio gas, local Materials, government legislation Legislation

Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.0

Introduction............................................................................................................................... 4

2.0

Green issues in Africa ............................................................................................................... 5

3.0

Prevailing challenges and initiatives ......................................................................................... 7

4.0

Special considerations ............................................................................................................... 9

4.1

Location of buildings and heat issues ................................................................................... 9

4.2

Small spaces/structures ....................................................................................................... 11

4.3

Solar Energy ....................................................................................................................... 12

4.4

Renewable Energy .............................................................................................................. 12

4.5

Conserving water ................................................................................................................ 12

4.6

Using local and natural materials ........................................................................................ 13

4.7

Saving our forests................................................................................................................ 13

4.8

Durability ............................................................................................................................ 14

5.0

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 15

6.0

References and Bibliography .................................................................................................. 17

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Abstract According to Mhlaba (2003), the impact of foreign motives on African architecture has remained a force to address. He states that since colonial interventions African architecture, much like all other aspects, has been a victim of suppression; drowned into Eurocentric standards of definitions and interpretations. Much of academic materials and buildings designed in the name of African architecture so far, have displayed, from various angles, influences of colonial ideologies; consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously so. There is a paradigm whose conscious mission has been to reinforce European imperialist objectives in the continent through the built environment and that has acted contra to sustainable design. As expected, African architects and designers face unique challenges when faced with the concepts of green design architectural theories that have been in circulation for over thirty years in developed nations. Farmer (1999), explains that Green architecture is an approach to building design which has become more prevalent in the last 25 to 30 years. The concept that is widely known in African design offices as “sustainable design” is the equivalent of “green architecture” and is defined simply as a method of design that minimizes the impact of building effects on the ecology and general environmental systems. Green architecture was once thought of as unconventional and nonstandard, but has quickly become an accepted way of approach to design by both regulatory agencies and the public alike as a socially responsible and logical means of construction for the future. For African Architects and design professionals, the beginnings of today's green revolution in developed nations can be traced back to the social awareness of the 1960s in European design such as is found in Scandinavia. With the introduction of new construction techniques that have led to the development of innovative materials and design concepts, African designers have been left behind as they face different challenges that this paper attempts to address. As widely observed by green proponents, indeed, successfully designed green projects can 3

involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.

1.0

Introduction

As largely discussed by Mendler et al (2006), sustainable architecture is designing buildings keeping in mind environmental goals and sustainable development. Sustainably designed buildings aim to lessen the structure’s impact on the environment through energy and resource efficiency. The terms “green architecture” or “green buildings” are often used interchangeably with “sustainable architecture” to promote this definition further. Beer and Higgins (2000) sees sustainable design in a broader sense and explain that it should take into account the pressing economic and political issues and that sustainable architecture seeks to reduce the negative environmental impact of the buildings by increasing efficiency and moderation in the utilization of building materials, energy and development space. Similarly, Cadrecha (1997) states that green architecture denotes economical, energy-saving, environmentally-friendly, sustainable development and explores the relationship between architecture and ecology. Whereas developed nations have an easier way of appropriating available technology when addressing design factors, African professionals have completely different design considerations that instigates constraints in attaining green architecture. Green architecture initially seemed to promote unconventional methods that alienated the professionals and their design theories. Clients immediately found their concepts of using professionals undermined by the “green theories” and occasionally curtailed future use of the professionals in question.

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2.0

Green issues in Africa

In the last decade, African architects are leaning towards making greener buildings that are ecologically sound and the drive and quest for desire not to be left behind has been seen in the several seminars and symposiums that deal with green issues on the rise. This change has come about as a reaction to the demands of customers who want to lead a life that has a less negative effect upon the environment.

The challenges that are faced by African Architects are numerous and in some Nations, insurmountable, and poses a challenge to environmental professionals and legislation bodies. The following are some serious issues that green designers have to address in Africa:

(a) Government awareness: Most governments have just started to be aware of international green issues and to apply the International Standards and Regulations in the past decade. According to Shafik (2009), some African governments like Egypt are even beginning to consider providing support for Green Initiatives whether by Subsidies or Tax reduction to organisations that promotes green design in the industry. (b) Community awareness: Most African communities are unaware of the impact of the built environment on the sustainability of the ecological and environmental stability of the future of the built environment. There is need for more awareness campaigns to allow the community to get involved in the global movement to have sustainable environment. (c) Lack of regulations, standards or codes to be guidelines: green design is not considered as a cardinal part to design requirements in most African countries. Due to the format of most African design regulatory frameworks, green architecture is remotely considered as one of the essential design requirements. African governments 5

are being encouraged that all levels of government need to implement policies and funding that support ecosystem-based strategies and that help the natural world and human communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is normally considered to be a high cost end solution and most design concepts and approaches are glossed over and in most cases ignored. As a result, many countries have developed their own standards of energy efficiency for buildings, and the following table shows some examples that are currently used in the USA:

Standards source: source: gao analysis.

(d) Unavailability of local Green Product Components and materials: Design solutions that address green issues are not readily available in most African Countries 6

and as such the ideas dissipate before implementation is even considered. Materials that are required to define a structure to be a “green structure” are not found readily in African building materials shops and can constitute a fake construction process problem if the designer insists on finding the material in question. (e) Not profitable: the immediate savings in Materials and Resources just to implement green architecture does not encourage alternatives. Most design solutions in low economy areas like African communities have costs as a major factor in determining design solutions. Architects and clients regularly agree on solutions that are cost effective and functionally appropriate for the current design brief. Unlike developed nations where regulations exist as a guide when design solutions, African design solutions have concentration on costs rather than anything else. (f) Trained Personnel: The lack of trained environmental designers and professionals has acted as a barrier to environmental concerns in majority of African built environment initiatives. African Universities are rising to the challenge at the moment as can be seen in the nature of design theories and courses being offered to new students.

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Prevailing challenges and initiatives

Most African households at the moment have a high level of energy consumption leading to greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. With the current situation being addressed by various initiatives, most African governments have indicated positive outlook as they insist that the current structures are set to change for the better in the near future. Professional bodies in African countries are adopting modern design techniques that incorporate green architecture. This modern architecture has begun to include low energy consumption devices which can help save the environment whilst saving 7

the functionality of the requirements demanded by clients and their money in the long run. Some of these devices are costly to install initially, but customers reap the benefits later and the trend is currently spreading throughout southern Africa.

African societies are now being educated on the impact of environmental degradation as a result of the impact of the construction or built environment. For instance in Zambia, the department of building science at the Copperbelt University has introduced academic initiatives to bring about awareness of environmental and ecological impact design has on the environment. Young students are being sensitized to the grave impact that their future design would affect the environment. Mukalula (2004), in a seminar paper, addressed sustainable or green design as the way forward to alleviate poverty in African societies. He stated that through the adoption of sustainable construction practices in Zambia's comprehensive strategy, alleviation of poverty could be a reality. He alluded to the fact that there is an imbalance in the application of indigenous construction technologies and conventional construction technologies. His research paper/study showed that rural areas are forced to adopt technologies that are not energy threatening to the environment on a large scale.

Zambia, like most of the regional governments has taken specific initiatives to address the built environment and its sustenance. The formation of statutory regulatory bodies like the National Council for Construction (NCC) run by a dynamic young architect Dr Sylvester Mashamba, a graduate of Copperbelt University (Zambia) and Newcastle University (United Kingdom), has defined and emphasised the seriousness that the government apportions to green architecture. The National Council for Construction (NCC) is a newly reconstituted statutory body, affiliating and representing all trade organisations and professional bodies within the Zambian Construction Industry.

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Cape Town University in the republic of South Africa are equally enjoying the promotion of green design and “responsible existence” by taking up specific global warming initiatives. Nicholas Wiid and the Green Campus Initiative are the driving forces behind a new recycling project at self-catering residences. The headline "Go green or go home" on a notice posted around Liesbeeck Gardens Residence summed it up. Liesbeeck Students at self-catering residences across UCT have recently been introduced to an integrated recycling system, taking heed of the three R's - reduce, reuse and recycle - as part of the university drive to go green, save energy and be "sustainable".

Several initiatives on African universities, with the help of European governments, have embarked on positive green awareness and departments that deal directly with the built environment have introduced specific academic content to buttress the wave of awareness. With green awareness on top of the agenda in most African Universities, the need to encourage community awareness is equally being promoted via the United Nations wings operating in African Nations.

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Special considerations

4.1

Location of buildings and heat issues

As in most green architecture projects, Woodson (2009) explains that location of buildings and surroundings can impact not only the visual and ecological benefits for the environment but also the future of the built environment. It is a well known factor that erecting a structure close to other tall buildings and vegetation can cut out daylight and sunlight, both of which can be used to the structure and end user holders advantage if in good supply. Most African landscapes are sparsely populated with buildings and such consideration is regarded as being negligible and does not affect most green designs. The expansive landscapes available to 9

designers in African design schemes influence explorative green architecture and the use of natural sunlight is used extensively in collaboration with building orientation to devise the best green effects for the structure. Brown et al (2000), states that in addition to the natural use of sunlight, the use of solar panels in modern structures has now become common. Sunlight is captured by solar panels and is used to heat water for the environmentally designed structure for water heating and other uses that have less green house gas emissions. The principle behind the concept is that these solar panels are generally laid on the roof of such structures and specially designed pipes inside the panels are heated by the sun and the water is pumped to the house out of the pipes. Denyer (1978) writes that African environments are richly endowed with clear skies and the use of this technology is irrepressible if pursued by green projects. In essence, Architects make use of the natural light available by making cylindrical windows in the roof of the house, as well as the usual ones around the sides to capture as much sunlight as possible.

Woodson (2009) states that warm environments do not require the conventional radiators that are used to heat structures in the northern hemisphere, Natural heat energy transfer is naturally relied on and any green design concepts can highly be enhanced by the natural existence of natural heat energy resident in the environment. Brown et al (2000) explains that Instead of the conventional radiators, which is high on energy consumption, radiant heat is trapped and redirected for heating, cooking and cooling inside the home. Green design concepts here rely on radiant heat transfer. The design of floors or ceiling panels circulates either chilled or heated water to condition the space. This system requires less energy to run and can help boilers to operate more effectively because of the low temperature. Architecture in Africa has come a long way in energy

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efficient1 designs and is poised to go further as more and more awareness is encouraged through legislation and statutory initiatives of how the built environment are affects global warming. Environmental researchers Moughtin and Shirley (2005), assess that building construction and usage of the structures is responsible for nearly half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and close to a third of its solid waste stream. Buildings are also significant emitters of particulates and other air pollutants that have to be taken into design considerations by designers. In short, building construction and operation cause many forms of environmental degradation that place an increasing burden on the earth's resources and jeopardize the future of the building industry and societal health and welfare 4.2

Small spaces/structures

In a case strongly promoting sustainable architecture, green experts like Zelov, (1997) have laid down certain basic elements that contribute to green architecture positively. It is unanimously viewed that large structures generally use exponentially tremendous amount of energy to heat and cool. These structures also consume far more building materials which may have their own environmental consequences and specific design considerations are required to address these observations. In a move to do away with such wastefulness, small structures are now being preferred allowing one to conserve energy and avoid unnecessary depletion of natural resources. Due to the expansively wide African landscapes, this concept is largely questioned as there is no restriction embedded in the legal framework of design regulations. Environmental and cultural turnaround awareness has in the past decade become prominent in symposiums so that designers can be persuaded to use the green environmental factors rather than availability of space.

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Refers to products or systems using less energy to do the same or better job than conventional products or systems. Energy efficiency saves energy, saves money on utility bills, and helps protect the environment by reducing the demand for electricity. When buying or replacing products or appliances for your home, look for the ENERGY STAR® label — the national symbol for energy efficiency.

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4.3

Solar Energy

Solar heating is becoming a “tech idea” that is fast taking storm within sustainable design forums. The idea behind is the fact that there is nothing more comfortable for body and mind than living in a good solar-heated house, with full control of climate control parameters. When structures are designed ecologically, good passive solar energy is capable of providing just enough sunlight into the rooms to be absorbed by the surrounding thermal mass which acts as a heat battery and gives the warmth back into the room when the sun goes down. Crushed volcanic rock and straw bales make for good thermal mass insulation and designs in a green house 4.4

Renewable Energy

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the term renewable energy generally refers to “electricity supplied from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, geothermal, hydropower and various forms of biomass. These energy sources are considered renewable sources because their fuel sources are continuously replenished. Under Virginia law, renewable energy refers to "energy derived from sunlight, wind, falling water, sustainable biomass, energy from waste, wave motion, tides, and geothermal power and does not include energy derived from coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear power." Among the several ways to conserve fossil fuel and produce electricity are using the natural powers of the sun, wind, or water. 4.5

Conserving water

Incidentally, African green design has not yet developed the conserving of water as a serious green design factor because there are areas that are not yet supplied with tapped water. The use of low water capacity toilets, flow restrictors at shower heads and faucet aerators are now being used as a part of sustainable architecture. More radical water conservation approaches 12

include diverting gray water from bathing, clothes washing and bathroom sinks to watering plants; catching rain water from roofs and paved areas for domestic use. Landscaping with drought tolerant plants can also save water. 4.6

Using local and natural materials

Green experts insist that nature has been benevolent enough to provide earth with several materials to build with, no matter the geographical location. When local materials are used for construction, processing and transporting costs and processes are minimised. From both, an aesthetic, health and ecological point of view, building with natural local materials enhances and promotes sustainable development. By using these local materials which are native to the area, it reduces the use of more expensive imported materials. More importantly, vernacular materials are part of cultural manifestations. The question is raised: if a system works well enough, why should it be changed by outside influences which may not be fully understood? In the African green design context, natural materials would include stone, glass, lime or mud plasters, adobe or rammed earth, burnt bricks, tiles, untreated wood, cork, paper, reeds, bamboo, canes and grasses as well as all natural fibbers. Including plants in the living space can greatly enhance the natural ambiance. Plants not only have aesthetic quality but they also release oxygen into the air, whilst acting as a filter of pollutants of the air. 4.7

Saving our forests

Green architecture equally considers forest conservation as a vital aspect of sustainable design. Wood is a renewable source of energy but designers have abrogated there responsibility of protecting natural forestation by allowing the destruction of natural forests to become non sustainable designs that have ruined our eco-systems through deforestation. The green movement insists that wood must be used as little as possible and mainly for decorations. The push is to only cull dead trees for structural supports and instead use masonry, straw bales; paper crepe, cob, adobe, rocks, bags of volcanic rock, etc., instead of 13

wood. Suggestions from Cole (1998) are that homes can be made with certified sustainable harvested trees. This means that the forests where the trees are cut down from are carefully monitored to ensure that the health and character of the forest is maintained. Only certain trees are culled periodically, leaving the remaining trees to grow and contribute to a healthy ecosystem. 4.8

Durability

One of the important elements of sustainable architecture is durability. If a building doesn't stand the test of time, it would be a waste of energy, from all perspective, human, resource and economic input. African architects are encouraged to design using techniques and materials that have a longer life span. The use of Aluminium has become prominent in African high rise buildings. An aluminium-framed green structure stands up to extreme weather conditions, providing a stable, strong and reliable choice for most environments. In exposed structural designs and areas where the weather delivers strong winds, frequent storms and a prevalence of snow, sleet and hail, an aluminium green structure is an educated choice for sustainable architecture. The advantage is that aluminium structure is stronger and better able to withstand harsh weather conditions. Aluminium is very durable and will not rust. With the added advantage of powder coating, the aluminium frame does not corrode and provides increased longevity when compared to a wooden equivalent.

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5.0

Conclusion

African green issues have peaked in the past decade. Sustainable design (environmental design, environmentally sustainable design (ESD), environmentally-conscious design) that encompass the philosophy of designing building structures, objects, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability has become a repeated issue in African design corridors. As addressed in this paper, the intention of sustainable design is to “eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design” techniques. Green African designers have shown desire to design and manage the built environment in a responsible manner. Architects and designers are currently aware that solutions to sustainable designs require no non-renewable resources, impact on the environment minimally, and relate people with the natural environment. African universities are currently concentrating on the use of sustainable technologies. Sustainable architecture drives the concept of reducing the collective environmental impacts during the (a)

production of building components,

(b)

during the construction process,

(c)

as well as during the lifecycle of the building (heating, electricity use, carpet cleaning etc)

African Universities are driving the agenda to produce these green design practices that emphasizes efficiency of heating and cooling systems, alternative energy sources such as solar hot water, appropriate building location, reused or recycled building materials, on-site power generation (solar technology, ground source heat pumps, wind power), rainwater harvesting for gardening and washing, and on-site waste management such as green roofs that filter and control storm water runoff. Sustainable architects design with sustainable living in 15

mind. The concepts are alien to African communities and as such the challenges faced by stake holders are largely different from those faced by European or American counterparts. Awareness symposiums, bulletins, magazines, seminars, University lectures and international discussion forums are being used to bring about awareness in the communities. A deliberate thrust to involve legislation and global involvement in sensitizing the communities has gone a long way to promote sustainable design. Architects and designers are encouraged to get involved in the global movement of fighting climate change and global warming using their influence in the built environment as they design with a sustainable approach a the design stage.

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6.0

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