AFRISAM INNOVATION AWARD FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
PORTSWOOD PRECINCT, V&A WATERFRONT, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA extracted from the atrium.
T he V&A Waterfront is one of the greenest precincts in Africa. The Ridge is located in the Portswood Precinct of the V&A Waterfront. Recognised for its integrated engineering response The Ridge has achieved a 6-star Green Rating Design and As-Built Certification from Green Building Council South Africa. The building achieved a total of 9 out of the 10 available innovation points. The rating is considered as demonstrating ‘World Leadership’ and is referenced as a Living Breathing Building-organism. The Ridge creates an unparalleled internal environment with the highest level of natural light and fresh air. The building incorporates clever design, centred around people, planet, the broader community, and economic efficiencies. The building structure is fire-resistant to retard the spread of fire. Below-ground is resistant to fire for 20 minutes, the ground floor for 120 minutes and floors above ground for 60 minutes. The stairwells, lift lobbies and shafts, stores and plant rooms are engineered and constructed using enhanced fire-resistant materials. An integrated system consisting of automated sprinklers, hydrants and hose reels, fed with water from the non-potable water tank in the basement, protects the building in the event of fire. Smoke is extracted from the atrium space via eight mechanical smoke extractor fans. Smoke monitoring and control systems serve the three-storey basement, the atrium and the third floor. Since the ground, first and second floors are ventilated through the atrium space, any smoke will be
The design, construction and operation of The Ridge represents an exemplar green building design and has the following key features: • An energy-efficient mixed mode climate control system using natural ventilation, TABS, and displacement ventilation. • Focus on natural lighting. • Water piped through the floor slabs for cooling. • Generation of renewable power. • Water harvesting for reuse. • Timber façade that has significantly less carbon than typically used material, and • 5,5 tonnes of single use plastic Eco bricks locked into the building. The goal was to maximise the periods when the building could be naturally ventilated. This was achieved by responding directly to the site location and shaping the building envelope to minimise solar load, thereby reducing energy demand. The Ridge is located on a rectangular site that would create deep and dark floor plates in the building without design intervention. The first step was to arrange wings on either side of a central atrium. These wings were sized to maximise natural daylight penetration into the building, which has four storeys of office space, and allow for efficient cross-ventilation. Using extensive innovative, sustainable solutions, the design provides optimal internal conditions for the occupants in a low-energy manner. Timber locks carbon into the structure. This not only yields savings in operating costs for heating and
90 21 st Best Project Awards 2022
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker