The emergence of green building practices : case study of Stellenbosch

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to determine the application of green building practices inStellenbosch. In order to achieve this aim certain objectives had to be met. The first objectivewas to retrieve national and international literature on green building initiatives. Six mainsections were discussed in the literature namely, climate change and the environment, the builtenvironment, the concept of sustainability in cities and buildings, green building designs andpractices, green buildings, green building councils and the different green rating systems, with aspecific focus on the Green Star SA rating tool. The second objective was to discuss three casescenarios in Stellenbosch that practice green initiatives. The case scenarios selected are DistellGroup Limited, Spier wine estate and the new Remgro head office Millenia park. Buildings inStellenbosch selected by means of probability sampling. A total of 35% of all commerciallyzoned buildings in the Stellenbosch core were selected to participate in the sample. The landzoning maps from the Stellenbosch municipality was obtained and relevant buildings weresampled. Nine of the sampled buildings were heritage buildings (older than sixty years) andseventeen were buildings from the modernist era (younger than sixty years). Nine architectcompanies in Stellenbosch were also sampled. The respondents were determined by means ofhaphazard sampling. The third objective was to design two questionnaires, one for buildingowners and another for architects. The first questionnaire developed for building owners wasdivided into two sections. The first section determined what green practices owners areincorporating into their office buildings. These green practices developed in the questionnairefocused on the use of natural light in the buildings, LED lights, indoor ventilation, recyclingmethods, water saving methods, energy saving methods and whether management plans exist to monitor and evaluate the buildings energy usage. The second section focused on the perceptionof the building owners. The respondents had to rate the importance of the above mentioned greeninitiatives on a scale of one 1 (being not at all) to 5 (being very important). The fourth objectivewas to develop a questionnaire for architects. The questionnaire determined whether greendesigns are incorporated by architects and if there is a greater demand for green designs byclients. The findings of the study revealed that respondents find natural light and air quality to bethe most important aspects in an office. Recycling is applied by 93% of respondents. Less than 10% of respondents have installed solar panels, HAVC systems, rain water harvesting or otherwater management systems. Architects find that there has been an increase in the demand forgreen designs, but that there is a lack of knowledge of green initiatives by building practitioners.The main recommendations of the study are that the concept of green development be broadenedinto other spheres apart from planners. Education and training of green building must beavailable to all building owners and practitioners. Sustainable materials should be moreaccessible to building practitioners and these materials should be made available locally. Finallymore buildings should be refurbished or renovated rather than be demolished to prevent wasteand secure open spaces.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University