Clients original brief: “I was looking an alternative and fast method of construction with a big element of sustainability . I am looking at getting the most out of the building when it comes to energy conservation , coupled with green Architecture with a modern 21st century spin.
After having gone through most like Adobe, rammed earth, straw bale and the rest of our so called sustainable methods of construction. I then looked at containers , flat pack housing which is mostly used on construction sites as site offices, I stumbled on a youtube video which showed a house being erected in America using light gage steel. I did more research on this method of construction and found that it conformed to almost everything I am looking at. It had the modern or futuristic aspect to it, in which I believe that the cost of labour would be so high in the future that the mainstream architecture would be steel for multi story big buildings and light framed for residential and the like. The research showed how energy efficient they are and sustainable as well.
We require a 3 bedroomed home with a living room and kitchen set out in open plan. I would like the house to be clad in steel to embrace and flaunt its modernity Not making it look like a normal brick and boring mortar house. I love the way Steve Jobs made his electronic stuff look. When you held it in your hand, you felt like you are in the future , and this is the feeling I hope would be evoked with a steel framed house.
The idea is there for the house to be partly powered by solar as well as provision for gas to be used to heat up the geysers or cook with . The house should be able to store or filter the water to be used to irrigate an indigenous garden . The property is in Bergbron ,Nothcliff Ext. Before you consider this you should know that I have a Budget of only R750.000.00 cash.( seven hundred and fifty-thousand rands).”
Our response to the brief and design elaboration The main idea was to create a lightweight, off the grid, and affordable house. The design philosophy relates to critical regionalism within architectural theory. The South-Africa residential design market is still stuck with conventional building methods that aren’t suitable for our environment (colonial building methods). We had to analyse our current solutions, available technology and where the future is heading before we could start designing this house.
Currently sustainable design in South-African architecture relates to expensive construction methods. This is mostly a killer for sustainable construction in South-Africa. Having a small budget to work with, we saw it as a challenge to push the boundaries related to sustainability and affordability. This approach is relevant with regards to the current global economic situation.
We used light weight construction methods to reduce the impact on the site as well as to minimize the use of concrete foundations (also to accommodate the site and its extreme fall). We therefore incorporated two used shipping containers as structural cantilever elements. The containers used are 2nd-hand containers which isn’t suitable for shipping anymore. We up-cycled the containers into structurally sound building blocks. The other half of the house was constructed from light-weight steel framing - pre-fabricated off site. These frames where delivered to site inside the 2 containers. This gave the containers a second use as a logistical element within the building process.
The composite wall consists of various layers to achieve an R value much higher than the current mortar and bricks used in South -Africa. The cavity insulation used is manufactured from waste plastic bottles (up-cycling). We challenged an existing notion (that corrugation is an inferior product) by cladding the building in steel sheeting, providing a modern aesthetic, and is extremely affordable.
The floor finish is a cork tile. This is also an upcycled product as the tiles are manufactured from a waste product (from the cork screw making process).
The site is equipped with a borehole that pump water from the site, therefore there is no municipal water connection. The house is electrified by a solar system (all the lights are also LED low wattage). Cooking is done with a gas cooker and oven (bottled gas; no need for a municipal connection).
We optimized the use of natural light to reduce the use of electrical lighting during the day. We also optimized natural ventilation (cross ventilation) to eliminate the use of aircon in summer. The window system used is auPVC frame with double glazing to improve insulation level and avoid heat gains.
