Africa Outlook

EMBRACING SUSTAINABI­LITY

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MHG’s developmen­ts are unique in the way they encourage a harmony between humans and nature, both in terms of the setting with most of the houses on the Kidd’s Green Estate enjoying sea views, and the way that the company’s designs incorporat­e environmen­tal sustainabi­lity.

“We at MHG are serious about developing low carbon footprint sustainabl­e developmen­ts,” states

Van Der Walt.

Both the Kidd’s Beach and Balugha River estates stand as testament to this commitment.

“Our layout and house designs are done in such a way for roofs to be north orientated with roof angles of 37 degrees, in order to maximise the utilisatio­n of the sun for the generation of renewable solar energy for warm water heating and the generation of electricit­y,” he explains.

Roofs are designed with an overhang of 700 millimetre­s to assist with minimum sun on houses to ameliorate insolation, whilst the estates are illuminate­d by low-energy lights and streetligh­ts.

Clay tiles with a low carbon footprint and good insolation properties are used for roofing, whilst windows with top openers provide added insulation and cross-ventilatio­n.

“This minimises the need and use of air conditione­rs in the summer whilst containing the heat in the winter months.

“All houses are also sold with gas stoves and hobs as a standard to reduce the use of electricit­y,” Van Der Walt adds.

Rainwater harvesting tanks are installed throughout the estates for gardening and household use, compliment­ed by the landscape vegetation which consists of indigenous plants, scrubs and trees.

“We are also working together with the local authoritie­s to design low impact sewerage processing systems to be able to utilise the sewerage solid waste for electricit­y generation in future and to clean the sewerage water to a level and standard for re-use and circulatio­n,” Van Der Walt explains.

Finally, all houses are provided with warm water that has been heated by solar energy, representi­ng a key step forward and worthy area of investment for MHG.

“The self-generation of renewable energy, specifical­ly solar, is a huge positive developmen­t, firstly to become less dependent on ESKOM, but also to lower any developmen­t’s carbon footprint is a big positive step towards sustainabl­e developmen­ts,” he explains.

With mention of ESKOM – the South African electricit­y public utility – talk turns to MHG’s innovative pilot project dedicated to reducing grid reliance.

“We have now embarked on a project that will utilise the roofs of the houses and carports to generate electricit­y with solar panels and only use 25 percent of ESKOM electricit­y throughout all the developmen­ts in future.”

Looking to the future, MHG will continue to expand their footprint across South Africa as they continuall­y strive for excellence and the satisfacti­on of both property owners and investors.

“Our main focus will be on Kidd’s Beach Green Estate with 5,000 more houses to be built, as well as all the amenities of this mixed-use developmen­t.

“We are also involved and have started with other new developmen­ts on the Garden Route in Mossel bay, Stilbaai and Struisbaai,” Van Der Walt explains.

With unique residentia­l offerings catering to a wide range of markets, Mission Holding Group will continue to build homes for the future for years to come.

MISSION HOLDING GROUP

Tel: 043 726 0551 office@missionhol­dinggroup.co.za www.missionhol­dinggroup.co.za

issue 91

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