RBIDZ entrance gate scoops accolade
THE entrance gate of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) scooped a seminal sustainable design award at the AfriSam-SAIA for Sustainable Architecture and Innovation Awards last week.
The structure was recognised from among nine other projects submitted reflecting the future of environmentally conscious design, at the ceremony held in Cape Town.
Designed by Jeremy Steere Architect, the entrance references the fish eagle which is featured on the City of uMhlathuze municipality’s emblem.
The roofs were designed to collect rainwater into a pond, to be cleaned and then pumped to underground water tanks to provide water for toilets and garden.
‘Solar panels and the diesel generator are primarily used as the back-up system for the building but could, if needed, keep the building off the grid indefinitely,’ the architects state.
Speaking at the award ceremony, AfriSam Raw Materials and Sustainability Manager, Niraksha Singh said the recipients demonstrated the importance of changing behaviour for the benefit of the planet.
‘They have taught us that we can change our planet, our environment and our humanity every day, every year, every decade and every millennium,’ Singh said.
Singh was among the adjudicator panel for the AfriSam-SAIA Awards for Sustainable Architecture and Innovation for 2017/18.
The adjudicators selected the nine awarded projects from a shortlist of 14 entrants following a process of assessments and on-site inspections.
Participants were requested to demonstrate their response to innovative architectural and design thinking in the field of sustainability.
‘We as AfriSam, are extremely proud of the award recipients.
‘They have had to meet very strict criteria to be awarded, and their actions and passion for sustainability set them apart.
‘There’s always further to go and these winners are paving the way for the benefit of us all,’ she said.
Maryke Cronje, 2018 President of the South African Institute of Architecture (SAIA) said the rapidly transforming world has become evident through the evolution of entries received.
‘In 2009 when the award programme was conceived, sustainability still seemed like an architectural style.
‘Today, no development can happen without it,’ said Cronje.