Pro Landscaper Africa July 2020 Sustainability Issue

J U LY 2 0 2 0 - S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

Photograph by Chris Allan Photography

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LEADER

Welcome to Pro Landscaper Africa’s Sustainability Issue

S

ustainability is a loaded word, and this is a loaded issue chock-full of fantastic ideas and featuring some of the industry’s biggest influencers.

Can you believe it is July already? We have had to shuffle around a little this year, and, become rather good at juggling many uncertainties- heading courageously into the unknown that is corona! I suspect we all have.

@prolandscaperafrica

@Pro Landscaper Africa Download our Pro Landscaper app

That being said, we are holding our breath in anticipation for the announcement of the SALI Awards of Excellence winners, which will be taking place on August the 5th (save the date) and just in time to squeak into our upcoming August edition.

It has been promising seeing markets open over the last month albeit slowly, but with

builds moving into their new phases we are confident for the months ahead.

We thought July a fitting issue, while presenting some of South Africa’s most sustainable developments and products, to check in with firms from around the world to see how their design process is changing to accommodate a world post covid-19.

From private to public spaces, it is interesting to see the design process at work, with some rather fantastic forward-thinking concepts we look forward to seeing come to fruition.

We have a wonderful edition planned for you, so I will not keep you much longer… get browsing!

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CELEBRATING

52 YEARS

IN THE INDUSTRY LOCALLY AND ABROAD

CITY MASTERPLANS | URBAN DESIGN | RESIDENTIAL & RETIREMENT ESTATES | STREETSCAPES & PUBLIC PARKS | ROYAL PALACES | REHABILITATION | INDUSTRIAL | AIRPORT | RESORT

www.landscapearchitect.co.za | 032 947 2401 | lucas.uys@gmail.com

Oggie Outdoor- Nordic ash, herringbone

...Oggie goes outdoor with thermo-treated decking.

Cape Town: 021 510 2846 | Paarden Eiland Johannesburg: 011 262 3117 | Sandton Durban: 031 000 1000 | Umhlanga nick@oggie.co.za www.oggieflooring.com

CONTENTS

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42

News Reflection on the “New Normal” Webinar Series

11 Agenda

Industry Design Responses to Covid-19

FEATURES 19

Density, Urban Form and What we can Learn from a Pandemic A perspective by Ilana Steenkamp, Urban Designer at Jakupa Architects

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How Landscape Architecture can help Create a Better World Post Covid-19 Larissa Heyns, Associate at Square One Landscape Architects

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Eco Friendly & Sustainable Lighting

By Annelize Dankworth and Alan Shepherd, QDP Lighting & Electrical Design

26

Making Choices when Quality and Price don’t Correlate Tim Lewis, Director of Classic Stone

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Making with Meaning, an Attitude to Architecture

By Max Melvill, Co-founder of The MAAK

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How Far Are Landscapers Pushing the Envelope with Regards to Sustainability Written by Dr Leslie Hoy- Rand Water, Water Wise

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48 36

Landscape Architect’s Journal, Thembelihle Wetland: (Re)creation

By Antoinette de Beer, Director of ARLA Consulting Landscape Architects

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An Interview with Newtown Landscape Architects (NLA) In 2019 NLA celebrated 25 years of industry excellence.

We highlight this fantastic milestone.

PORTFOLIOS 42

The Gates at Elaleni Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate

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Deloitte HQ: Creating Company Culture

56

University of South Australia’s Pridham Hall

NURTURE 60

Bera-BV Launches new Products

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Featured Company: Floors International South Africa

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Edible, Indigenous Ornamental Plants and Food Security

By Cherise Viljoen, Senior Horticulturist at Kirstenbosch

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Product Focus: John Deere

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M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Proud suppliers of paving to V&A Waterfront

www.celpaving.co.za

info@celpaving.co.za

t. 021 905 5998

landscape architecture supports life...

Visit our website at www.ilasa.co.za or our Facebook page : InstituteForLandscapeArchitectureSA

NEWS

REFLECTION ON THE ‘ N E W N O R M A L’ W E B I N A R S E R I E S

By Sally Robertson-Forster on behalf of the ILASA Western Cape Committee

W E B I N A R 1 - 23 APRIL 2020 HOW CAN THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY RESPOND TO THE COVID CRISIS

HOST

TAMSIN FARAGHER

NORAH DE WET

Landscape architect

Peninsula Landscaping and SALI National chairperson

DONOVAN GILLMAN ILASA National President and landscape architect at Urban Choreography

RHUBEN JACOBS Landscape architect Yes& studio

W E B I N A R 2 - 0 7 M AY 2 0 2 0 THE PROPOSED STREETS AND PUBLIC PLACES BY-LAW: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CAPE TOWN?

KATE EWING

CLARE BURGESS

CHRISTINE HAVENGA

ROGER CODRAI

Head of Urban Design at UCT

Landscape architect at CBLA

Town and regional planner at Firstplan

SALI WC Exec member & MD of Interplant Horticulture

SPONSORED BY COROBRIK AND PRIME TREES WITH ASSISTANCE FROM VDW & CO. "Thank you all very much, stay safe and have a good night," says Rhuben Jacobs in closing for the fifth and final time of The New Normal Webinar Series. It’s a bitter-sweet comment, but the burgeoning relief is palpable, and I’m sure my family will agree with me when I join them at the dinner table every night for the foreseeable future, or until the next design deadline hits.

of preparation, sleepless nights, missed family suppers and frantic last minute panelist confirmations? I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, but I think we’re all looking forward to a break. At the start of the New Year, the ILASA Western Cape committee got together and started furiously planning the events calendar.

The ideas were formalised during a second meeting and the year was off to a fantastic start; plans were falling into place, speakers, dates, venues and sponsors were almost all confirmed.

How did we get to this point you ask? Was it a journey worth travelling, despite the hours

AND THEN LOCKDOWN HAPPENED… Three weeks in and our first online meeting took

place. Two guests had been invited to join in and possibly inspire us, unluckily for them they got unanimously voted onto the committee then and there. "Where to from here?" I remember Christine Price asking. Followed immediately by: "Can we not convert some of our planned events calendar into Zoom webinars?" This morphed with alarming speed into a Google survey form that was sent out for circulation the following day. The survey informed members that the ILASA Western Cape committee had been inspired by the New Cities ‘The Big Rethink’ webinar series among others and were proposing that the South African Landscape Architectural Community may want to engage in similar discussions starting with the role of landscape architecture and design going forward, and then how practices have been affected. The survey netted 17 responses from ILASA members, a little underwhelming, but despite this, some fantastic ideas for topics and comments were received. So, the committee decided to forge ahead, and hope that it would gain traction along the way. The various aspects to make this happen were chosen by each committee member – not delegated, a highly unusual occurrence – except for Rhuben. If you log into a Zoom video meeting looking like a professional DJ, expect to be told you’re going to be the host – thank goodness he took it on the chin and agreed. A name was proposed and so The New Normal Webinar Series was born, with two topics to start the discussions.

"Everyone is struggling, from the client to the professionals to the contractor, but it doesn’t have to all be negative.”

The first webinar was going to follow the global trend and query: "How can the landscape industry respond to the COVID-19 crisis?" With not much preparation time – two weeks to be exact – Norah de Wet and Donovan Gillman were chosen as panelists because of their status quo in the industry, both national chairs of SALI and ILASA, respectively. Tamsin Faragher was approached as the third speaker, as she’s very passionate about the profession and not afraid to voice her opinion.

Their collective message was inspiring: “Apply our skills to where we are now and where we need to be going." prolandscaper.co.za

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NEWS

We’re agile in how we operate, we can move quickly and be adaptive to an unpredictable future. We, as a profession, have a responsibility to be resilient and have the opportunity to have a big influence. Coming together as individuals to improve the situation and make an impact has never been more important. Get involved – if everyone lends a hand, then no one will be without help. Budgets that coincide with aspirations – of climate change, among others – will ultimately address other underlying issues facing society such as sustainability, social inequality, and food security. This would lead to even more positive psychological and physical impacts on the environment, over and above what has already been acknowledged.

During the Q&A portion of this first webinar, a query was raised about the proposed City of Cape Town by-laws out for comment. As stated by Tamsin, "advocacy only works if you do something, you can’t just talk about it". This resulted in our second webinar topic being postponed for two weeks in favour of a webinar regarding ‘The Streets, Public Places and prevention of Noise Nuisances Amendment By-law, 2020’.

Hmm, I just wish someone had actually read the proposed amendments before we all jumped on the bandwagon. But bygones be bygones, as the resulting webinar was a really valuable conversation with four unique viewpoints; from an urban designer, a landscape architect, a town and regional planner and a SALI landscape

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contractor. The take-home message was: "The by-Laws focused on the powers and functions of authorised officials in neglected, leftover and contaminated public spaces, which if we just got the relevant community to have a hands-on approach to love and manage their open space, we wouldn’t need to police it.”

The third webinar was always going to be a tough one regarding the realities of lockdown. I hope you had your tissues ready, as we listened to a sole proprietor, a landscape contractor employer and a global, multi-disciplinary company employee share their personal insights about how the pandemic and the resultant extended lockdown and phasing back to ‘normal/pre-pandemic’ has affected their lives and livelihoods and those of the families that they support. “We’re all in the same storm, it’s just the size of our boats and the headcounts thereon that differ.” The webinar highlighted that “everyone is struggling, from the client to the professionals to the contractor, but it doesn’t have to all be negative. Professionals could use this ‘downtime’ to upskill, collaborate with a larger entity and become a project initiator, not a project seeker. With so many working from home, it is vitally important to keep a positive mindset, keep motivated and lean into relationships; this storm will pass and with a little support and understanding, we can come through it better together.”

The fourth webinar focused on the reality of food security, as well as how we can deliver viable

urban agriculture systems in an effort to increase the fresh produce that is so lacking in the food parcels. It was our longest webinar to date, not surprising with four knowledgeable speakers talking us through the broader perspective, to the hands-on approach and two officials – one from the City of Johannesburg and the other from Department of Agriculture – explaining their different approaches. The collective conclusion being that: “Urban agriculture is not exclusively about the contribution to food and nutrition security. It’s about contributing to resilience and improving the approach. Constant monitoring and evaluations are an essential part of the solution and we need to consider the wider benefits and constraints.

"Urban farms as urban spaces can be very powerful; not only in terms of multi-purpose use, but they can play an important role in the environment and have a resilient contribution beyond food, such as social cohesion, security, healthy natural systems, as well as improve the general wellbeing of otherwise disused spaces.”

The fifth and final webinar asked: "How will designers come to terms with keeping the ‘public’ in public space against the counter-intuitive need for social distancing?" With two international and two local speakers, it was even longer than the previous webinar, and a mindboggling 192 attendees. I sat spellbound listening to these great minds reminding us “not to panic!" They said: "Homosapiens will prevail, we always do.

We, as architects, planners and

NEWS

W E B I N A R 3 - 2 1 M AY 2 0 2 0 HOW ARE PRACTICES RESPONDING THE COVID-19 CRISIS?

HOST

STEPHEN STEYN

SARAH CHANG

RIANA DELPORT

RHUBEN JACOBS

Landscape contractor & CEO of Contours Landscapes

Landscape architect at SSH

Landscape architect at Greenspiration

Landscape architect Yes& studio

WEBINAR 4 - 04 JUNE 2020 HOW CAN WE DELIVER VIABLE URBAN AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS?

landscape architects can contribute and change conditions for people, but we have to change our behaviour, too. There has already been a change in our social patterns during lockdown, will that continue to evolve? We’re seeing inspiring stories come out of this pandemic, such as cities closing streets in favour of cyclists and pedestrians. This is an amazing time, because there is so much uncertainty but so much opportunity for change.

Start small and scale up, it allows for greater flexibility of spaces. Cape Town has to find an ‘African form of Urbanism’. It’s time to be bold."

Did we, the ILASA Western Cape Committee, achieve what we set out to do? Apart from the fact that we could never have anticipated where this would take us, I believe that we knocked it out the park. This webinar series has connected our industry at a time when we really needed that sense of comraderie – for me at least – and given members and affiliated industries from all over the country – and a few international listeners – an opportunity to engage in discussions they normally wouldn’t have had access to if they didn’t live in or close to Cape Town.

"Become a project initiator, not a project seeker.”

DR JANE BATTERSBY

KURT ACKERMANN

SIMON MOTSUSI

CAROL LEVENDAL

Associate professor at the African Centre for Cities

SA Urban Food and Farming Trust and Oranjezicht City Farm

City of Johannesburg – Urban Agriculture Head

Department of Agriculture – Small Farmer Support

WEBINAR 5 - 18 JUNE 2020 HOW WILL DESIGNERS COME TO TERMS WITH KEEPING THE 'PUBLIC' IN PUBLIC SPACE AGAINST THE COUNTER-INTUITIVE NEED FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING?

PROF. JAN GEHL

KELVIN CAMPBELL

BERNARD OBERHOLZER

LEIGH STOLWORTHY

Gehl-making cities

Massive Small: Smart Urbanism

Bernard Oberholzer Landscape Architects

Transport forward planning manager, City of Cape Town

ILASA’s mandate is to grow and promote the profession and the concept of landscape architecture, specifically the role this profession plays within the South African environment, both built and natural, in the public and private sectors.

A few aims include advancing the dignity and competence of the profession and increasing the visibility of the profession to government and society. These webinars have been an opportunity to have discussions beyond just landscape architecture. I’m still in awe of the panelists who said “yes” and how generous they were in sharing their time, knowledge and invaluable experience. It just goes to show how important networking can be and that the worst anyone can say is ‘no’.

We asked questions and found some answers to what the future of our built environment should and could be, and redefined our role as built environment practitioners to an audience we could never have dreamed of. Yes, we encountered a few kinks, which got ironed out along the journey, and we will aim to make the next series even better.

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C O L L E G E T R A I N I N G

F E AT U R E

AGENDA: Industry Design Responses to COVID-19

Image Credit: Marcella Winograd

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Soc

t Domin

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QUICK FACTS ON DOMINO PARK’S

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o ensure patrons are following proper social distancing procedures recommended by the CDC and government during this time, Domino Park implemented social circles in the open public park to encourage safe park visitation practices.

Additional social distancing measures at Domino Park • Domino Park has continued to display various types of signage about social distancing and wearing masks.

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Domino Park continues to stress the importance of social distancing on its instagram stories, continues to have park ambassadors be a visible presence, and encourages wearing masks and social distancing.

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Domino Park has closed River Street during times of peak visitation.

ratio in the city, now has direct access to the Williamsburg waterfront that previously locked the community out for over 150 years. Two Trees delivered the park ahead of any of the waterfront buildings, as promised to the surrounding North Brooklyn community. The quarter-mile waterfront park reflects Two Trees’ emphasis on historic preservation, a guiding component of the overall Domino Sugar Factory redevelopment masterplan.

Featuring a broad range of recreational options, Domino Park is organised into three distinct programmatic areas, transitioning from more active uses near the Williamsburg Bridge at the southernmost end of the site, to more passive uses at the northern end of the site. Reclaimed sugar refining and industrial artifacts are interspersed throughout the site, uncovering the story of sugar trade in New York and the sugar refining process that occurred on the site for over a century.

SOCIAL DISTANCING CIRCLES: •

Domino Park staff came up with the concept.

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Domino Park implemented the circles in chalk paint on 15 May.

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There are approximately 30 circles – each circle is 8ft in diameter, and set 6ft apart.

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Circles are located on the park’s astro turf Flex Field.

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Visitors started using them properly almost immediately.

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In total, it took a few $.99 cans of white chalk paint from the local paint store, two people, and four hours to implement this strategic urbanism.

Image Credit: Marcella Winograd

About Domino Park Domino Park, designed by landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations and privately-funded by Brooklyn-based developer Two Trees Management, opened to the public in summer 2018. The local neighborhood, which previously had the lowest park-to-person prolandscaper.co.za

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F E AT U R E

RESPONDING TO COVID-19

Perspectives by local landscape architecture firm, Yes& Studio

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s the pandemic started to spread across the globe, we watched nervously to determine the fate of our public spaces. With the disease spreading so quickly in dense areas, we worried that we would see the end of compact cities, increased decentralisation and the demise of public space. But unexpectedly, in the midst of the pandemic, we have been offered a glimpse of what public space can be. Streets with fewer cars, less congestion and cleaner air, roads that you can safely walk, cycle or even play on, and importantly, an overall increased appreciation for green open spaces.

Cities have had to respond in real time to a crisis that, not only has a debilitating effect on health, but a social and economic toll, too. On almost every continent, tactical responses allowing people to occupy and move through space safely and efficiently have been implemented with innovation and pragmatism.

The information presented here is drawn from best practice guidelines, global examples, our own observations, and workshops held with fellow landscape architects. This mini toolkit offers ideas of how cities can and have responded to the pandemic, and how we can replicate these interventions to create safe and healthy opportunities for our communities to weather the COVID-19 storm and begin to recover together.

STREETS FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING Streets are more than just conduits for vehicular traffic or places to park. In cities across the globe, streets are being reconceptualised as important public spaces that are an integral part of the built fabric. In this time, the key role that streets play has been brought sharply into focus. There has been an acknowledgement that streets must be reconfigured to allow people to move safely around the city, and to create more recreational space in which to facilitate physical distancing.

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HOW TO CREATE SAFE STREETS: •

Increase the width of existing sidewalks to provide more space for pedestrians.

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Create temporary cycle lanes and provide enough space for pedestrians and cyclists to walk and cycle safely, while maintaining physical distancing.

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Use lane separation to delineate walking space.

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Prioritise sidewalks where pedestrians queue or wait.

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Make sure that queues have sufficient space and do not impede pedestrian movement – mark temporary space guidelines with chalk paint.

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Reduce traffic volume and speed so that people can walk, bike, and run safely.

There is often enough room for physical distancing on existing streets, but much of this space is assigned to vehicular movement and parking. Additional space to facilitate social distancing on roads can be found by reassigning space that was previously used for cars to pedestrians.

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Remove street parking to create wider sidewalks.

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Narrow vehicle lane to give space over to pedestrians, or consider converting entire lanes to pedestrian walkways to enable adequate physical distancing or improved accessibility.

F E AT U R E INFORMAL TRADE AND MARKETS With such a large component of the South African economic base in the informal sector, guidelines to encourage safe interaction and exchange are incredibly important. Global best practice can be seen in countries like Myanmar where active trade with improved physical distancing has been allowed to continue.

HOW TO PROVIDE SAFE SPACE FOR MARKETS AND INFORMAL TRADE: •

Allocate street space to allow markets an expanded footprint to operate with safe physical distancing.

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Create responsive management strategies.

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Define safe layout and spacing for vendor stalls and circulation routes. Use paint and other ground markings to indicate locations for both vendor and client.

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If necessary, provide facilities for hand washing and sanitation.

Image credit: Chan Myae Aung

PARKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING Most parks and open spaces are under lockdown regulations in South Africa, and the physical health and mental wellbeing these spaces bring to cities is sorely missed. In many other countries, public spaces either remained open or have reopened to allow for recreation to occur. These spaces offer insights into some of the ways the need for social distancing can be communicated and enforced. In many parks, circles to encourage the public to stay safely apart during the pandemic have been painted. These circles on average measure 2.4m in diameter and allow for a social bubble to meet and enjoy the outdoors.

This low investment tactical response is quick to implement and easy to understand. At Domino Park in Brooklyn, it was observed that visitors started using them properly almost immediately.

HOW TO CREATE SAFE PARKS: •

Close play equipment and remove high touch items.

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Communicate areas to physical distance with painted demarcations.

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Encourage choice and flexibility within open areas.

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Use signage to communicate physical distancing.

The COVID-19 crisis has brought with it many challenges for urban area, but has also presented opportunities to build more equitable green spaces and cities. It has heightened our awareness of the way in which one person’s actions can affect another’s, and has made us all more conscious of how we occupy space. Much, or most, of the lockdown’s changes are temporary, but we are seeing how spaces that allow for flexible use and adaption over time can help to create resilient cities.

GOOD RESOURCES: NACTO Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery Gehl–Making cities for People The New York Times: free coverage of the COVID-19 Pandemic ILASA New Normal Webinar series

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F E AT U R E

TIRANA RIVERSIDE A technologically-advanced, green and sustainable neighbourhood of the Albanian capital set to tackle the post-COVID-19 needs

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ogether with the SON-Group, Stefano Boeri Architetti have presented the new Tirana Riverside project to the Albanian Council of Ministers. This is the first such neighbourhood in Europe to be designed in agreement with the government and the city authorities, not only as a response to the homelessness emergency caused by the dramatic earthquake of 26 November 2019, but also as the first area able to respond to the new needs of the postCOVID-19 pandemic phase as well as meeting all the sustainability requirements enforced by the current climate crisis.

The Tirana Riverside has been designed to be a neighbourhood for 12,000 people. It is eco-friendly and self-sufficient from an energy point of view, equipped with all the technology found in today’s smart cities, and capable of guaranteeing the safeguards and health and safety requirements necessary to face the uncertain post-COVID-19 scenarios.

The masterplan, designed for a publicly owned area located along the northern border of the municipality and close to the Tirana River proposes a large urban regeneration project, by offering a combination of functional and social

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features and also by hosting different cultures and social groups, in a setting that is accessible and self-sufficient in terms of clean energy, water, food and all urban public services.

"It is no coincidence that Albania and Tirana are the first in Europe to accept the challenge of creating a smart, ecofriendly and self-sufficient energy district in a few months that will be capable of responding, not only to post-earthquake emergencies, but also satisfying postCOVID-19 health requirements and the needs dictated by the climate crisis.

Tirana represents one of the most advanced areas in terms of urban and sustainable planning, and we are happy to be able to contribute once more to planning its future� said Stefano Boeri.

The 29ha of the Tirana Riverside offers new housing solutions to residents and extend along an innovative eco-friendly central section, which is dedicated to gentle physical activity. It will host ground floors specifically for retail and commercial activities with access to residential,

sports and work spaces and numerous outdoor areas. The emphasis is on complete accessibility to all areas of the neighbourhood.

The distribution of essential public services around three central locations laid out at an easily accessible pedestrian distance from each other, makes Tirana Riverside a zero-emission polycentric neighbourhood, containing all the essential services for residents. It will contain public and administrative urban functions, numerous services for the city, a school and a university centre in order to make the whole area a reference point for the Albanian capital.

Stefano Boeri Architetti are part of an international team, including German Transsolar Klima Engineering studio (sustainability), MIC|Mobility in Chain (mobility), ESA (installations) and SCE Project (planning and structural calculations). Thanks to this team, Tirana Riverside offers extremely high performance from a seismic, energy and mobility point of view, aimed at creating a safe and secure public space.

In addition to the masterplan, guidelines for the design of individual buildings are planned, with the aim of working closely with the area and

F E AT U R E reactivating small and medium-sized Albanian businesses.

The intense work schedule will see the opening of construction sites in early summer, with the aim of delivering the first housing units within twelve months and guaranteeing open green spaces for families in line with the new urban planning standards.

Francesca Cesa Bianchi, partner of Stefano Boeri Architetti, says: "The Tirana Riverside project makes it possible to collaborate with local production and professional firms as part of a valuable process of sharing know-how and drawing up guidelines to establish new urban quality and design standards. The inclusion of small and medium-sized businesses highlights the feasibility of the masterplan, and the importance of creating such an innovative and self-sufficient neighbourhood in an area previously affected by the earthquake. Being so accessible, domestic and dynamic, Tirana Riverside will attract young and old, foreigners and locals alike."

Thanks to the involvement of the agronomist and landscape architect Laura Gatti, a great deal of attention was dedicated to public and private greenery and vegetation, distributed throughout communal areas, vertical surfaces and on roofs which are considered as living spaces capable of hosting numerous plant species. In addition, vegetation has been planned for areas dedicated to coworking and the delivery of goods, sports and leisure facilities, hanging gardens and pedestrian bridges. The presence of solar panels on roofs makes each building a source of production and storage of clean energy, so that there is the possibility of creating a local energy network available to all residents.

Tirana Riverside overlooks a river park dedicated to the community and was designed to preserve an ecosystem capable of increasing biodiversity in the urban environment, becoming a refuge and biological habitat for non-domestic species.

This is able to, then, promote the creation of microclimates that are essential for the general wellbeing of the surrounding area.

Stefano Boeri Architetti – Partner: Stefano Boeri Francesca Cesa Bianchi www.stefanoboeriarchitetti.net

MEET THE TEAM Stefano Boeri Architetti (Milan) – Design team: Team leader: Carlotta Capobianco, Andrea Zucchi Team: Orjana Balla, Corrado Longa, Jacopo Colatarci, Yulia Filatova, Sara Gangemi, Besart Gjana, Federico Godino, Paloma Herrero Ermakova, He Ruoyu, Mattia Tettoni, Luca Tognù, Shilong Tan Local partner – Architectural firm: SON-Group - Ilir Bejleri Mobility: MIC - mobility in chain - Giuseppe Vallelonga, Filippo Bissi, Alessandro Bruscaglioni Landscape: Studio Laura Gatti Partners - Laura Gatti Sustainability: Transsolar - Tommaso Bitossi, Clara Bondi Structural engineering: SCE Project MEP: ESA Engineering Images: © The Big Picture Visual

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F E AT U R E

SMART CITIES IN THE TIME OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING Bouwer Serfontein, project leader at NEWURBAN (Germany)

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ver the past months, we have been experiencing a new way of living, working, and thinking. When a state of emergency was announced as the COVID-19 crisis hit South Africa, a new set of rules began to form, and with it a new set of questions and challenges.

South Africans may have understood what needed to be done, but we also understood one rule would be almost impossible for the majority of our country: “social distancing”, or as we prefer, physical distancing, and the disparity between those who can, and those who cannot.

As urban designers, this raises questions within our field for the design of our cities and future developments. We were once heading towards the era of 'smart cities' – a technological buzz phrase that refers to cities that bring together infrastructure and technology to improve the quality of life of citizens and enhance their interactions with the urban environment.

Given this time we are living in, we feel it is worth revisiting this path. The global pandemic has highlighted how precious our space is, for our health and wellbeing and for our communities to survive. Is the smart city really our best future? And can it provide genuine solutions we need to our very real problems?

UNDERSTANDING OUR GOAL The goal of a smart city is transformational, it is to achieve an enhanced quality of life for citizens. Even before COVID-19, smart cities

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was a buzz phrase that appeared frequently in government members’ speeches and budgets.

South African cities are not as evolved as say, New York or London, and so offer the opportunity to build the technology of smart cities into their framework much more easily.

Until now, what we have seen of the South African smart city showcase towers of glass and steel, mass surveillance, non-contextualised urban places, and a lack of focus on the real urban issues of poverty, social-economic and spatial inequality in our society.

With this technocratic focus, the smart city has diverted attention away from common sense architecture and traditional urbanism – ideas that can deal with our global climate and urban crisis.

In our opinion, the real smart city can be found through traditional urbanism, with its livable and sustainable places designed for the people.

This thinking incorporates some technologies to monitor infrastructure efficiency and can be coupled with some smart city technology, but should at its core promote civil liberties.

HOW COVID-19 AND SOCIAL DISTANCING CAN CHANGE DESIGN THINKING Firstly, let us remove that term. 'Social distancing' leads to discrimination as is apparent in the reports of Africans living in China and Chinese living in Africa. The focus should be on 'physical distancing' in the urban context. Physical distance does not discriminate based on race, economic standing, or culture.

We believe the rationale for traditional urban design incorporating smart technologies will become stronger considering the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa.

There is an even greater need for urban places where all people can live and flourish, with room to breathe.

Even when we return to a sense of somewhat ‘normal’, urban cities will continue to be viewed as ideal places for living and working, as well as shopping and playing. But greater responsibility will fall on local community urban designers to plan and build spaces that will accommodate the new functions from lessons we are learning during this pandemic. The provision and need for quality outdoor places will increase, to improve the health of all citizens. These areas and their amenities are essential to allow new, small businesses to grow and flourish.

HOW DO WE GET THERE? In our opinion, the ideal South African smart city does not yet exist. In order to aid city building with physical distancing in mind, we should plan to build cities in the traditional way again.

For South African, that means we must fast-track the total eradication of urban slums. COVID-19 has shown how socially, spatially, and economically unequal we are. This must be the focus for government, urban practitioners, civil society, and communities. It is not just about the COVID-19, but rather to eradicate poor underserved areas that can potentially become the incubator for health pandemics.

All good international examples of traditional, smart city design are cities without slums. In Germany, Bahnstadt and Heidelberg offer a balanced approach between traditional urbanism, applied smart city technologies and public spaces for communities. In Florida, USA, the seaside towns take a similar, balanced vernacular approach by combining traditional urbanism with applied technologies to fit the context, thereby building healthy communities and equality within society.

More traditional urbanism examples exist within Africa itself, including the cities of Casablanca, São Filipe and Timbuktu – examples where heritage and modern city design meet and merge to create anchors for the comminutes.

F E AT U R E

SOCIALLY CONNECTED PHYSICAL DISTANCE

THROUGH TRADITIONAL THRESHOLD DESIGN AND SMART URBAN MANAGEMENT

“It’s not social distancing we need to promote, that has too many negative connotations. It’s physical distancing” THRESHOLD 01

SEMI-PUBLIC / PRIVATE COURT

BUILDINGS AS PHYSICAL SEPARATOR - a city-block perimeter building establishes an access-controllable membrane between the fully public street-realm and the more private urban courtyard.

THRESHOLD 03

PUBLIC STREET

APARTMENT AS PHYSICAL SEPARATOR - the apartment interior is the most private, controllable and protected, exclusive-use zone within the urban environment.

THRESHOLD 02 THRESHOLD 04

MIXING USES FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION - a balanced progamme of activities and live/work units, reduces the need for long-distance commutes to and from work/play/live opportunities.

THRESHOLD 05

BALCONIES FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION - activately useable balconies provide connection to sunlight and nature and security through passive surveilance, while enabling social - not physical community connection.

“Traditional urbanism and some smart-city technologies are what we need for a physically separated but socially connected, inclusive environment.”

GROUND FLOOR AS PHYSICAL SEPARATOR - while the ground floor realm provides access between homes and resources, it’s physical separation is adequate for private living and isolation during the current pandemic.

Credit: Anton Wessels

For South Africa to achieve this, we believe the focus should shift back to traditional cities with some smart city technologies. This will contribute towards the restoration of existing urban centres and towns within coherent metropolitan regions; the reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighbourhoods and diverse districts; the conservation of natural environments; and the preservation of our built legacy.

South African architecture and design already has a framework vision for urban planning into 2040. The 2014 Spatial Framework places the onus on developers to adapt to these guidelines, which includes provision for affordable housing.

We have already seen projects that ignore these guidelines fail. Our job as urban and architectural designers is to take this vision and move it

forward even further. This can be done through combining traditional urbanism with smart city technology.

HOW QUICKLY COULD WE ACHIEVE THIS? COVID-19 presents us with a window of opportunity – to re-establish cooperation between our citizens, and local, provincial and national government to make our plans humancentric. The key will lie in planning and working with our government to achieve this. The steps will be incremental, but if we move towards a traditional city design, we can build strong, healthy communities.

design for the future. Cities take a long time to build, but if you design them correctly, they could stand the test of time and withstand any potential future pandemic.

We need to look back, to traditional urban design practices, to find our way forward.

Our legacy as urban designers and architects is tested over many decades and generations. We cannot assume this type of crisis will be the last, but we can choose to use these lessons and

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F E AT U R E

Density, Urban Form

A N D W H AT W E C A N L E A R N F R O M A PA N D E M I C

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ities have been at the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic and there have been lingering questions about density, the future of our cities and whether there will be a newfound appreciation for sprawled suburban lifestyles. The topic of de-densifying areas has also been brought to the forefront of discussion. Density can take many forms and is only one attribute of urban form. The pandemic has certainly served to highlight the inequities in our cities as fatal factors. Rather than directing our attention on reductive arguments of density as a standalone factor, we have this opportunity to re-examine the future of our urban form and the living conditions in our neighbourhoods, especially for our most vulnerable communities.

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Credit: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

Ilana Steenkamp, Urban Designer at Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers

When cities like New York and Madrid saw a sudden surge in coronavirus cases, density was one of the first topics of discussion. The virus arrived through well-trafficked airports and slowly made its way from people who can afford overseas vacations, to people who struggle to make ends meet. Density was the first scapegoat in New York, but what unfolded in the weeks to follow paints a clearer picture of the conditions of class, race and systemic inequality.

Considering density in isolation ignores a multitude of other factors at play.

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F E AT U R E On closer inspection, housing density has little to do with it; poverty, internal overcrowding and a lack of water, sanitation and healthcare services are more reliable indicators of affected neighbourhoods. Outside of the pandemic, appropriate density, measured through wellconsidered design, contributes positively to liveliness, intensity, walkability, perceived safety, economic activity, and the functioning of transport systems and civic services, as well as enable more social cohesion than our sprawled suburban settings.

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Neighbourhoods can be dense in terms of housing density, dwelling units per hectare or population density, but internal density or overcrowding will vary significantly with wealth disparities, leaving many of the poorer urban areas exposed. In New York, for example, the suburban outskirts of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx became battlegrounds for the virus, while dense parts of Manhattan were only marginally affected.

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Similar trends are visible across cities in the global north and particularly in the United States, where poorer black and hispanic communities have been most affected (Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans). Further south, we have seen the virus ravage poorer neighbourhoods in cities like Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Mumbai. Intergenerational households in Sao Paulo's peripheral favelas saw the worst of the virus. In Mexico City, poorer areas on the outskirts saw cases skyrocket, but their per capita rates were still lower than the surrounding less dense towns. Recent studies have attributed this to a lack of access to healthcare for residents outside the megacity.

In South Africa, we have recently seen our poorer neighbourhoods most severely affected. Take a moment to look beyond population densities to the disparities in urban form and the conditions of many affected neighbourhoods. Many of our most vulnerable communities have overcrowded homes with a lack basic services; they have a lack of access to amenities in close proximity; they have a lack of quality public open space; and they have less economic activity on their doorsteps.

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When we look at South African cities, we see the disparities in neighbourhoods enforced and exacerbated by apartheid planning structures alongside poverty, creating especially challenging circumstances. While overcrowding makes social distancing near impossible, these factors contribute to an urban form of dormitory suburbs that do not provide functional living environments on any given day. This results in residents travelling longer distances on public transit for work and basic needs such as food and healthcare.

Where does this leave our cities in response to a pandemic? Yes, mitigating measures such as

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F E AT U R E testing centres, field hospitals and foodbanks offer immediate relief and disaster management.

However, we have the opportunity to reconsider our priorities as designers in planning for the future of these neighbourhoods as well as new developments.

Instead of advocating for low density, we need to plan for smart density along with the provision of water, sanitation, and service delivery. While service delivery has been at the forefront of the coronavirus response, the beginning of lockdown also saw the topic of de-densification arise as an emergency response to the vulnerabilities of informal settlements. This short-sighted strategy was soon criticised by civil society organisations due to the social and technical difficulties of such an operation, as well as the precedent it would set for forced removals. More than ever, our urban poor rely on local social capital for their livelihood strategies. There is a risk that the people removed from neighbourhoods, would carry the additional burden of finding themselves further removed from economic opportunities and established social networks. The delivery of basic services, hygiene support, incremental and in-situ upgrading, and additional support in the form of health services, food relief and information distribution are more reliable ways to build resilience within communities during this time, without displacement.

While de-densification should not be a legitimate option for most communities, there is an unprecedented opportunity to improve

underserved neighbourhoods and to design for more resilient future neighbourhoods through contextually appropriate responses. Let’s consider a form of unplanned densification – extensions to homes and addition of backyarders. Through incremental additions, owners and residents might choose to expand their homes or bring in additional rental capital. Instead of ignoring this need or condemning development, sufficient connection points can be provided to anticipate this minimal growth and ensure access to water, sanitation and electricity in the future.

This is the strategy used in a current subsidised housing project at Jakupa Architects and Urban Designers in collaboration with Colab Concepts, where services are designed to accommodate further additions and intensification without leaving future residents without services. In addition to plans for future backyarders, public spaces of various scales are designed throughout, supporting amenities are integrated, and local business zoning along main roads enables small businesses to operate within residences. The intention is to design for an appropriate intensity of use that can adapt to future requirements.

While the idea of mixed-use development is not new – and has been adopted as a catchphrase for city chic developments selling an appealing cappuccino-infused lifestyle – where does this leave our 2,700 informal settlements or our thousands of subsidised housing units zoned for 'Single Residential 1'? Neighbourhoods, if they are to support the daily lives of their residents, must contain much more than housing. This

means planning for local businesses, retail, quality public green space, healthcare, schools, transport and civic amenities within residential neighbourhoods.

Before we retreat to a world of sprawl, let us remember that denser cities provide easy access to services such as schooling, healthcare and transport options, as well as access to economic opportunities. They provide access to wider external support systems, and by keeping residents embedded in their communities, people benefit from their social networks in times of crisis. Although cities have become the epicentres of the pandemic, they are also spaces of resilience. In a world that is predominantly urban, this is not the time to grow sceptical of the advantages of density and cities. Instead, let this be an opportunity to invest in and strengthen our neighbourhoods.

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Small scale public spaces contribute to a network of amenities within neighbourhoods

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Neighbourhood blocks with units designed to accommodate incremental growth and backyarders

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Pedestrian-oriented streetscapes

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Units facing onto local public spaces

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A variety of typologies allow for appropriate intensity

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F E AT U R E

Larissa Heyns, Associate at Square One Landscape Architects

HOW LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE C A N H E L P C R E AT E A B E T T E R W O R L D –

Post COVID-19:

2020 has turned our way of life on its head and we’ve woken up to a new, unpredictable reality.

As we begin to emerge from lockdown, we’re starting to get a glimpse of what the world could look like post COVID-19. We can expect more shocks ahead, particularly in the face of climate change, and it is clear that we will need to build up our resilience. Despite the current uncertainty, now is the time to think about how to reshape our cities, and our connection to nature and each other.

With the new challenges we are facing, we have seen communities come together with fervour to support those in need. Neighbours are interacting with each other, sometimes for the first time, seeing where they can help and assist.

Communities are cheering for health workers and rainbows in windows are a reminder that there is hope for a better future. There has been an uptick in food seed sales and those with access to garden space have taken the time to be grateful.

With growing psychological pressures of these uncertain times, it has become clear that we need to feel connected to each other and nature to sustain our mental and physical health.

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Never has the importance of green open space and green infrastructure been more apparent in our society. With restrictions on movement and with parks, beaches and nature reserves off limits, We’re also finding that the work from home model people are using streets and leftover spaces in great numbers, imagining their potential. Empty is feasible and desirable for many. This crisis will playgrounds with children standing eagerly on the hopefully serve as a catalyst for companies to boundaries remind us how essential play is for encourage a better work-life balance, reducing their mental and physical development. In densely commuting times, congestion and the associated populated areas with no access to functional carbon emissions on our busy roads. We could be streetscapes and greenery, the need is dire. Once moving towards a model of decentralised cities, again, the disparity between 'haves' and 'havewhere larger cities are fragmented into a network nots' serves as a stark reminder of what work of more environmentally sustainable and selfsustaining urban cores, linked by efficient transport lies ahead. It is clear that parks and playgrounds must be accessible to all communities. This is an and technological networks. essential part of city making and it shouldn’t be seen as a nice-to-have.

Growing food, breathing fresh air and connecting with plant life can bring a sense of hope and productivity, an investment into the future.

"Governments will now be thinking about urban planning and spending more on infrastructure to boost the economy and it’s crucial that landscape architecture and green innovation is a central component of this."

Governments will now be thinking about urban planning and spending more on infrastructure to boost the economy, and it’s crucial that landscape architecture and green innovation is a central component of this. Now is the time for us to start acting rather than thinking about how we tackle the next big shock, climate change, in all the decisions we make. As designers, we are responsible for building a more resilient world.

We need to get serious about ensuring our voices are heard.

F E AT U R E Cities across the globe including London and New York, are pedestrianising streets and encouraging non-motorised transport to allow some breathing room in normally heavily congested areas. New cycle lanes and pathways are being built in Bogotá and Melbourne, complementing an upswing in bicycle sales.

In major urban centres, green networks and pathways have become an essential mechanism through which citizens can commute safely and get exercise while engaging with urban ecology.

The focus on food scarcity reminds us of the power of victory gardens during the world wars – where communities came together to grow food in private and public spaces.

The response to this crisis has made it clear that at local scale, and with the right support, communities are able to respond and adapt more rapidly. We need to ensure that communal spaces are designed with multi-functionality and natural systems in mind, like capturing and reusing water onsite, sustainable urban drainage, indigenous planting to enhance ecology, trees, and spaces to allow urban agriculture. All are essential components of city-making that will enhance a community’s ability to adapt.

It is our responsibility to ensure environmental principles are taken into consideration on all of the projects we work on – protecting wild nature, enhancing and rehabilitating natural systems, sustainable water use, growing food locally, embracing renewable energy, reducing and recycling waste, making use of sustainable building materials, combatting urban sprawl, reimagining degraded and left-over city spaces and designing functional and ecological green open space. By working with nature, we can strengthen our ability to respond to future shocks, so that when the next crisis strikes, we will be more prepared.

Revitalization of the Elsieskraal River to create functional open space prolandscaper.co.za

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E C O F R I E N D LY &

Sustainable Lighting

By Annelize Dankworth and Alan Shepherd, QDP Lighting & Electrical Design

Annelize Dankworth Lighting Designer

Alan Shepherd Director

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hen it comes to the environment, lighting design has come a long way since the 90s where it was all about how many Watts we could get in a single fitting, and in some cases, it seemed people were trying to compete as to who’s fitting could 'shine the brightest'.

Granted there were always those that designed around that, but it seemed wherever you looked, lighting suppliers were trying to sell you a fitting that was a higher wattage than the one before.

Back then, it was about getting as much light out of the fitting and not about how much power you were using. Then as the price of electricity went up, focus on the environment became higher up on the agenda and technology started changing; the lighting industry became more and more conscious of just how much power it was using.

So much so, that nowadays you do not ask "how many Watts is this fitting?", but "what is the Watts per Lumen?" of the fitting. In layman’s terms, how much power is the fitting using to produce the amount of light you are getting out.

That shift in thinking has obviously been helped by the movement to LED from all your old lamp technologies. While all the older technologies were and are reaching their peak in their evolution, LED seems to be only starting to tap into its potential. Added to that, you have new solutions and ways to control the fittings. You can get more light out of a smaller source and use less power to achieve the same or better results.

It means that lighting design has been able to change in ways that were never possible with the old technologies.

Adding further to the eco-friendly design element is the control of these fittings, and the modern trend to go over to more advanced methods of sensor control. Whether in large or small installations, this can be achieved by allowing for ‘daylight harvesting’ where fittings are dimmed when ambient light levels are high, to presence detection that shuts off or dims fittings to minimal levels when no one is around, or even using both of the above together. They can also be linked to automated blinds, to lower and raise blinds to allow outside light in, or block it out, so that internal lighting levels are maintained, but at the lowest possible electrical usage.

F E AT U R E

Further to the above, with the introduction of Green Star ratings to building design, there has been a huge push to reduce energy usage throughout the buildings, with lighting being one of the main items on the agenda. This has led to designers not ‘polluting the sky’ with wasted light that shines directly into the sky without first hitting a surface of a building or structure.

Landscape lighting specifically has often been done by large scale uplighting using buried floodlights, standard floodlights, or spike type fittings, shining upward to the underside of large trees. Green Star design elements made designers look at different ways to light landscaped gardens.

Often, the change in mindset led to the areas having minimal or no lighting in the evening, and rather lighting seating elements or pathways and not the plants or trees.

As we try to become more and more environmentally friendly in our designs and

installations, it is also leading us to using more sustainable materials in the fittings, with companies placing increasing importance on reducing their carbon footprint. As designers, we try do this for companies in our designs by using fittings with as low power consumption as possible. But, without the manufacturers also pushing to reduce their own footprint by using different materials, or new ways to manufacture, we cannot achieve this as successfully as we would like. So, it is up to everyone involved in the end product, namely the final lighting installation, to do their part, starting from the manufacturer, to the designer and/or engineer, as well as the end user or client.

As solar and battery technology improves, we are seeing an increasing amount of companies offering solar solutions to lighting. The main thing holding back the further advancement of solar fittings on a large scale for all types of

external fittings would be battery technology, in terms of size, cost and reliability. Just as LED technology has changed, what is possible with lighting design in general, with improved battery technology, could change how landscape and external lighting is done. If if we are not reliant on electricity from the grid, as well as high cable installation costs, then areas that never had lighting, or relied on huge floodlight type installations for lighting, could be transformed, yet still be environmentally sustainable.

QDP RECOMMENDS: Province lighting provides solutions which work off the grid, complete with energy efficient batteries powered by our natural resource, the sun.

Its product materials have a high resistance to extreme climates. Province has always specialised in commercial building applications and takes pride in providing the best solutions to its clients by careful and precise selection of high-end and well-priced luminaires.

Furthermore, it provides smart solutions and building management systems for homes, offices, retail and commercial applications which optimise daylight saving as well as energy management integration systems, where large savings on consumption provides large savings on small, medium and large projects, with high return on investment packages.

Regent lighting solutions offers products that are locally manufactured at Regent Lighting in Johannesburg and fittings are manufactured using Aluminium. Aluminium is amongst the most environmentally friendly metals on the planet. On a percentage basis, it is the most recycled of any industrial metal.

Amdec Property Developments (Pty) Ltd

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As with most of Regents products, the light is projected down only, with no diffuser, giving spill light upwards creating light loss or light pollution. Regent only uses the highest quality electrical components, like drivers and LEDs, which gives you maximum efficiency and minimises power loss.

F E AT U R E

As buyers struggle to differentiate, here’s some advice on what to look out for:

MAKING CHOICES WHEN QUALITY AND PRICE DON’T C O R R E L AT E

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Surface finishing: A superficial surface finish serves to hide defects. This finish wears poorly and often fades or flakes away. A quality product should have a surface finish that represents the constituent material of the product.

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Finished edges and straight lines: A rough texture helps to achieve a certain aesthetic, but that doesn’t mean that basic geometry should be ignored. Are the product edges straight where they should be straight, and is there symmetry where there should be symmetry? Have the edges been finished with care and precision? Textured should not be confused with sloppy.

Pro Landscaper catches up with Classic Stone's Tim Lewis, to gain some concrete advice!

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here’s been a proliferation of cement-based products on the market over recent years, both planters and furniture. More suppliers stimulate competition, which should be to the benefit of consumers, keeping prices in check and providing greater choice. But it’s damaging to the industry as a whole when new entrants bring inferior products to market and mislead buyers.

Having been in the industry for nearly three decades, Tim understands what goes into making a product that’s going to last. It pains him to see poor design and inferior finishes, knowing that the buyer probably paid a fair sum and thought they were getting a quality product. He says: “Cement is a very commonly used material but seldom well understood, and so people come onto the market and think, ‘that’s easy, I can do that too,' but it takes experience to know what does and doesn’t work. Unfortunately the only true test of a product is time.”

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Visible join lines: Cement-based products are mostly produced using a mould.

Keeping a mould straight and aligned in manufacturing takes effort. When mould join lines are clearly visible, it’s a sign that little care was taken in the manufacturing process, and is often a give-away that the mould has been crudely copied off an existing product.

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Structural guarantees: Does the product come with a structural guarantee? This is particularly relevant when it comes to large planters, or even furniture items like benches. For example, a large planter may need to hold several tonnes of soil, and a bench in a busy area needs to be highly durable and carry an appropriate amount of weight.

Tim Lewis, director of Classic Stone

It’s important to keep in mind that even a well made product that’s incorrectly installed will not last as long as it should. Ask for installation instructions from the supplier to ensure that structural integrity isn’t compromised. Tim says: ”A planter holding two tonnes of soil can’t balance on a pinhead, and a plant isn’t a static thing. You need to ensure that the plant and the planter are a good match, and the plant needs to be maintained in order to ensure the longevity of the pot.”

Tim’s view is that good aesthetics are hard to achieve, and so if this detail has been taken care of, it’s a positive sign that quality runs throughout the product. Manufacturers should be prepared to stand by their product and offer guarantees for both the aesthetic finishes and structural components.

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MAKING WITH MEANING A N AT T I T U D E TO A R C H I T E C T U R E

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i Edelkoort, the world renowned trend forecaster, first introduced me to the idea of Animism. This is the belief that all things – objects, places, creatures, etc. – possess a distinct spiritual essence. Since first learning of this term I have enjoyed using it as a lens through which to view the material world that surrounds us. The act of architecture, as we know it, sits very much in the tangible reality of things and as such, materials become the primary tools through which we can implement our craft. In this light, we believe choosing to engage with materials in a deeper, more meaningful way is helping us develop a more holistic and sustainable attitude to architecture.

‘Making with meaning’ is a concept we are continually unpacking in the studio. We are driven to align, in each project we are involved in, an awareness of why, where, how, and with what we build. We feel that it is the moment when the answers to these questions connect in the ‘right’ way – and ultimately manifest in a material form – that the inherent value of any built outcome can start to surpass the sum of its parts. Working predominantly in underresourced areas has helped us gain perspective on this and the vital role that human, cultural, and community agency similarly plays in the endeavour for a more sustainable architectural practice. This, for us, becomes significantly more prevalent knowing that we, as the MAAK, are primarily engaged in work of a public nature. The eventual impact of the public spaces and public buildings we are involved in, is strongly linked to our ability to engage and empathise with the holistic context of each work. This includes the need for a deep material, contextual, and human understanding of things. By advocating for and implementing work in this way we hope to be a part of a deeper understanding of sustainability in the industry.

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Architects have too often placed ‘product’ over ‘process’ in the sustainability conversation.

As a result, buildings that may be both technically and environmentally sound sometimes lack any serious human, cultural, material or contextual relevance.

Max Melvill, Co-founder of The MAAK prolandscaper.co.za

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INSPIRE

“WE ARE INTERESTED IN PEOPLE, ENERGY, IDEAS, AND ACTION! WE BELIEVE IN COLLABORATION, TRIAL AND ERROR, AND ‘PUTTING OUR FOOT IN IT’. WE DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS AND HOPE TO NEVER FORGET THAT. WE TRUST IN BEAUTY, AND THE PROCESS OF MAKING.”

connection, with what we do, has always been core to our practice and greatly informs the way in which we work. Some of the biggest lessons learnt in this realm have been through our annual ‘Design and Make’ programme called Follies in The Veld (FITV). Each year FITV engages willing participants through a unique material choice and location to design and build a large-scale spatial intervention (a folly).

- the MAAK manifesto (2016)

Because the physical outcomes of the course aren’t intended to be permanent, it gives everyone involved (us included), the unique opportunity to explore and experiment with materials and processes without the fear of consequence. This freedom has helped us continually learn and unlearn what we think we know about materiality and furthermore what we think we know about architecture. Although the interesting structures wondered up during the course are short lived, a deeper engagement with the materials we choose to build with, has filtered into our daily practice. Outside of the ‘small’ realm of FITV, this is helping us redefine how we approach projects of a larger scale. Linked to this is the reminder that we need to remain

As an industry we need to understand the need to bridge this divide moving forward, and it has become clear that the success of the spaces we create relies as much on our ability to act on a technical level as it is to help translate a collective energy and ambition in a process of making.

‘To make’, for us, embodies a slightly different energy than ‘to build’ and it is how we prefer to frame our approach to architecture. ‘Making’ somehow feels a bit more hands-on and personal than ‘building’ does. This more intimate

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flexible in our thinking and architectural approach.

As a result, we have committed to what we have called an ‘architectural #WIP’ – work in progress.

Embracing change and the knowledge of not knowing is keeping us engaged with the infinite expanse of the exciting material and architectural world we are involved in, even more so amidst our recent global social and cultural shifts. In this light, I have reflected on one of the first manifesto’s we wrote for ourselves. Maybe it's more true now than ever: “We are interested in people, energy, ideas, and action! We believe in collaboration, trial and error, and ‘putting our foot in it’. We don’t have all the answers and hope to never forget that. We trust in beauty, and the process of making.”

- the MAAK manifesto (2016) IG: @the.maak www.themaak.co.za info@themaak.co.za IMAGES: 1.

Final facade detail of FITV 2018

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Using glass as a material to capture the light of a setting sun (IC: Amy Paterson)

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A an architectural composition of form, colour, material, and texture a testing clinic build for the Desmond Tutu HIV foundation (2019)

4.

A hanging pavilion placed in the middle of an Acacia forest that moves in the wind to better connect visitors of the space to their immediate natural environment.

European Oak | American Oak | Balau | Kiaat | Mahogany | Walnut | Saligna | Beech & Many More Specialising in Exotic Hardwoods – over 40 species available Suppliers of iDeck Balau decking 19x68 & 19x90 as well as a full range of Structural Balau S4S Stockists of high-quality Massaranduba decking 19x90 Range of plywoods, including Birch, Marine, Pine, Commercial and Exotic Order any volume from one plank to one bundle to a truck load of wood Supplied rough or machined to the customers requirements

We support suppliers who offer FSC timber and timber sourced from well-managed sustainable plantations.

Eco Timber Traders delivers throughout the Kwazulu Natal and Gauteng Regions

Durban

Johannesburg

Tel: +27 (0)31 705 5546 Email Hans: hans@ecotimbertraders.co.za

Tel: +27 (0)11 794 6330 Email Rob: rob@ecotimbertraders.co.za

14 Progress Rd New Germany

Corner Wilge Street & Raft Road, Laser Park, Honeydew

Partnering with

F E AT U R E

Dr Leslie Hoy - Rand Water, Water Wise.

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here are so many phrases and buzz words at play nowadays, which all in some way or another point to being more sustainable in the landscape. Some of these include, but are not limited to, sustainability, net-zero water, waste, energy, various footprint calculations (water, energy, food, ecological), the water and energy nexus, ecological restoration, ecological and ecosystem resilience, and water wise. Yes, many of these buzz words focus on different aspects of our environment, but each contributes something to a sustainable environment.

Sometimes, it is difficult to keep abreast with the next new buzzword. At times, this may result in some confusion with those that need to implement them. However, regardless of the source of the phrase used, it is our responsibility as landscapers in the environment to see through this and to interpret the most sustainable approach for our planet – and yes, every small landscape plays a vital role in this endeavour.

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The word sustainability, although it has been around for many years, has changed its meaning over time. However, landscape sustainability could be described as: the ability of a given landscape to reliably and steadily provide longterm landscape specific ecosystem services that are essential for improving and maintaining our human health without unduly compromising the environment. As one is dealing with humans and the landscape ecosystem, which are both variables, sustainability of any given site or context needs to be seen as dynamic and ever-changing. The change occurs not only over time, but also as the dynamics of the situation or site change. Each landscape as we know it is influenced by what occurs on site and by what factors “outside and adjacent to the site� change.

The desire from humans to conquer, industrialise, develop, build economies, as well as manage and landscape our environment, has unfortunately in very many cases resulted in change that is on the whole negative for the environment on an unsustainable trajectory. Ultimately, we are destroying the very planet we live on.

Hence the need to consider more aspects that involve a facet of sustainability are being addressed. Without trying to over intellectualise this matter, it is pertinent that we explore aspects that the landscaping/horticulture/environmental industry can practically implement. This should apply to current, new and even some past projects. Due to limited space, only some aspects of this broader aspect of sustainability will be considered.

Planning No matter whether one is selling a concept, bidding on a project, or actually planning a project, we have the responsibility to consider all aspects of the immediate and wider environment, and where possible, also limiting human impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

The need to address sustainability on a ‘cradle to grave’ approach is the core concept of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998). It would be ideal and greatly beneficial if, during development of all landscapes, not only budget and the client’s ideals were considered, but also the immediate and long-term environmental sustainable aspects.

Where possible niches could be created on site for biodiversity linking to neighbouring areas as well, resource use could be minimised and natural

resources such as energy, plant waste and water could be utilised, yet all the while influenced by long-term sustainability and cost savings.

Client influence Unfortunately, in many cases, the project as a design and concept is a fait accompli by the time landscape architects and landscapers are involved.

However, surely it should never be too late to influence the outcome of the project no matter at what stage we become involved, to ensure environmental sustainability in the overall approach. Maybe as part of our proactive selling pitches these concepts could be included and sold to the client. Even during the work on site, the client could be influenced. Yes, this is a long road but could be beneficial for the industry as a whole.

Again, as an industry we should be proactively engaging various property agencies and groups with the aim of influencing immediate and long-term changes to positively influence our landscape design choices for a sustainable future.

Resource choices Do we consider where our resources come from and what materials are used in our resources?

To haul a product, all the way from one end of the country to another, utilizes huge amounts of energy and other resources. Sometimes local

is best. The materials used for our projects need to, where possible, be sourced from more sustainable practices and raw materials. The wood, plastics and metals used on projects need to be sourced from sustainably managed projects as a raw product.

"All landscapes should be both resilient and sustainable in their localised South African context.”

Design This is a very extensive topic on its own.

However, designs need to include all aspects of sustainability, biodiversity, energy/water/waste management, as well as be functional and have visual appeal. This is something we have a direct influence over and it should not be minimised or trivialised in any manner.

Amongst others, design should not forget to consider site soils, slopes, compaction, site and adjacent microclimates, and other factors that could influence site sustainability.

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We also need to design with the unfortunate knowledge that climate change and all its impacts are happening and will be around for many years to come. However, our designs can individually and combined, play a vital role in mitigating and reducing these impacts on our landscapes and the broader environment.

The debate of indigenous versus exotic plants will rage on for many years. At the heart of it all, plants need to be chosen to promote biodiversity, site aesthetics and appeal, structure and design, and water conservation. More needs to be done to include locally endemic plants into all landscapes. Amazingly, South Africa has over 20,000 plant species and yet only a small fraction of these are used in our landscapes.

Arguably, many are not really suitable for use in landscaped sites. However, sometimes we limit these choices ourselves. There is some work going into developing new varieties of indigenous aloes, agapanthanus, plectranthus, tecomaria, etc.

Landscapers need to influence this indigenous plant palette more, and not just use what is easily and readily available.

Water use, water conservation and harvesting: It does not matter the location or size of the site, all sites can be designed considering the water use, conservation and harvesting. A reduction of stormwater run-off can be achieved through the use of bio-swales, berms, permeable paving, rain gardens – on site and parking lots, green roofs and on-site dams. The focus on implementing other water-wise landscape techniques such as plant choice and placement, hydrozones,

reduced lawn areas, correct irrigation design and mulching, soil improvement, etc. also play a huge role in reducing water use by as much as 38%.

Constructed wetlands, either as natural features or artificial structures, can be included seamlessly onto many sites to filter water captured on site or reclaimed grey water. The use of a comprehensive landscape water use calculator (formula) will assist in determining anticipated water use of the site.

Irrigation is crucial to many sites. For some, it is only used to establish the site and over time watering is reduced, while others have continuous irrigation. No matter what the need, the premise should always be to reduce water use, never waste water, design the system professionally, install water meters – that are read and monitored, irrigate according to hydrozones, change systems to accommodate seasonal and climatic needs, and include automated climate based systems where possible. Many landscape sites and golf courses have no idea of exactly how much water they use.

As water availability for landscape use becomes an ever-increasing challenge, it is crucial that, not only on new sites but existing landscapes are also changed to reflect this new need.

Energy use and harvesting Through careful choice and placement of plants on sites the need for heating and cooling within a building or car parks and roads on the site can be mitigated to some extent. The energy use in landscape construction and maintenance, such as mowers and water pumps, needs to be considered when at design stage. This can be mitigated by in-

cluding solar electricity where possible – these too should be sustainable in design and production.

Use what is on site where possible It is not always feasible to have a site that itself is a closed unit with what is needed to sustain the site coming from the site itself. It is, nevertheless, possible to consider this on site. Some examples, excluding what is already covered in the article, could be: composting on site, allowing plants and larger trees to naturally decompose on site, and allowing fallen leaves and grass clippings to be used back on the site – chipping and reusing of all wood on site is also beneficial. This improves soil composition, structure and nutrient retention, and will also reduce the use of chemicals and fertilisers.

Improved biodiversity Each landscape may seem to be a drop in the ocean, but what is crucial to note is that each site allows for interlinkages with other adjacent sites.

Each site contributes to some degree to ecosystem structure and functioning. These allow for improved movement, increased habitats and feeding areas for many species – like bees, insects, birds and even small fauna – and increased pollination.

There is some thinking that planting species not native to the landscape may introduce invasive plant species as well as new wildlife that was not in the ecosystem before. In natural areas, altering the ecosystem could be a major problem. In these situations, expert opinion will help avoid this.

Maintenance and re-evaluation of site/project At times, sites are designed to a specific standard or requirement, but it later goes awry when one

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maintenance team is replaced with another with insufficient information. Costs have to be saved, the original intention of the site is lost and the concept of sustainability seems the furthest thing on people’s minds. It is crucial that landscapers set out maintenance standards and guidelines allowing the maintenance team, the landlord and the tenants to understand what is required to ensure ongoing sustainability of the project. Similarly, for existing older sites that are less sustainable at presentr it should be incumbent on us as industry involved in maintenance to reassess the site and convince the owner or landlord of beneficial sustainable changes and improvements to the site.

Other benefits of implementing sustainable landscapes The Green Buildings Council have shown that buildings built using a more sustainable process can result in only a marginal premium in building costs of 3.9%, yet with an increased total return of 11.6% – capital and income return – let alone the huge savings in energy, water, waste and productivity.

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• • • •

Most certainly the long-term benefits of implementing and designing sustainable landscapes results in cost savings to the client.

Applies to a long period of time.

Carbon sequestration in our landscapes.

Reduced use of non-renewable resources.

Reduced greenhouse gasses.

For us to design, implement and maintain our landscapes in a manner that supports sustainability – in its broadest sense – speaks directly to our survival needs as set out by Maslow so many years ago. If our industry is not only to survive but flourish and expand in the future, we need to embrace a more holistic approach of considering and implementing sustainable landscapes from concept through to design and maintenance.

It is essential that we influence the government, various agencies and councils, property developers, landlords, learning institutions and our own industry to take on a much greater role in ensuring more sustainable landscapes that contribute positively to our local and broader environment.

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LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS JOURNAL:

Thembelihle Wetland: (Re)creation

Precedent: Soralia Conservation Area, Capricorn Park

By Antoinette de Beer, ARLA Consulting Landscape Architects

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t the beginning of 2019, Lukhozi Consulting Engineers (LCE) approached ARLA Consulting Landscape Architects for a quotation to develop a landscape plan – up to SACLAP Workstage 3 – for the (re)creation of seasonal wetlands, with associated amenities on vacant land adjacent to the Rondevlei section of the False Bay Nature Reserve (FBNR). The quotation was approved and conceptual design work started in January 2020.

The project originated as an environmental offset to the Thembelihle high-density, low-cost housing development in Pelican Park back in 2010, by the Western Cape Department of Human Settlements. A freshwater specialist report prepared by the freshwater ecologist, Dean Ollis from The Freshwater Consulting Group (FCG), established that a wetland would

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be lost as a result of the proposed development.

Based on the environmental processes undertaken, it was confirmed that a wetland offset would need to be implemented in order to compensate for the loss of the wetland, as a result of the Thembelihle Housing development.

It was decided that the prescribed target area for wetland (re)creation was going to be the Rondevlei section of the FBNR since it is located within a formally protected nature reserve.

In addition, an area, or several areas, should be excavated to bring the ground surface closer to the water table to create wetland conditions. To facilitate the proper design of the latter, it was recommended that a well point should be installed at the site and the depth of the groundwater be measured regularly to determine the summer low and winter high groundwater level. This was crucial for the successful (re)creation of seasonal wetlands, as groundwater levels fluctuate as much as two metres between winter and summer.

The offset site has several opportunities as well as constraints: 1.

Rooikrans Avenue road reserve – future extension of Rooikrans Avenue across the site to Prince George Drive and M5. It was established that the Rooikrans Avenue road reserve to Prince George Drive was not warranted and would not be warranted in the future, as per the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) Roads Master Plan. This was good news as it confirmed the site would not be cut-off from the FBNR in the future, and larger animals, including the hippos at Rondevlei, would be able to visit the site.

2.

Stormwater channel bisecting the site and draining into Rondevlei wetlands. The existing stormwater channel was viewed as an opportunity as it could be upgraded to a swale that would not only satisfy the engineering functions of the channel, but also the ecological functions. However, when the possibility was raised, our first

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Scale: 1:750 @ A3

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bridge across stormwater swale

pedestrian entrance and signage

dunes ablution facilities stormwater swales

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shaded rest area Cape Flats Dune Strandveld vegetation

deep depression

educational area with environmental information fixed onto plastered wall

tan concrete paver pedestrian pathway

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The cost of excavation and removal of infill material or earthworks required for creation of seasonal wetlands. The site was infilled when the adjacent neighbourhood was developed. To create seasonal wetlands, the surface level would need to be modified to create areas/depressions that would expose the groundwater table during winter.

When we developed the landscape concept plan, we had to keep in mind that the main aim of this offset project was to reinstate wetland habitat, with the objectives being to:

Landscape Concept Plan Date created: March 3, 2020

EXISTING RONDEVLEI NATURE RESERVE

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Conceptual landscape plan response was: “Why demolish something that has been working perfectly for years?”

Nonetheless, there was a legitimate concern that the change from channel to swale could place upstream areas at risk of flooding. We do, however, believe that with the input from the engineers, these concerns can be addressed.

THEMBELIHLE WETLAND REHABILITATION

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Increase wetland plant diversity, Create habitat for the endangered Cape Platanna (Xenopus gilli).

Assist with wetland conservation.

Create an area for environmental education.

It’s clear from the above that the main function of the site would be environmental, however, certain amenities in terms of environmental education could enhance and add value to the project. The landscape concept plan was based on the conceptual plan prepared by Dean Ollis from FCG. The former included an arrival space – for cars, a bus parking area and entrance gateway, an educational space – with ablution facilities, shade structures and environmental education panels, and the reserve space – paved walkway, pause areas and bridges.

In order for this new section of the reserve to tie-in with the existing part, we proposed that similar materials should be used in terms of shade structures, signage, walkways, and bridges. Not

only would this help to visually tie-in with the existing reserve, but it would also limit the range of maintenance supplies necessary for the upkeep of the reserve.

We were advised not to connect the site with a walkway to the existing nature reserve because extensive boardwalks would be required. The boardwalks themselves were not the problem, however, the regular damage caused to the boardwalks by the hippos necessitated continuous repairs – an expenditure the reserve preferred to avoid.

The project is still at the conceptual stage, and a lot still needs to be done. But we sincerely hope that once it is finalised, the City of Cape Town will be able to source the funds and implement it.

NOTE: This article is based on information provided by Natalie Ritsch (LCE) and Dean Ollis (FCG). In addition, the landscape concept plan was prepared with the help of candidate landscape architect Amber Myers.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH

NEWTOWN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS (NLA) Celebrating over a quarter of a century in business...

Johan Barnard

Q: As Newtown

Landscape Architects looks back over the last 26 years in the industry, how has the company’s philosophy and commitment to the community evolved?

A: Since our very first project, 'Transitways', we

have always demonstrated a commitment to service the community through our design. We spoke to the street traders and office workers in order to develop a complete new strategy of dedicated bus routes – which was revolutionary back then, but this has since become a reality with the advent of the Rea-Vaya BRT system.

Our third project was developing a park on the banks of the Jukskei river, next to London Road bridge – an area which was considered very unsafe at the time. The project was the first park project funded by the Community Based Public Works Programme – now EPWP. We assisted the community represented by a committee and later a community trust, which could manage and receive the funding. This took most of a year of Saturday community meetings and then presentations to the Department of Public Works, focusing on breakdowns of tasks, materials, costs and programmes – as they had little interest in the design at that time and were more interested in an equitable process of labour based building. We did everything from getting quotes for material, delivery and marking out work on site, to buying locks for the containers when the tools arrived.

The park still stands and was renovated by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo a few years ago.

Moroka Thokoza Park also entailed a year of just talking – this time NLA were paid for our time by a Danish Aid Agency, DANCED – before this project could become a reality. This mayoral show case project for the World Summit of Sustainable Development in 2002 only allowed 16 weeks to build a R20m park. The park was opened at the opening ceremony to the World Summit for

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Sustainable Development by, then, Mayor Amos Masondo, and for years afterwards we still had contact and feedback from the local councillor, Clr Padi and the 'Friends of the Park' – a group of young people who volunteer to water trees and pick up litter. Moroka Dam is now one of the most favoured wedding venues in Soweto, and you can find several wedding parties taking place at the same time over a weekend. There are other similar project examples such as Mamvula Community Park in Louis Trichardt and two SANBI parks in Komatipoort and Mangaung, to name a few.

Q: Who are the staff members who have helped to get you to this point? And how have you grown from the starting point to now?

A: It is humbling to look back at how many

graduate landscape architects have worked at our office over the years. They are now scattered all over the world, from China to Dubai, to England, and a few of them are even doing something completely different to landscape architecture now. It would be impossible to name them all, but Karien Hanekom – one of our first employees – comes to mind. Everything was still done by hand at that time; drawings, time sheets, and fax cover pages. Her husband installed our first computer network on a Saturday, linking three 486 PC’s and a dot matrix printer! There are so many names: Johan Hattingh, Brisbane; Clinton Hindes, running LAN programme at UCT; Gerald Garner; Ashleigh Patterson, Durban; Alistair Ferrar, England; Cobus Scheepers, Polokwane; Bernadette Vollmer; Dr Ida Breedt; Leander Steyn and Johann Matthysen, both Dubai; and Dayle Shand – who is now nearly a "Dr".

Q: Which designers have been your biggest

influence over the years in terms of how you design spaces, and why?

A: This is going to show my age, but in terms of

design it must be Thomas Churches’ serpentine lines, for intuitive work it's Lawrence Halprin, and for clear concepts it's Michael van Valkenburg and Peter Walker. If we look at our approach we can add Ian Mcharg’s 'Design with Nature', Ann Whiston Spirn's 'Urban Ecology', and James Corner’s 'Landscape Urbanism'. I cannot end

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the list without mentioning my mentors over the years: Willem van Riet, Johan Louw, Peter Dayson, Johan de Villiers and Douw van der Merwe, and of course my co-founder of NLA, Graham Young.

I know we have to thank all these “heroes” who tweaked our thinking with a sentence or a sketch, which helped hone our own craft every day, project by project.

Q: What have been some of your biggest projects to date, and where can they be found?

A: We have done many public parks across South Africa, from north of the Lebombo mountains; to the Swazi border; Natal north coast; Lesotho mountains; down to George; Laingsburg; Khara Hais; Free State and all corners of Gauteng. We started with Kwenele Regional Park – south of Alberton – which we worked on for ten years.

Then, with Moroka-Thokoza-Regina Mundi in Soweto – for which we were awarded an ILASA Gold Livcon Award – which we linked the three phases of Petrus Molefe Park, next to Kliptown.

This park celebrated the opening of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and completed with the centenary celebrations of uMkhonto we Sizwe.

After, there was Freedom Park – with whom we had an 18-year association, the Riverside Government Offices Complex in Nelspruit, Mpmulanga, which we were involved in for 19 years. Together with Albonico Sack Mzumara, we planned and designed the 90ha Ridgeside Mixed Use Precinct in its entirety, guiding the implementation of the design over a 15-year period. We were the master landscape architect for the Gautrain project and the project managers for the R65m Leeupan/Tambo precinct.

NLA was the only landscape architect appointed to design a soccer pitch for the 2010 World Cup for the new Peter Mokaba Stadium, as well as participate as a professional team member for the R200m urban renewal of the Ellis Park Precinct.

More recently, we managed and designed the R119m Germiston CBD renewal in joint venture with Lyer and completed the Urban and Landscape Master Plan for the new Strategic Economic Zone around the SS Khama International Airport (SSKIA) with RHDHV.

Q: Does Newtown Landscape Architects

prefer doing commercial projects, civic projects or parks?

A: We have worked in all spheres of the industry, from turnkey projects to community-based ones. Each have challenges and opportunities. In commercial projects, we focus more on how to save operating costs through innovation, prolandscaper.co.za

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whereas in public projects robustness and low maintenance play bigger roles, but we have been awarded far more public projects.

Q: What makes Newtown Landscape Architects different from other firms?

A: We do not believe we are better than

anybody, but we do try to serve our clients more efficiently each time, being proactive, asking many questions, making sure we meet all deadlines and get it done to the specified standard.

Q: Who have been some of your favourite

architects and developers that you have worked with over the years? Who would you still like to work with in years to come?

A: Again, a short question with a long answer

– there are many, including clients and professionals all across South Africa and as far as India. The list is impossible to summarise. A few who stand out, though, are our hometown City of Johannesburg's JDA, JCPZ, JRA, JPC, but also our neighbours City of Ekurhuleni and Mogale City, Freedom Park Trust, Woolworths and Tongaat.

Fellow consultants are even more difficult to single out, but some of whom we have worked with regularly over the past 25 years include: Aecom, Albonico Sack, Arup, Chris Brooker, GAPP, Hatch, Mariswe, Prism Architects, Proplan, Metro Plan, MMA, R&L Architects, RHDHV, Urban Dynamics, and many more. Like us, they are not going anywhere, and we will work them again, as well as the new generation of professionals.

Q: What current work is Newtown Landscape Architects involved in?

A: We have been fortunate in our ability to

work far and wide, thus ensuring existing work currently. We are finishing off two major urban design master plans for new precincts in Botswana; busy with an ecological park in Beira; redeveloping historic Florida Lake; renovating a beach resort in East London; and have five hospitals in various stages of completion.

Q: How does Newtown Landscape Architects see itself growing over the next five years?

What is next?

A: Just before COVID-19, we were very

successful in marketing outside of South Africa, and that will continue. Our hospital projects will take years to finish and our parks in Ridgeside must also still be built. Then there are the new mega townships we are involved in, which will require our softer sustainable design input.

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years of design excellence delivered.

Tel: 011 462 6967 www. newla.co.za

Newtown Landscape Architects

E L A L E N I C O A S TA L F O R E S T E S TAT E

The Gates at Elaleni

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PORTFOLIO

Cost: R30 million Gate house size: 1,200m² Total infrastructure size: 10,000m² Completed: 2019 Location: Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate, KwaZulu-Natal

Premised on an ethos of sustainability and natural living, the 46ha of Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate is a pioneer for environmentally conscious design and no stranger to Pro Landscaper’s pages. Its newest node, "The Gates at Elaleni" is no exception to the overall design concept of the estate and includes exquisite boutique offices, now available for sale and for rent, perfect for professionals and family businesses. This is a North Global Group Properties (Pty) Ltd Development with architecture by Bloc Architects and Landscape Architecture by Uys & White, who have managed to use sustainable products to achieve a beautiful outcome.

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he approach to The Gates, as explained by Bloc Architects, is by means of an entrance causeway over an elegantly layered water feature, further emphasising the transition from the busy, fast-paced outside world, to the tranquil, protected lush forest within.

Every aspect of The Gates incorporates natural or raw elements where possible, encouraging engagement with its forest context. Embracing an over-riding environmental conscience, the design utilises a natural locally-sourced material pallet of stone, timber, concrete and glass.

Carefully placed at a natural entryway to the forest estate, a simple form is arranged along the building’s axis. Using natural stone spine walls to support the vast cantilevered off shutter concrete

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green roof, this natural entrance portal and gateway to the estate is emphasized with natural indigenous greenery taking precedence over the architecture.

The indigenous naturally planted berms and roof plane set up the internal spaces along the building’s axis. The Gates building programme consists of: Access Kiosks, security control room, lettable offices, shared workspaces, home owners association offices and The Hide coffee shop and social pause area.

Elaleni residents and local community members are encouraged to engage with the features on offer, with many local design professionals relocating their offices to The Gates.

The Gates' site history Interestingly, this site used to be a crocodile farm, and the once modest entrance to the farm has been transformed to be visually integrated with the surrounding natural terrain. The gates represent a transition from the outside world into a sustainable community living lifestyle estate, vested in an ethos of living close to nature.

The brief required Uys & White to design a high profile entrance that is dramatic and evokes emotion. The client also requested green screens to provide shading from the sun as well as privacy to office spaces on ground floor.

The brief from Bloc Architects was that it was paramount that the building have a green façade with dramatic and lush cascading green vines.

How the brief was realised The Gates is a multifunctional building, housing the access controls to the estate as well as private and public office space. Due to the northsouth orientation of the Gates building, ground

floor recessed offices needed protection from the harsh western sun. Planters on the building’s first level are planted with waving grasses and beach creepers trailing down to create a curtain of green providing office privacy and sun protection. Stormwater collection was an important consideration and therefore a permanently wet causeway was created, which all visitors and residents have to drive through upon arrival. This gave us the opportunity to create a landscape gallery including elements such as a signage wall (pump house), elements of interest (bonsai stands in water), road islands with palms, and water jets.

Users of the space drive through this landscape gallery, that terminates in a forested berm which serves as a background and cuts one off from the surroundings before you turn right to pass under the gate house and enter the estate.

One of the primary features here is that the landscape defines the Gatehouse, not the Gatehouse defining the landscape. The landscape is most certainly the main feature and the Gatehouse is a facility within an arrival space that is first and foremost “landscape”.

To achieve an emotional arrival, the vehicles are directed over a contemporary take on an old-time causeway. There are water bodies on both sides with connecting strips of water crisscrossing the road surface. To reduce the vehicular speed, islands of palm clusters divide the road into visual spaces. Once speed is reduced, one experiences a gallery of 2m tall bonsai trees exhibited on podiums in reflective water. These 2m-tall bonsais, are a part of the Lucas Uys Private collection consisting of over 500 specimens.

This entrance has been described as an emotional and theatrical experience by the press.

MEET THE TEAM Property developers: North Global Group Properties (Pty) Ltd. Architects: Bloc Architects Landscape architects: Uys and White Landscape Architects KZN Landscape contractors: River Projects Building works: North Global Construction Images: Chris Allan Photography

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PORTFOLIO

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SUPPLIERS Clay paving: Corobrik – 031 560 3111 Concrete cobbles: Monoblock – 032 947 0716 Granite cobbles: Union Tiles – 032 946 0384 Suds: Bera – 083 449 3954 Irrigation: Netafim Drip – 021 987 0477 Soft landscape, gabion works, cycads and large palm tree clusters: River Projects – 079 368 0141 Timber supplier: Vimar Timber – 031 464 0929 Signage: Rainbow signs – 082 451 1860 Circle feature: Alifab / Earl Moller – 082 555 1838 Planting: Hardscapes Nursery – 079 368 1041

A B O U T U YS & W H I T E LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Uys & White has been fortunate to play integral parts in prestigious national and international projects. Its interest lies in landscape urban planning projects. Lucas Uys was previously appointed – for three years – as president of UAE's internal landscape architect, and exposed to more than 3,000 projects, varying from desert projects to luxury palace developments and Head-of-State government buildings. It was involved in a resort hotel development in Egypt on the Red Sea which consists of a lagoon, a marina, Arabian villages, entertainment nodes, conference centre, and a Mediterranean city of courtyards.

The team was also involved in the Intercontinental Hotel and village of 100 units on the cliffs in Dakar, Senegal.

Further projects include hotels in Addis Ababa, university campuses in Ghana and Kenya, as well as boutique hotels in Mauritius. With over 40 years’ experience, Uys & White Landscape Architects is mostly involved in luxury residential, boutique and mega residential estates.

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Deloitte HQ

C R E AT I N G C O M P A N Y C U LT U R E

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PORTFOLIO

Size: 42,500m2 Cost: R1.5bn Completed: April 2020 Location: Waterfall City, Midrand

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look at Deloitte’s brand new headquarters situated in the sought-after Waterfall City precinct in Midrand, Gauteng. This HQ has joined a number of leading corporates consolidating their operations in what is soon to be South Africa’s leading business destination. Atterbury has developed the new Deloitte Gauteng office on behalf of a 50-50 joint venture between co-owners Atterbury and JSE-listed real estate capital growth fund Attacq Limited. This is a whopping 1.5bn rand development, and was designed by architects Aevitas Group, with landscape architecture by Daniel Rebel Landscape Architects and precision installation by Countryline Africa.

The previous Deloitte head office was located in a campus-style development, which fulfilled various different business units and occupied several stand-alone buildings. The brief for Aevitas Group, was to accommodate Deloitte’s space requirements and create and improve company culture, allowing for greater interaction and collaboration between staff, whilst also improving efficiency, reducing costs and allowing for better communication between services.

“Aevitas made a conscious decision to focus on designing a building that put flexibility and adaptability at its core. In this respect the planning works harmoniously with the technology and equips Deloitte to respond to a fast and ever-changing global environment. ” The new Deloitte HQ is on the prominent site at the Allandale interchange on the N1 Highway, thus making it highly visible to commuters who travel daily between Pretoria and Johannesburg on the highway.

The building can accommodate almost 5,000 people and consists of seven levels, with a semibasement structure of four levels which house 2,000 parking bays.

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MEET THE TEAM Developers: Atterbury and Attacq Limited (joint venture) Architects: Aevitas Group Landscape architects: Daniel Rebel Landscape Architects

The site The site was characterised by a long, east-west facing crescent shape with a substantial fall from west to east. However, a challenge arose from a conceptual point of view, which was to make use of the steep site while mitigating the harsh exposure to east-west light. The design of the building also had to respond to the master plan of Waterfall City, which called for the building to integrate into the future urban fabric of the city.

While the building had to express a philosophy of openness and connectedness, it also paid attention to a major pedestrian route between the building and the Mall of Africa. Placing priority on pedestrians, allows the building to seem open to the public with graduated levels of privacy and security, rather than isolating the building behind walls.

“Waterfall City Deloitte’s landscape successfully achieves water sensitive design. The water wise indigenous plant palette is irrigated with storm water harvested from the building roof and with harvested basement seepage water.”

In the heart of the building there is a large, multi-volume atrium which allows for natural light to penetrate deep into the building, whilst also creating a more open and breezy connection between staff, and aiding in a single company culture.

The building is made up of two ‘wings’ on either side of its main axis, allowing for ease of access.

A combination of glass and aluminium were used to create a liquid appearance which emphasizes the form of the building. High-spec double glazing was used throughout to minimise the heat load and maximise visibility and natural light.

Sandwich-insulated aluminium panels were used in harsh-light areas to give the building its distinctive patterning on the façade.

Building plan: The ground floor is accessible to the public and is characterised by public and social activities.

It includes facilities such as a coffee shop, staff restaurant, convenience store, training facilities and a bar. Most external meetings can be held in this area, therefore, making it unnecessary for visitors to access the upper floors. This also encourages employees to use the public facilities more, and meeting and interacting in the communal facilities, thereby growing conversation.

On the podium level, the four corners of the building were used to create a series of outdoor

Landscape contractors: Countryline Africa Photographs: Infrastructure Photos

COUNTRYLINE spaces which are spill-out areas that integrate the building with its urban surroundings. The outdoor eastern side – which faces the highway – allows for large crowds, without overcrowding, allowing for breaks between meetings. The north-west corner spills out onto the city, providing optimum views. The south-west corner is dedicated to the staff restaurant and forms an ideal space for outdoor dining and large outdoor functions.

Entry to the ground floor of the building is made up of a combination of pedestrian entrances, escalators and shuttle lifts for all four parking levels. On the ground floor, all staff and visitors are directed through the grand atrium area and past access-controlled turnstiles. On each floor, more public meeting facilities are located around the atrium core to encourage interaction, but also to create a progression from public to private areas.

Each floor circulation can be regarded as a 'race track' around the atrium edge. This means

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PORTFOLIO

departments can rearrange themselves as efficiently as they please. To facilitate movement between the 'race track', two bridges were designed to span 20m across the atrium. These bridges hang from 2m deep beams on the roof, allowing for the ground floor to be columnfree. The general workspaces are located in the corners of the building, allowing for a more private office.

Silver LEED Status The building has achieved a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for this design. This means that at least 20% of building materials contain post and/or pre-consumer recycled content and 75% of construction waste has been reused or recycled. Enhanced ventilation, views and use of low-emitting materials ensure occupant wellbeing. Environmentally friendly features include; double-glazed windows throughout; a smart, automated blind system which links to the building management system; a 300kVA solar photovoltaic panel installation on the roof of the building; and a sophisticated water harvesting and filtration system which stores all rainwater and runoff water in a 300,000 litre tank, from which it is purified into high quality potable water which gets fed back into the building.

Smart building: The importance of smart buildings that have the ability to make use of proptech and sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) systems to react and adapt to a number of variables, is more important now than ever. Deloitte was adamant that it wanted a smart building. Members of its team visited its sister offices in cities such as Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt to look at the different technologies that are being employed for their smart buildings. Deloitte implemented some of this cutting-edge technology in this building. In this respect, the building has been future-proofed in terms of the digital antenna systems, fibre conduits and other technology that will give Deloitte the ability to upgrade its technology as it goes.

The landscape Daniel Rebel Landscape Architects explains that the Deloitte building fits into the Waterfall City urban fabric by allowing the principle of inclusive design, championed by Waterfall City, to bleed into its own landscape. Ramp access to the building podium, a combined walkway and cycle route, a transition from public to semi-private space and the pedestrian link with the Mall of Africa provide comfortable visitor access to all building entrances.

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From the beginning, the building’s large ground floor podium provided an opportunity to develop exciting spill-out spaces associated with the multiple openings in its completely transparent façade. This transparent façade allows the landscape to be enjoyed from inside the building as well as outside.

SUPPLIERS Clay pavers and header course: Corobrik – 011 871 8600 Grey and charcoal pavers: Bosun – 011 310 1176

On the ground floor podium, there are six main outdoor spaces packed close to the building. These six spaces define Deloitte’s landscape design.

Granite paver: C.E.L Paving – 021 905 5998

The three-oval spill-out spaces east and west of the building feature granite planters filled with an exciting array of plants. Large evergreen trees combined with Helichrysum petiolare, Gazania tomentosa, Plumbago auriculata, Elegia tectorum and other shrubs are almost within touching distance of boardrooms and offices, inviting employees out of the building and into the landscape, furnished with modified wood benches and decks for comfortable informal gathering.

Paving: Infraset – 011 876 5100

The canteen area spill-out space extends the building’s canteen out into the landscape. Lots of deck space for restaurant-style eating outside, oval planters at seating height and an outdoor pizza oven provide a functional, yet enjoyable, outdoor eating space surrounded by large Harpephyllum caffrum and Dombeya rotundifolia trees standing in lush beds of Agapanthus sp, Plectranthus ciliatis, Plumbago auriculata and other shrubs.

The southern contemplation space features a truly beautiful long-curved seating wall with custom tapered concrete copings, on which building employees can sit and enjoy spectacular views of the Johannesburg skyline to the south. The stars of the planting mix here are the large Erythrina lysistemon trees nestled in the curves of the seating wall and framed by agapanthus species, ornamental grasses, and sedges. Two oval grass mounds with straight timber clad benches situated in the flat space between the seating wall and the building façade really add to the visually inviting character of this space.

The northern contemplation space is a biodiversity garden with all-seasons evergreen lawn and straight timber clad benches providing a contrasting foreground to three bio-diversity mounds. Each mound contains plants from a different biome. One mound features sedges, another features fynbos, and the last one features highveld grasses. A meandering pathway bordered by a beautiful curved seating wall wraps behind the mounds, separating them from the veld grass landscape situated furthest from the building.

Cobbles: SmartStone – 011 310 1161

Grass blocks: Vanstone – 012 541 2056 Granite: Marble Classic – 011 392 6700 Wood decks, benches and steel bench frames: Truestyle – 011 768 1305 Bins, bollards and bicycle racks: WilsonStone – 011 615 6212 Stainless steel drainage cover and frame: Expand-A-Drain – 011 053 6574 Façades: Façade Solutions – 011 614 3510 Compost: Organic Compost Sales - 083 602 9731 Mature Trees: Trees SA - 021 842 0003

PORTFOLIO

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Countryline Africa did a sterling job in the installation process, Explaining that they are often involved in large, interesting projects, but, as Deloitte is a landmark in the Waterfall Precinct, they looked forward to the unique challenges that it presented. Throughout the installation process, information management and quality control were monitored to ensure compliance to all requirements- this is imperative as it acts to avoid reworks and the negative cost and programming consequences that might creep in if a careful eye is not kept on the implementation process.

The scale of the project presented the opportunity to have up to 10 separate teams dealing with different aspects and areas simultaneously, thereby allowing for specialist pavers, tilers, carpenters, earthworks teams and planting teams to work independently but closely co-ordinated to meet target dates.

Trees were personally selected for size and form at various suppliers and the large Combetum erythrophyllum which are mostly towering at 6-8 metres in height, were ‘hand selected’ from Trees SA in Stellenbosch. The placement of trees and plant species within planting mixes was co-ordinated closely with the Landscape Architect to ensure that the envisaged feel was achieved and to ensure that trees were grouped and positioned to provide the required aesthetic or shade function.

From concept to delivery, this project is exquisite.

A B O U T DA N I E L R E B E L LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Through a holistic design approach and collaboration with other built environment professionals, the team creates memorable spaces and environments, and designs that are accountable, site-specific, environmentally responsive; and that are constructed on time, within budget but above expectation. DRLA is well positioned to render a personalised and professional service of an exceptional high standard to all its clients. They specialise in the following fields of landscape architecture: public open space development; urban landscape infrastructure projects; mix-use urban developments; residential estates; corporate campuses; and office precincts.

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the mature tree expert

trees

SOUTH AFRICA

UNIVERSITY OF S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S

Pridham Hall

BY SNØHETTA, JPE DESIGN STUDIO AND JAM FACTORY

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INSPIRE

Together with local partner, JPE Design Studio and Jam Factory, Snøhetta has completed its first project in Australia: the new Pridham Hall in Adelaide. As a stateof-the-art sporting facility and student center, Pridham Hall is the new social heart of University of South Australia’s City West campus, and serves as a vibrant space where university life, milestones and academic achievements are celebrated.

Location: Adelaide, South Australia Completed: 2019 Architecture team: JPE Design Studio, Jam Factory and Snøhetta

U

niversity of South Australia was founded in its current form in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and the South Australian College of Advanced Education.

By transforming the on-campus student experience and enabling access for the surrounding community, Pridham Hall has become a civic landmark for both the university and the city.

This new addition to Adelaide’s west end highlights the importance of public spaces that engage and inspire connectivity between students, learning and the wider Adelaide community. Pridham Hall delivers a new comprehensive sporting hub to the university’s City West campus to encourage students’ well-being and physical health, while simultaneously providing an on-campus venue for graduations, events and student interaction.

The main features of the building are the Hall, a pool, sports facilities and function spaces, as well as integrated green spaces, fulfilling the university’s ambition to create a welcoming destination for students and visitors alike. By allowing public access to both interior and exterior spaces, the building aims to create a sense of public ownership and engagement.

The interaction between the landscape and the building offers passersby a snapshot of the life inside Pridham Hall and creates a welcoming façade to the campus which enhances activity occurring both inside and outside the building. At the north-eastern and western sides of the building, the roof extends down to street level to create two terraced green recreation spaces which function as large external public amphitheaters. These flanked “green wings” are designed to produce an exceptional display of textures and colors, showcasing the plant species from Southern Australia with emphasis on those from the Adelaide region.

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All images by: Mark Syke

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Creating a dedicated social space, the western amphitheater is integrated with the adjacent buildings with opportunities for outdoor cinema and events.

The north-western corner of the building is lifted, highlighting the main entry and Pridham Hall’s connections with the urban realm.

The heart of the building is the Hall, located on the ground floor. Differing from traditional academic main halls, this multifunctional space houses both sport activities, events and ceremonies. Designed with distinct red elements in the draping and patterns on the timber walls, the aesthetics of the Hall contrasts the surrounding lobby area, creating an energetic and vibrant space. The 1,600 sqm Hall includes a climbing wall and a student lounge mezzanine at the second level. In addition, the building can also be transformed from a sports hub to a capacious event space with the ability to host everything from banquets to UniSA’s annual graduation ceremonies for up to 2,000 people.

UniSA Sport is situated at the basement level and offers a gymnasium, dance studio and a unique 25-meter swimming pool. Vertical connection between these spaces and the ground floor is created by the use of glazed voids between the street and the lobby where views and daylight are able to penetrate with maximum effect.

In alignment with UniSA’s target of 15 % reduction in campus-wide carbon emissions by 2021, the project embeds several energy-reducing strategies into the design that are both high and low-tech.

The design of Pridham Hall enables natural light to penetrate deep into the building, from the basement level through to level 1, reducing the need for artificial lighting and heating by using efficient passive design features. The ground floor lobby space’s permeable glazed facades opens up and allows for natural ventilation, creating an indoor-outdoor space and flexible use. The northern and western lobbies are considered a single internal plaza space, with strong visual and physical connection to the outside, allowing full enjoyment of the warm Adelaide climate.

Designed to integrate with the neighboring university facilities, Pridham Hall contributes to a lively atmosphere with the ability to facilitate recreation and connectivity between the university, business and student communities. The hub extends campus life and culture beyond daytime, creating a place that influences the changing nature of the campus and the west end of Adelaide.

UniSA Pridham Hall was shortlisted for the 2019 WLA Awards in the “Built Small” category and was awarded the “Award of Excellence” in the SA Landscape Architecture Awards in 2019.

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IT’S A NEW DAWN Save the date

5TH MARCH 2021 C APE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE SEE YOU THERE

Pro Landscapes July 2020.pdf

1

2020/07/06

2:52 PM

The GREEN Solutions Provider

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ü Retaining water for grass, plants, trees or vegetables ü Better growth, increased yield ü Up to 50% water saving ü Effective up to 15 years Vegetation Fertile layer Urbanscape Green Roll Base ground

Contact: BERA South Africa Pty Ltd | T: +27 83 449 3954 | E: franko@bera-bv.com | www.bera-bv.co.za

F E AT U R E

BERA IS EXPANDING ITS GREEN SOLUTIONS W

ith new challenges, come new opportunities! Bera South Africa has forged creative pathways with various professionals from landscape architects, architects, developers and landscape contractors over the last three years to overwhelming satisfaction. We thank those professionals who have assisted in our growth and increasing our footprint in Southern Africa, from working on private homes to commercial projects, wineries, estates and game lodges.

Bera’s Gravel Fix Pro has been used extensively in parking areas, driveways and pathways, providing an eco-conscious answer to the way permeable surfaces have increased in design and usability. Our pride is in the way we manufacture, namely being off-grid and employing over 60% physically challenged staff.

Grass Fix Eco+ has provided a solution for parking and driveways by increasing the grassed area and efficiency of installation. Made from recycled plastic, it is lightweight but strong enough to carry heavy trucks.

This has led to a new edging, also manufactured from recycled plastic: BERA Eco Edge Pro. Rolls are 25m x 19cm, 10m x 14cm and 2m x 19cm straight lengths, making it a versatile and creative border in your garden.

Our various systems have provided new creative avenues for architects and this has brought about two new systems to our catalogue in Stable Pave and Flex Base.

BERA FLEX BASE Playground and sports drainable safety For all playground and sports fields equipped with artificial grass, you can now use our ultra-drainable lightweight shock absorbing BERA® Flex Base sheets. Made from durable and 100% recyclable expanded polypropylene, you can make any playground safe and dry. Installation is easy and efficient using large sheets of more than 2.1m2 each.

Installed directly on hard, non-permeable surfaces or in sloped conditions, the H.I.C. value is specified to be 1.6m in accordance with latest EN1177:2018. This includes a sloped concrete base.

Advantages: • Play areas in gardens or public spaces and sports fields.

• High Gmax value preventing fractures.

• Very high drainage capacity horizontally and vertically.

• Lightweight, large size panels.

• Excellent thermal protection.

• Safe material compared to other solutions.

Playground and Sports Drainable Safety

Applications: • Play or sports in gardens.

• Sub-base for artificial grass.

• Roof gardens.

Keeping your playground safe and dry!

BERA STABLE PAVE Stable base for paving Playground and sports drainable safety: For your pedestrian pavements, patios, walkways and terraces with concrete, ceramic or natural materials, you can now use our drainable lightweight sub-base. Made of durable and 100% recyclable expanded polypropylene, you can make any paving easy and fast. Replacing 15 to 20cm of your subbase, thus per m2: • • • • • •

Reduce 275kg of soil excavation.

Reduce 175kg of stabilised sand.

Reduce labour by half Reduce logistics costs and CO2 emissions.

Reduce effort and installation time Reduce thermal loss vs concrete

CREATE YOUR PAVING FASTER, CHEAPER AND STABLE - NO SWEAT! Stable Base For Paving

Company Profile:

F L O O R S I N T E R N AT I O N A L SOUTH AFRICA (FISA)

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Q: July is our sustainability-themed issue, and

with that in mind, how important is it that you deliver product sustainability to the client?

A: It is vitally important as we see sustainable

Q: How was Floors International South Africa established and what's the company history?

A: Floors International South Africa was founded and established 17 years ago by the current owner, Iquabal Sindhi, and is a Level 1 BBBEE Contributor. This is a family-run business with its sights set on making a mark within the commercial flooring industry. Iquabal has over 40 years of experience in the flooring industry.

It is still a family-run business which prides itself on offering endless design opportunities within its product ranges, high quality products, as well as exceptional service from inception of projects to completion.

Through constant dedication, market and product research, environmental as well as economic changes, Floors International SA has evolved its product offering to suit each unique set of client’s requirements. We started with the commercial healthcare and education sector, and following that into the retail, commercial, hospitality and, more recently, the sports and fitness sectors. You must be adaptable to change in order to forge ahead and be market leaders in what you offer.

We pride ourselves in working with some of the best brands in the industry.

Q: What are some of the exterior brands that Floors International works with?

A: The brands that are best suited for Pro

Landscaper Africa’s readers that we are currently partnering with would be: PVP, Condor, Signgrass and Regupol. All of our products are sourced from Europe, adhering to all required ISO standards and quality is exceptional.

Q: How big is the Floors SA Team? Where are

your branches and where do you operate from?

A: We have a dynamic, niche team of eight staff

members. Floors International SA operates out of its head office based in Gauteng, Johannesburg.

We also have an office in Cape Town, as well as a satellite office based in North America. We operate both nationally and internationally, and our warehousing and distribution segment is outsourced, which really streamlines our focus.

solutions being requested more often. This trend of eco-friendly buildings and spaces is a movement we have embraced, making it imperative that we have options readily available.

As mentioned earlier, our products are sourced in Europe, as such, the companies we have chosen to partner with have some of the most stringent manufacturing guidelines in terms of sustainability within the industry – not only meeting their own EU requirements, but often surpassing our very own standards. From products with ultra-low VOC emissions, sustainably sourced raw materials, recycled content, phthalate-free products, all-natural products, A+ Bream ratings and Cradle to Cradle Gold certification, we have a sustainable solution to any flooring requirement.

Q: Are any of the brands you partner with

recyclable or made from recycled products?

A: We are proud of our partners as they all

have products within their ranges consisting of recycled content and that are recyclable. More so, they are very transparent in terms of the amount of recycled content used within their products and their recycle programmes.

PVP and Regupol both use recycled tyres in the production of their rubber flooring products.

Tarkett’s circular economy recycle programme is very impressive, using recycled content in its production as well as being able to recycle its end of life products. Modulyss also has an amazing range of 100% regenerated ECONYL yarn used in its carpet tiles.

Q: Do you supply and install all of the products available from FISA, and what servicing do you offer after installation?

“Flooring is the foundation of any beautiful space.

Everything else will fall into place.”

A: At Floors International SA we supply and

distribute our product offerings within the healthcare, office, education, retail, hospitality and sports and fitness segments. We do offer supply and installation of our specialised sports and fitness systems; however, this is assessed on a project to project basis. prolandscaper.co.za

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These specialised systems include indoor and outdoor running tracks and multifunctional sports fields.

With all our projects, upon completion we do routine checks on site to assess the success of the installation.

Regardless of who completes the installation of our flooring systems, we always provide the client with the product installation and maintenance guidelines that needs to be adhered to. We also have relationships with many reputable installers all over Africa.

Q: What are some of your favourite exterior

projects and/or most prestigious projects that you have been involved in, and why?

A: There have been many prestigious projects

that we have worked on since our establishment.

However, the most recent and relevant project is the Planet Fitness Olympus outdoor rooftop running track. We were also instrumental in supplying the indoor floor finishes of the gym, namely the luxury vinyl tiles, multifunctional sport studio flooring and the impact-resistant rubber flooring for the heavy weights area. We are immensely proud of this project as well as the team involved in this project. It was a milestone for us all at Floors International SA.

Q: What is FISA's response to the COVID-19

pandemic, and how is this altering the way you do business?

A: The COVID-19 crisis has indeed had an impact on the way we need to do business. In a nutshell, more online video presentations will be done at the convenience of our clients until we are out of the woods with the pandemic. We also offer the courier service for any sample requirements that need to be attended to, and all brochures and samples would, of course, be sanitised prior to being sent to the clients.

For a more detailed approach, take a look at our Instagram page @floors_international_sa where we detail our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: How would you like to expand your footprint in SA within the next few years?

A: We have recently partnered with Modulyss

for an extensive and superb range of carpet tiles.

In addition, we have also been appointed as the exclusive suppliers and installers for Regupol technical indoor and outdoor sporting systems, such as the Tartan running tracks, seamless multifunctional sports floors and much more.

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This is not limited to South Africa as we can provide these services continent wide.

We would like to extend our lead as experts in our market segments, and would like to be the first choice in mind for providing the best flooring solution to our clients. www.fisa.co.za | info@fisa.co.za 0861 999 121 Instagram: @floors_international_sa

F E AT U R E Photo: C Viljoen

E D I B L E I N D I G E N O U S O R N A M E N TA L

Plants & Food Security W

ith COVID-19 insecurities rife, some of us can look to our garden landscapes for additional food security. The rich diversity of South African plants provides us with some edible indigenous plants whose nutritiousness has not yet been altered through agricultural practices. These are grown readily in our soils, and have adapted to our environmental conditions, not necessarily needing extra water or fertiliser to survive, although these will ensure they truly thrive. Some also have the natural ability to fight pests and diseases.

Landscaping and gardening with edible plants is an opportunity to provide households with supplementary nourishment costing zero food miles, and equally to reduce ‘hidden hunger’ – a lack of nutrients and vitamins. Garden growing is often far kinder to the soil by using home remedies or organic pest control, as well as locally available organic compost-manures. There are also the benefits of health and wellbeing, with gardening exercise providing relief from stress, boredom and stimulating productivity, even just harvesting from the garden and sharing in the produce strengthens bonding relationships within the family, extending to the neighbours and friends enhancing the feeling of community.

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Local pollinators, small mammals, and birds will be grateful too, as often what is tasty to us is also a wonderful food source for them.

There are a surprising number of ornamental plants that are commonly used in landscaping where their edible qualities are either unknown or often neglected. Many of them provide the opportunity for exciting taste experimentation and culinary exploration to be used fresh, or in baking, stir-fry, relishes, pickles, salads, stews, vinegar, infusions, syrups and drinks. Most of them have the added advantage of having beneficial medicinal properties.

THE FOOD VARIETY INDIGENOUS ORNAMENTAL PLANTS CAN PROVIDE IS EXTENSIVE: GREEN VEGETABLES: plants with edible leaves, flowers, leaf or flower stalks, new shoots, etc. that are eaten raw or cooked. Often high in Vitamin K. ROOT VEGETABLES: plants with edible roots, rhizomes, tubers, bulbs or corms.

FRUITS: plants with edible fruits, used fresh or in preserves – jam, jelly, chutney.

SEEDS: plants with edible seeds that are ground and used as flour or meal or eaten like nuts.

CONDIMENTS: plants that are used as herbs, spices, sauces to flavour dishes, drinks, cakes, etc.

DRINKS: plants that are used to make tea, coffee, mead, cordials, wine, beer, etc.

Most of these plants listed below are already well-known to be edible and many of them are already popular amongst foodies, gardeners and landscapers.

Adansonia digitata 'Baobab' mainly seeds for a coffee substitute; Agathosma spp. 'Buchu' aniseed flavouring; Aloe ferox, leaf flesh preserves; Aponogeton distachyos 'Waterblommetjie' stews; Carissa macrocarpa 'Num-Num' ripe fruit eaten or used in syrups or preserves; Carpobrotus edulis 'Suurvy' dried fruit and seed pulp; Coleonema album 'Confetti bush' flavouring and as a herb; Cyclopia genistoides 'Rooibos tea'; Eriocephalus spp. 'Wild rosemary' flavouring and as a herb; Eugenia spp. – E. capensis, E. natalitia and E. zeyheri, fruit eaten freshly ripe or in jams, wine – Gethyllis spp. 'Koekemakranka' and other Namaqualand bulbs or corms; Harpephyllum caffrum 'Wild Plum'

F E AT U R E

TIPS WHEN EXPLORING THIS NEW FOOD WORLD: •

Thorns are usually indication of something tasty on the plant.

•

If the plant has a white-milky latex-sap then be careful (except for figs and Carissa).

•

NOTE: Fruit of Acokanthera 'Deadly Bushman's Poison' and Carissa ‘NumNum’ could easily get confused, as is the case with many plant’s fruits and it could be a VERY expensive meal – it could cost you your life!

•

If it tastes bitter, rather spit it out! Or if you get a numb tongue, it might but be edible but just not for you.

•

Some edibles are an acquired taste. They are a source of food but not always tasty without some preparation.

•

Some are only safely edible when completely ripe or in certain seasons, or after certain specific preparations. Even, for example, the leaves could be edible while the roots are toxic – no plants that have the latter characteristics are listed in this article.

•

If harvesting from an open urban area or roadside, consider contamination from pollutants and possible unknown use of pesticides.

Cherise Viljoen, Senior Horticulturist at Kirstenbosch

fruit eaten fresh or in jams and wine; Jasminum mulitipartitum, flowers, used for flavouring; Mentha longifolia 'Mint'; Oxalis pes-caprae 'Wild Sorrel' whole plant is edible raw or cooked, sharply acidic, tartly sour flavour; Pelargonium capitatum, P. citronellum and P. tomentosum, flowers and leaves for flavouring rose, lemon and mint; Phoenix reclinata 'Wild Date Palm' date fruit, beer and edible gum; Portulacaria afra 'Spekboom'; Protea repens 'Suikerbossie' flower nectar makes a delicious syrup; Sclerocarya caffra 'Marula, fruit and nuts eaten fresh and used for liqueur, beer, syrup, vinegar, preserves and sweets; Syzygium gerrardii, S. cordatum and S. guineense, fruit eaten freshly ripe or used for preserves; Tulbaghia violacea 'Wild Garlic' whole plant is edible raw or cooked, strong flavour.

If any of the plant names were a surprise to you, investigate further, as they are all reliable and tasty ornamental plants, suggested websites to try: http://southafrica.co.za/indigenous-fruits.html https://africageographic.com/stories/12-edibleindigenous-south-african-plants/ http://pza.sanbi.org/search?s=edible

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Photo: Alice Notten, Gasteria excelsa

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F E AT U R E These plants below are not as well known to be edible, hopefully you are surprised by some of the names listed and possibly this will stimulate some additional synergy, creativity, knowledge and excitement when utilising them in designs, as their food potential adds another dimension to each of them.

Photo: Alice Notten, Gasteria excelsa

Photo: Alice Notten, Rhoicissus tomentosa

Dipogon lignosus 'Cape Sweet Pea', young pods eaten as a vegetable resembling mange tout; ripe seeds split dried for pulse soups.

Dovyalis caffra 'Kei-apple', fruits tastiest when completely ripe, young green fruits pickled, still sour fruits are used to make jellies and jams.

Ficus sur and F. sycamorus 'Wild Fig' are considered best to eat, always open figs first before eating. Larvae from their pollinator wasp is inevitably present, this could be considered to be an additional protein supplement.

Gasteria spp. 'Ox Tounges', sweet nectar – edible flower buds with a peppery taste, eaten fresh in salads or cooked.

Geranium incanum 'Bergtee', flowers edible, used decoratively fresh or crystallised for cake and puddings.

Grewia occidentalis 'Cross-berry', fruit are tasty ripe, berries soaked in water for three days to make a refreshing drink, or further fermented into beer. Dried berries are boiled in milk for a delicious milkshake.

Hypoestes aristata 'Ribbon Bush', leaves eaten as spinach, traditionally cooked and added to meal and pap to make a green porridge. Fresh leaves are added before serving. Cooked leaves are made into small cakes and served as a side dish.

Rhoicissus spp. 'Wild Grapes' fruits are pleasant tasting but acidic, occur as bunches of purple grape-like berries. If too sour for your taste, use in jams, or make a pleasantly fragranced, slightly sour wine or vinegar.

Vachellia karroo (Acacia) 'Sweet Thorn' V. caffra, V. erioloba, V. erubescens the pleasant tasting gum exuding from bark wounds –is chewed as a confection. The seeds are roasted as a coffee substitute.

Salvia aurea ‘Bruinsalie’, S. africana ‘Blousalie’ S. chamelaeagnea 'Wild Sages' leaves edible fresh or dried, whole or ground up into a flavoursome dust sprinkle. Containing essential oils – they have a peppery lemon scent each species impacts a uniquely and slightly different flavour. Choose the one you like best, use them as you would garden sage, and also as a tea substitute – flowers can be used as edible garnish.

It takes courage to embrace the unfamiliar, feelings of trepidation can occur when faced with produce that is not found on a supermarket shelf. But armed with the knowledge to identify, and cook them correctly, we have an untapped resource in our indigenous edible ornamentals awaiting recognition and use. So, I encourage you to explore and enjoy.

Schotia afra and S brachypetala 'Boer-beans' seeds eaten since stone age. Peel off the skins, eat them green or cook and pound them into a meal.

Mimusops caffra, M. obovata, M. zeyheri 'Red Milkwoods', mealy pleasantly sweet-flavoured fleshy fruits, eaten fresh or juice extracted by crushing, and juice taken fresh or fermented, which has a high amount of Vitamin C.

Searsia spp. (Rhus) S. crenata, S. glauca, R pendulina and S. lancea Sour astringent edible berries used for making beer and honey-mead, or mixed in milk to curdle it and then eaten hot or cold. Berries are mixed with the gum of acacia karroo then eaten.

Dried fruit is ground up and used as a spice similar to sumac.

Muraltia spinosa (Nylandtia) 'Tortoise berry' ripe, juicy, thirst-quenching astringent berries eaten fresh – high in Vitamin C.

Sideroxylon inerme 'White Milkwood' edible fruits, shiny black when ripe, juicy pulp with milky sap, white sticky juice sweet to taste.

Olea capensis 'Ironwood', O. europaea ssp. africana 'Wild Olive', edible, purple-black berries that's pulp and seed are rich in oil. Ripe berries impart a sightly sweet taste and a lovely pink tinge of colour to water or spirits. A tea can also be made from the leaves.

Strelitzia nicolai 'Natal Wild Banana' seeds are edible, ground into a flour, mixed with water, made into a fritter.

Osteospermum moniliferum (Chrysanthemoides) ‘Bitou’ sweet berries eaten fresh. Used for a beverage, cordial or jam.

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Typha capensis 'Bulrush’ rhizomes edible, dried, husked and ground to a 'reddish' meal rich in starch and used as a cereal – the lower part of the stem is edible and young shoots that appear in spring can be cooked like asparagus. The ripe pollen is high in protein.

There are many more indigenous plants with food source potential. Both ornamental and wild veldkos grow in our dunes – Dasispermum and Tetragonia – and along the sides of the road there's Trachyandra ciliata and T. divaricata.

For this article, I've selected those that are more commonly grown, known and used in the trade.

For a far more extensive list, please feel free to contact us at Kirstenbosch: info@sanbi.org.za Acknowledgements: Alice Notten (Kirstenbosch botanical garden interpretation officer) for input, editing and photographs, and Monique Mcquillan (senior horticulturist) for photographs.

Disclaimer: Author and publishers take no responsibility for readers experiencing noxious symptoms, particularly if due to misinterpretation of the information provided or personal sensitivity-susceptibility. Furthermore the author has personally eaten all the plants named here (excluding Adansonia, Hypoestes, Namaqualand Bulbs, Schotia, Strelitzia and Typha) with no ill effects whatsoever.

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ENHANCED CUT Q U A L I T Y, S U P E RV I S O RY C O N T R O L S , AC C E S S , AND CONTOURING! John De e re SSA launches n ew Triplex mowe r with open platform d e sig n in 2020

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