Volume 4 - November 20th, 2012
How to Improve Architectural Education
“Tree house� designed to dissolve into the landscape What exactly is a Smart City?
Staging your home to sell
Contents
Vol. 4 - November 20th, 2012
ON THE COVER
PROPERTY
3 How to Improve Architectural Education (Part 2)
21 Sandton, Rosebank lead the way on new property developments
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22 Alexander Forbes takes up residence in its green home
“Tree house” designed to dissolve into the landscape
19 What exactly is a Smart City? 26 Staging your home to sell ARCHITECTURE 10 House at Big Hill //
23 Commercial Property Market remains strong, despite under constant pressure 24 Tenants should be careful of deals that sound too good to be true 25 Woodstock property values have increased better than anticipated
Kerstin Thompson Architects 13 Twenty-ton treehouse under construction in Sweden 14 Sustainable & Highly Inviting Timber Frame House in Amsterdam
DECOR 28 Practical Storage Solutions for the Entire House 30 Wall Mirrors For Your Small Home Or Apartment
BUILDING 16 Paarl’s first Commercial Green Building to open its doors August 2013
LANDSCAPING
17 Irish firm starts SA wind, solar build
31 Good landscaping helps trim energy bills
17 Green building dominates global construction market
32 Japanese Landscapers Reclaim Lost Habitats
18 The truth of construction
SPECIAL FEATURE
How to Improve Architectural Education Part 2
In our last edition we looked at the first six ways to improve architectural education and why one would want to do this. In this edition we look at the last six ways to improve on education. 7.
Special lecture programs: These should show the best talent in both design and business practices. Balance them. If for instance there are eight big-name lecture programs in a term, insert the practice management leaders in front of the students, too. The learning objective should be not just to understand what the firm does and its outputs but also how the firm does it and its processes. Ask the firms to cover the budgets of award winning projects and how they work. Ask them about profit and if they are meeting their goals. Ask them to have a candid conversation with students about value migration and strategic planning.
8.
Faculty should be encouraged to establish formal roles with firms: This would get educators into firms on a regular basis. The profession needs to reach out to educators on this — not unlike affirmative action. Educators can be on the policy board, perhaps, or an advisor on technology or as expert to the firm on a specialty area
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SPECIAL FEATURE
How to Improve Architectural Education Part 2
such as acoustics, lighting, contract negotiation, ethics, etc. There should be more give and take between professors and the professional practice. Firms need to pay for these policy and advisory services from the educators. Schools should set the goal that every faculty member becomes a board member or advisor to a professional practice, a construction firm, a product manufacturers or another industry player. 9.
Every firm should make a financial commitment to the college program of their choice: My own opinion is that every firm — even the smallest — should contribute a minimum per year to higher education. Underlying this strategy is the attitude that there should be more development flowing from practice to education. Chairs and endowments should be much more aggressively established. Once this happens it will tend to make programs stronger and more valued within context of building the profession for the future. It takes only a little imagination to see how valuable this can be, and it can be argued that the future of the profession depends on it.
10. Establish a meritocracy system of rewards with staff and faculty: It is not time well spent to challenge the tenure system, frankly, but there can be energized leadership coaching around meritocracy, high performance and pay for excellence. The focus should be on what can be done. The profession should support this with endowments and chairs and gifts without strings. 11. Facilities in colleges and universities should, at minimum, mirror those in professional practice: Good design; good housekeeping and the latest tools should be in place. Spaces in | Page 4
design school should inspire, be well designed, well curated and not be allowed to decline into an anything-goes mess. 12. Digital and distance learning is a reality and it should have a legitimate role as an option in architectural education. Set a marketplace responsive role to enable the non-accredited degree graduates to catch up and qualify for licensure. There will always of course be better and worse schools. This is also true in practice. Just as some students get an inferior education, some employees in practice are not mentored well. The future demands more if we wish for a stronger profession. This is one of the biggest opportunities for change. It can re-energize the design profession of the future. Respect for design education can be exponentially enhanced. We should encourage leaders to set targets that they may never meet. We are in a race with change and as new value niches are discovered we need to seize and deploy these. We need a strong link between education and practice around the issues of shifts, foresight and actions that can improve the future. http://www.archdaily.com/289789/how-to-improve-architecturaleducation-in-12-steps/
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ARCHITECTURE
“Tree house” designed to dissolve into the landscape | Page 6
This home known as the “Tree house” is perched on a steep forested hillside above the Great Ocean Road and Bass Strait in Victoria. In designing the Tree house, architects Jackson Clements Burrows drew on the modest local vernacular of 1950’s painted fibro shacks, by using cement sheets with expressed batten joints to dissolve the house into the surrounding landscape. The 2 tone green colour scheme used for the exterior helped to merge the building with the vegetation on the hillside on which it sits. The vertical timber battens on the building are a naturally stained timber, which will silver over time like the branches and trunks of trees in the bush surrounds. The changing light and colours throughout the day further engage the home with its bushland context. [Photography by John Gollings] http://www.designhunter.net/treehouse-dissolve-landscape/
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ARCHITECTURE
“Tree house” designed to dissolve into the landscape
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ARCHITECTURE
House at Big Hill // Kerstin Thompson Architects This house celebrates the shadow in the making of home. It continues kta’s interest in dark space, the heightened sense of intimacy and mystery for domestic life that this affords and the retreat it provides from the harsh Australian sun. Triangular in plan its long side acts as retaining wall struck against the slope of the land. Adjacent to this are sides two and three, joined to provide a right angle, a corner. If this right angle contains the interior and defines a clear boundary between inside and out, the apexes instead breach this. Separated from the retaining wall by full height glazed breaks they reveal views of significant trees and distant headlands. At these acute ends, inside and outside become one. Elsewhere windows are limited to fixed picture frames lined with timber and flush with the exterior or vertical slots,with louvresfor ventilation,appearing as shadows through black
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steel reveals. The expression of the reveal,also pursued in the return of blockwork walls, is critical to achieving a depth for shadow and an experience of mass. It creates the habitable niche and recallsthe Griffins’ Castlecrag buildings. The clients’ desire for mass is also met through the use of concrete blocks and concrete floors. Timber highlights enrich what is essentially a brutalist palette. In combination with the blackness of the form ply ceiling they intensify the colours of the adjacent bush and distant seascapes. Conversations with Phillip Goad about the project early in the design process uncovered an interest in the use of the platonic form amongst the Victorian moderns. Of the platonics the triangle (albeit a right angle one) most productively aligned with the forces of the site. http://www.archdaily.com/292048/house-at-big-hill-kerstinthompson-architects/
ARCHITECTURE
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ARCHITECTURE
House at Big Hill //
Kerstin Thompson Architects Architects: Kerstin Thompson Architects Location: Lorne, Victoria, Australia Design Team: Kerstin Thompson, Lynn Chew, Laurence Dragomir, Julian Patterson, Sophie Herel, Michael Artemenko, Gemma Hohnen, Jacqui Alexander Area: 240 sqm Year: 2011
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ARCHITECTURE
Twenty-ton treehouse under construction in Sweden Architect Sami Rintala is constructing a twenty-ton treehouse for Swedish hotel Treehotel. Named the Five Leaf Clover, the structure will join the cluster of treehouse hotel rooms that make up the Treehotel, which is located amongst the forests in Harads, northern Sweden.
The 53-square-metre suite will contain three bedrooms and will sleep up to six guests, but could also be used as a conference room for up to twelve people. The exterior is being clad in weathered steel, while the interior is being lined with plywood. The project is due to complete before Christmas.
Rintala, of Finnish studio Rintala Eggertsson Architects, designed the room to be the largest of the Treehotel’s six treehouses. At twenty tons, it will be almost three times as heavy as the seven-ton Cabin room and construction is already underway.
Other treehouse hotel rooms at the Treehotel include a huge nest with a retractable staircase and a suspended box covered in mirrors.
“At Treehotel we always strive to push limits with our environmental work, architecture and engineering,” said co-founder Kent Lindvall. “The Five Leaf Clover is clear evidence of this, as nothing remotely similar has ever been done before.”
http://www.dezeen.com/2012/11/15/twenty-ton-treehouseunder-construction-in-sweden/
The building will be attached to six pine trees and hover six meters above the ground, so visitors will have to climb a two-story-high staircase to enter. Page 13 |
ARCHITECTURE
Sustainable & Highly Inviting Timber Frame House in Amsterdam
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We got used to the uniqueness of each new residential architecture project in Amsterdam and this timber frame family home is no exception. Designed by the creative team at Egeon Architecten, the family villa is located on the Rieteiland-Oost Island in the IJburg residential development and offers a serene living and working space. The three levels of the residence accommodate the open plan living room on the bottom floor, the private areas in the middle and an office space to literally top it all. According to the architects, the house was built with sustainability in mind, having “a heat pump and low temperature underfloor heating, natural ventilation, high insulation values of roof walls and floor, special heat-resistant glass, a sedum roof, attention to thermal bridging details and orientation�. Due to the extensive use of wood, the interiors look friendly and inviting, with large windows flooding them in natural light. The living room is by far the most welcoming room of the house, with its alluring lake views, its cute guitars and sometimes even its fluffy kitten. So bohemian! http://freshome.com/2012/11/05/sustainableand-highly-inviting-timber-frame-house-inamsterdam/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_ medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Fr eshInspirationForYourHome+%28Freshome. com%29 Page 15 |
BUILDING part ownership in their developments demands quality and a long-term approach to realising capital returns. In this case, the long-term payback will be of both monetary and environmental value.
Paarl’s first Commercial Green Building to open its doors August 2013 Cecilia Square, the prestigious new commercial office development adjacent to the Paarl Mall on the N1, is scheduled to open its doors on 1 August 2013, when anchor tenant BKB GrainCo, will move in to occupy the majority of the development’s first phase. Cecilia Square is a phased development consisting of 2 buildings linked by a raised parking deck. The first phase (Building A) is currently under construction, and has been bought by BKB, with their subsidiary, GrainCo, taking its place as main anchor tenant. Construction on the second phase (Building B), which is currently being sold off-plan in sections, is scheduled to start in February 2013. After months of hard work, the design team is also celebrating the imminent submission of design documentation to the GBCSA, which aims to achieve a 4 Green Star SA – Office V1 Design Rating. The submission will be made by the project’s specialist green building consultant, PJ Carew Consulting, after the annual GBCSA conference in October 2012. Cecilia Square is the first Green Building to be designed and built by Lazercor Developments, a well-known private property development company in the Cape Winelands. At the project’s inception the directors felt that, in light of SAPOA and the GBCSA’s drive to greening commercial developments in South Africa, the pioneering step of designing and constructing the first Green Building in Paarl would be the right thing to do. According to Mark Teuchert (director), Lazercor’s proud tradition of retaining | Page 16
The professional team’s main challenge was to find a way to design an energy-efficient building that would meet specific design criteria on a very tight budget. This was achieved by employing best practice environmental design from first principles, including a north-south orientation and predetermined building width to allow for optimum sunlight penetration, and to minimise the need for artificial lighting, heating and cooling. Building materials were chosen for their insulation properties, including state of the art double-glazing on south-facing facades, and concrete coffered slabs that improve the building’s thermal mass. Energy is conserved by using optimum lighting layouts with efficient fittings, and lighting, power and HVAC consumption is monitored and reported on monthly by means of an automated Building Management System. The building also boasts a state of the art DALI control system, which ensures that electrical lighting is not in use during hours where adequate daylight is available, and that lights switch off automatically when no motion is detected. Water-saving strategies include a rainwater harvesting system that collects rainwater from hard surfaces to be re-used for irrigation and flushing, low-flow fittings and water meters that monitor and report on water consumption for all of the building’s main water uses. Cyclist facilities include lockers, showers and bicycle stands, while designated bays are provided for low-fuel vehicles (including motorcycles and mopeds). http://www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za/business-specialties/ environmental-green-issues/5427-paarl-first-commercial-greenbuilding-to-open-its-doors-august-2013.html
BUILDING
Irish firm starts SA wind, solar build Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power announced this week that it was starting construction on solar and wind power projects in South Africa, in a €500-million (about R5.5-billion) investment under a government programme that has ushered in the country’s first large-scale renewable energy projects. The Dublin-based company is one of 28 independent power producers that signed contracts with the South African government last week, in the first round of a programme that will see an initial 1 400 megawatts of renewable energy being added to South Africa’s energy mix, while bringing an estimated R47-billion in new investment into the country. Mainstream Renewable Power and its partners will build a 138 MW wind farm in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, and two 50 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) parks in the Northern Cape - one near De Aar and one at Droogfontein near Kimberley. All three projects are scheduled to be fully operational by mid-2014. “The South African government has shown tremendous vision and foresight in creating this new and sustainable industry for South Africa, firmly placing it on the world map for renewable energy generation,” Mainstream CEO Eddie O’Connor said in a statement on Monday. “Mainstream is fully committed to playing a leading role in the delivery of this vision, to bringing significant socioeconomic benefits to the areas in which we’re building the projects, as well as clean, free-fuel energy to South Africa.”
Corporation, local engineering firms Enzani Technologies and Usizo Engineering, as well as local community trusts. The projects are being co-developed with Mainstream’s South African partner, renewable energy developer Genesis Eco-Energy. Old Mutual’s IDEAS Managed Fund is an additional consortium member of the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm. http://www.southafrica.info/business/investing/renewables-131112.htm#.UKUaGOPZ-dg
Green building dominates global construction market Green building practices and technologies are fast becoming the norm within the global construction industry, according to a major new survey released this week.
According to Mainstream, the projects are expected to generate hundreds of jobs during construction and, once operational, the project revenues are expected to benefit local communities through socio-economic and enterprise development.
The poll, found 63 per cent of the architects, property owners, and construction firms surveyed have green commercial building projects planned for the next three years, while half have green renovation projects planned.
“The projects are expected to produce 635 GWh of electricity, enough to supply up to 48 000 households and displace approximately 628 000 tons of carbon emissions per year,” the company said.
Moreover, 51 per cent of those surveyed expect more than 60 per cent of their work to come from green projects by 2015, up from just 28 per cent of firms that currently reach that benchmark.
Mainstream won the contract for the three projects as the lead partner in a consortium including US Power Company Globeleq as the strategic equity partner, Thebe Investment
“This research confirms that green building advances environmental stewardship while providing value to the market,” said Geraud Darnis, president and chief executive Page 17 |
BUILDING
The truth of construction “This is a follow up article to an article by the Department of Trade & Industry bemoaning the lack of black members in the Construction Sector Charter, an article we ran in the Designmind app last week”
The Construction Sector Charter Council is compelled to comment on statements made by the Department of Trade and Industry and inaccuracies in your article headlined Construction sector charter ‘has failed to take BEE forward’, November 6. of United Technologies Climate, Controls & Security, in a statement. “It also confirms that we now see more pull than push for green buildings.”
The council is a registered section 21 company with 17 member organisations. These comprise representation by established business, emerging black business, the government, built environment professionals and trade unions.
The survey, which polled Green Building Council members in 62 countries, also revealed that firms are developing green building services in response to commercial demands, with 35 per cent citing client demand and 30 per cent highlighting lower operating costs as their main reasons for investing in green building expertise.
The author of this article made no attempt to verify any facts relating to the council, which can be obtained from the council’s website, and chose instead to publish comment from the department and the past president of the Engineering Council of S A.
“The existing building market is a ripe opportunity for green building, and we are seeing that play out in the market. It is clear that green is becoming an important part of the future landscape of the global construction marketplace, and firms will need to be prepared for that transition.” Property owners said there was an increasingly compelling case for investing in green building developments and retrofits. The survey found typical new green building projects were delivering median operating cost savings of eight per cent over one year and 15 per cent over five years, while increasing building values by an average of seven per cent. Green buildings are also expected to garner business benefits for building owners. For new green building projects, firms report median operating cost savings of eight per cent over one year and 15 per cent over five years, as well as increased building values of seven per cent. “This study validates what we’ve experienced the past couple of years – that the business community has fully embraced green building as a strategic business imperative that also happens to have a strong societal benefit,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive and founding chair of the US Green Building Council. http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2224955/survey-greenbuilding-dominates-global-construction-market | Page 18
The council objects to the sensationalist nature of this reporting and the misinformation therein. The mandate of the council is clear and does not include solving the issues of access to finance and government contracts and late payments by the government, as intimated by the department’s deputy director-general, Sipho Zikode. Contrary to the statement that “the council did not meet”, the council held seven meetings this year. The council places on record that its monitoring and compliance committee sent eight committee members to the department on October 31 to meet chief director Nomonde Mesatywa to discuss any possible future alignment between the Construction Sector Codes and the draft black economic empowerment (BEE) codes. Mr Zikode was not present at that meeting, but is quoted making uninformed public comments. The council receives no state funding, but is working hard on BEE in the construction sector. Gregory Mofokeng, Acting CEO, Construction Sector Charter Council http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/letters/2012/11/12/letter-truthof-construction
BUILDING
What exactly is a Smart City? One of the biggest issues with the smart-cities movement is being held back by a lack of clarity and consensus around what a smart city is and what the components of a smart city actually are. In order to improve them, there has been work on a new rubric for smart cities, called the Smart Cities Wheel. This model has been inspired by the work of many others, including the Center of Regional Science at Vienna University of Technology, Siemens’ work with the Green City Index, and Buenos Aires’ “Modelo Territorial” among others. Most cities can agree that there is real value in having a smart economy, smart environmental practices, smart governance, smart living, smart mobility, and smart people. Within each of these aspirational goals, there are three key drivers to achieving the goal. There are over 100 indicators to help cities track their performance with specific actions developed for specific needs. Let’s walk through a high-level example of how a real city could use the Smart Cities Wheel to develop and implement a smart cities strategy.
STEP 1: CREATE A VISION WITH CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT Vancouver’s Mayor Robertson, and many before him, has sought to take leadership in the green cities arena. Mayor Robertson and his Greenest City Action Team engaged 30,000+ citizens in a process designed to establish a 2020 goal for the city. The city used “social media and digital technologies to spark citizen-led public-engagement activities like kitchen table discussions at private homes, online discussion forums and workshops at community centres,” according to Straight.com. The result is the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan, which has set a clear goal for the city to become the greenest in the world by 2020. Vancouver aspires to lead the world in at least one of the six aspirational goals of the Smart City Wheel (Smart Enviro). Smart cities would also make use of the latest technology to acquire citizen input, like CivicPlus, which offers a range of software and mobile tools for cities to communicate and engage citizens in a dialog about city projects (Castle Rock, Colorado used CivicPlus to get input on the plans for a new city park). Page 19 |
BUILDING STEP 2: DEVELOP BASELINES, SET TARGETS, AND CHOOSE INDICATORS Before creating numerical targets for achieving a smart city vision, it is helpful to actually benchmark where you are. Let’s take Smart Mobility as an example. The Smart Cities Wheel has three key drivers for Smart Mobility: mixedmodal access; prioritized clean and non-motorized options; and integrated ICT. Each city has its own mobility needs and challenges based on density, topography, existing infrastructure, etc., and while they can learn from each other, cities must develop their own benchmarks and targets around areas of need and opportunity. It is impossible to overlook Copenhagen’s efforts to promote and prioritize cycling. In 1981 the city developed its first cycling plan and it has been evolving its cycling and mixed-modal goals since 2002. Before establishing a forward-looking target, cities must establish the baseline. Copenhagen has been measuring cycling and mixed modal use for decades. Now the city has a target indicator: to achieve 50% of all trips to work or school by bike by 2015. The city has been making significant progress towards this goal, having already achieved 37% in 2009. Copenhagen also recently collaborated with MIT to create The Copenhagen Wheel, a hybrid bike wheel that leverages sensors in a bike wheel to monitor pollution, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real time. This is an example of an action within the other smart mobility driver--integrated ICT. STEP 3: GO LEAN Once a city has established quantifiable goals and selected the indicators to measure its progress, it needs to snag some early wins while also building plans for longer-term actions. The journey to becoming a smart city will stall without a major commitment to supporting efficient, multi-modal | Page 20
transit. Electric vehicles and the appropriate infrastructure appear in many smart-city strategies. However, few places have the resources or demand to install EV charging stations throughout the city. It makes sense for a city to start with a pilot project as a way to get feedback on their hypothesis that by putting charging stations in a particular location, the stations will be used and will actually grow the amount of EV vehicle purchases by citizens living or working in the area. Toronto just announced a pilot charging station program at a cost of $65,000 to the city. Councillor Mike Layton recognizes the benefits of this small-scale action: “We all know that this is the direction that singular vehicle transport is going in,” said Layton in the National Post. “Why we wouldn’t at least try out something at very limited cost to the city, to get ready for the revolution that is going to happen, is beyond me.” Smart cities are not one size fits all. Yet, the smart-cities movement could benefit from frameworks like the Smart Cities Wheel that allow a common language to develop amongst citizens, city staff, mayors, and the private sector. http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680538/what-exactly-is-a-smart-city
PROPERTY
Sandton, Rosebank lead the way on new property developments The third quarter saw a slight increase in take-up in space in Johannesburg, driven by demand for prime buildings in attractive nodes such as Melrose, Rosebank, Bryanston and Sandton. But older buildings are taking a knock as tenants move between nodes, leaving older buildings for new ones with quality finishing’s. According to the latest South African Property Owners Association-Investment Property Databank office vacancy report, despite the lack of notable new completions in the quarter, office stock in Johannesburg increased by 51,000m² to 8.6-million square metres. The Jones Lang LaSalle Johannesburg real estate overview for the third quarter echoes these findings, saying demand for office space continues to be focused on prime space, displayed by an increase in prime rents this quarter, with pressure prevailing elsewhere.
2,000m in Bryanston, Alstom taking up 1,000m of space in Woodmead, Tronox taking up 1,600m² in Sandton, as well as Alan Gray taking up 1,000m² in Rosebank. “One of the biggest deals worth noting this quarter is Ernst and Young’s relocation from Wanderers Office Park to Sandton, taking up about 16,000m², with intended occupation only in 2014.” New developments are driven by big companies — notably Standard Bank, Ernst and Young, KPMG, MultiChoice, Cell C and Alexander Forbes — moving to new and quality buildings. These firms took up the bulk of the new office space. Some of the developments that are planned for completion in the next quarter include the 65,000m² Standard Bank
The report shows that the industrial market is moderating, characterised by reduced take-up, prime rent reduction, increased vacancies, minimum additional industrial stock as well as lack of tenant-driven developments.
building in Rosebank, the 36,000m² Alexander Forbes
Big deals noted in the quarter includes Samsung signing a 6,000m² lease in Bryanston, Software AG taking up of
http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/property/2012/11/13/sandton-
building in Sandton as well as the 22,000m² KPMG building in Parktown.
rosebank-lead-the-way-on-new-property-developments Page 21 |
PROPERTY
Alexander Forbes takes up residence in its green home Alexander Forbes in October moved its 2 200 Johannesburg staff into the new R840-million green 36 950 m² eight storey head office at 115 West Street, Sandton.
On the theme of retaining all that is sacred to the business, 115 West Street is also all about people, transparency, sharing, delivery and service. “It’s an environment that physically embodies our SERVE model, or the way we do business” says Edward Kieswetter, Group Chief Executive.
Accredited with a 4-Star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, 115 West is both energy and resource-efficient and environmentally responsible - incorporating design, construction and operational practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of development on the environment and the buildings’ users.
A centralised circulation and service core ensures that the building maximises efficiency and ease of movement across four bridges on each floor. The lifts, with V3F drive and micro-processor fuzzy-logic, control people traffic and needs according to position and number of calls registered.
The 52 trees removed to create 115 West were replaced with 151 new trees, integrated into the design and workspaces of the building. Echoing the green theme, the atrium is designed as a forest-like canopy with South Africa’s most sophisticated retractable sunscreen systems intelligently linked to wind and solar sensors. These, combined with state of the art double glazing, control, conserve, store and focus light, energy and heat so efficiently that 115 West literally saves hundreds of kilowatt hours each day. Furthermore, a state of the art grey water system draws waste water from all showers, while a rain water filter harvests water to wash the toilets and irrigate the gardens, trees and ‘living walls’ that create the open, sun-filtered natural interior of 115 West. | Page 22
A key objective in the design of Alexander Forbes’ new headquarters was the health and wellbeing of staff since this is critical in delivering the businesses promise to clients. As such, users of the building have access to an elegant dining space, finished with calm and restful stone counter tops and bamboo panelling, forming a neutral base for vibrant dining. A 200-seat auditorium provides space, in house, for even large gatherings and conferences, maximising convenience and reducing staff travel and carbon footprint. The same motivation was behind the inclusion of a world class, fully staffed gym accessible to all staff, in house. http://www.eprop.co.za/news/item/14517-alexander-forbes-takesup-residence-in-its-green-home.html
PROPERTY
Commercial Property Market remains strong, despite under constant pressure As 2012 draws to a close, while the commercial property market in South Africa remains resilient despite being under constant pressure, it is apparent that the containment of operating costs is an increasingly key priority. As the year (2012) draws to a close, while the commercial property market in South Africa remains resilient despite being under constant pressure, it is apparent that the containment of operating costs is an increasingly key priority. Facilities management is rapidly emerging as an important factor which is a key contributor to containing costs and achieving savings – while enhancing the value of commercial property,” says Marna van der Walt, CEO of Excellerate Property Services, which includes, among others, Excellerate Facilities Management, JHI Properties and JHI Project Management. “Now more than ever, the integration of effective facilities management in the commercial property sector has an increasingly relevant role to play, not only in addressing energy saving, waste recycling and minimising the use and pollution of water, but also in regard to green issues during both the construction and use phase of a building. By reducing operating costs landlords have the potential to achieve a higher rental rate while keeping the tenant’s occupation costs unchanged and also helping retain tenants,” says van der Walt. Commenting on the industrial property market Johann Boshoff, MD of JHI Properties says: “This has fared better than most, with transport issues having a significant impact on the choice of location, and easy access to major transport routes even more imperative bearing in mind high fuel costs and Gauteng’s e-tolls. There is an ongoing demand among larger users, mainly from 3 000 up to 20 000sqm, as well as a demand from warehousing and distribution operations seeking more modern space. Certain nodes remain sought after in various regions, for example in Epping in the Western Cape, traditionally a popular industrial area with good infrastructure and access to transport routes - where older buildings are being upgraded and given a facelift.
Johann Boshoff, MD of JHI Properties
“The demand for logistical uses such as warehousing, packing and distribution is especially evident on the East Rand, with the significant opening up of new development nodes to the north of OR Tambo and in the vicinity of the popular Jet Park, Meadowdale, Longmeadow and Linbro Park stretch – where there is good proximity to major routes such as the R21, R24, N12 and N3.” “In the office market we are seeing a trend towards large businesses seeking cost efficiencies and economies of scale by relocating from a number of different buildings to occupying just one property, thereby capitalising on opportunities to relocate while rentals remain competitive. Increasingly, the emphasis in the office market, particularly among companies with a large staff complement, is towards buildings which offer secure, quality space coupled with convenience of location for easy access for staff and clients. An ongoing trend is interest from national and international businesses seeking large space for call centres in major centres such as Cape Town and Johannesburg.” In the retail market, although consumers remain under pressure, JHI Properties’ outlook is positive, anticipating a middle to late run on festive season shopping at the year end and into January (2013). Says Boshoff: “In general the retail sector has experienced growth of 6.5 percent from July to August 2012, and in general the fast food category has been very well supported with approximately 20 percent growth during this period. The market is stable and certainly looking more positive than was the case two years ago and at JHI-managed shopping centres vacancies remain low and are being managed downwards as a result of sound management strategies. Here also we are constantly exploring energy saving methods in order to curb costs.” Commenting on the year ahead (2013), Boshoff says that astute investors are taking advantage of the current economic trading conditions to increase their portfolios at Page 23 |
PROPERTY attractive yields. Adds van der Walt: “The emergence of a number of new funds has increased investor appetite for commercial property, where returns are currently on average around 10 percent. And it’s not always the most attractive buildings in the best locations that afford the best returns. Looking ahead we anticipate limited rental growth, stabilising vacancies and an ongoing trend towards landlords looking to implement cost saving measures and concessions in order to attract and retain tenants. We are hoping for an upturn in 2013,” she says. http://www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za/south-africa-commercial-property-market/5425-commercial-property-market-remainsstrong-despite-under-constant-pressure.html
Tenants should be careful of deals that sound too good to be true While it is a tenants market in the commercial market sector, prospective tenants shouldn’t just take the lowest offer they can get from landlords; they should firstly rather closely scrutinize the landlord and ensure that the deal is sustainable. This is according to Org Geldenhuys, managing director of property development and management company, Abacus DIVISIONS. “It might not be a good idea to push hard-pressed landlords for too much. Tenants might end up finding that the landlord is unable to meet the costs of properly servicing the building. “Additionally, it might be that all is going well – on the face of it – with the building, but, within a few months, things start deteriorating because the landlord is being squeezed by other properties in his portfolio. This can create a folding card scenario. So, where deals are just too good to be true – be careful. The landlord might be signing too many of these deals just to try and preserve cash flow and put bread on this table. If this is the case, the consequences could be dire for the tenant further down the line. “He could end up in a building that needs urgent things to be fixed - such as plumbing – only to find that the landlord is unable to meet his financial obligations.” | Page 24
Geldenhuys said that before the Great Recession it seemed as if financing was within easy reach for nearly any commercial real estate project. In fact, whether the money was used for new developments, renovations, TIs or operating expenses, credit was not a major problem. Today, however, it is a huge problem. “It is against this backdrop that tenants must make their decisions. As the hangover affect from the recession continues to linger, an increasing number of landlords – and their property portfolios – are coming under pressure. Previously unscathed landlords are now feeling the pinch and, the longer the soft market continues, the sooner many financial positions will become more perilous. There is a heightened risk that owners will battle to stay abreast of costs, such as day to day maintenance – forget unexpected maintenance. “Tenants should bear this in mind, take advantage of the better offers – but make sure their landlords can stand the test of time. “Sure,” said Geldenhuys, “now is the time to round up as many benefits you can as a tenant. These benefits could certainly have a very favorable impact on cash flow now and in the future. But make sure you do some homework and, as best you can, look at the backgrounds and capital positions of potential landlords and their buildings.” http://www.eprop.co.za/news/item/14512-tenants-should-becareful-of-deals-that-sound-too-good-to-be-true.html Org Geldenhuys, MD of Abacus DIVISIONS
PROPERTY
Woodstock property values have increased better than anticipated CBD regeneration and the development of the frequented landmark Biscuit Mill Development has had a great influence on property values in Woodstock, Cape Town Since 2008, when the property prices collapsed, Woodstock has seen a 66% increase in property prices, from a median price of R695 000 to R1 050 000 according to CMA Reports. On looking through these figures it is clear that while prices in many other areas of Cape Town have stagnated, the values here have still increased, and significantly so, says Lanice Steward, managing director of Knight Frank Anne Porter. Woodstock has charm and, because of its Victorian architecture, is picturesque and full of character. This historical suburb is a cultural asset and is one of the oldest in Cape Town, growing at the turn of the 19th Century from a small hamlet called Papendorp into what it is today. “Now Woodstock has become sought after by young professionals because of its close proximity to the CBD, train stations, bus routes, the N2 highway and other major routes,” said Steward. “You have the convenience of staying in what is classed as Cape Town city but with a slightly suburban, quieter home.”
Knight Frank Anne Porter has recently been given a sole mandate to market a two bedroom, one bathroom home in Woodstock that has been very tastefully renovated, said Steward. It is on the market at a price of R1 750 000. This property has the bonus of having two garages (quite unusual for this area). It has the characteristic wooden floors and high ceilings, sash windows, fireplaces and a wellproportioned open plan living and kitchen area. Just a little way down the road to the next suburb of Observatory, she said, it is still possible to find a home under R1 million. In Observatory prices of homes have not increased as dramatically as in Woodstock, but at 22% since 2008 to today, it is still a significant growth in value. “An example of this is one we have on the market at the moment at R950 000 that has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a parking bay and 108m² of floor space,” said Steward. http://www.eprop.co.za/news/item/14514-woodstock-propertyvalues-have-increased-better-than-anticipated.html Page 25 |
DECOR
Staging
your home to sell By Lindsay Grubb
In a buyer’s market how do you ensure that your home puts its best foot forward and outclasses the competition? Design Mind shares some helpful hints to make your home more appealing to buyers. First Impressions Count
In today’s day and age, security is a key issue for buyers. So attention should be paid to providing a picture of a secure home. First impressions count, so a secure entrance area is vitally important. According to Trellidor it is also crucial to place security in the passage to your bedrooms thereby creating a safe zone in this area of your home.
Does your home have curb appeal? If not, the sale could be lost without the buyer putting a foot in the door. Ensure that your lawn is always kept neat, your edges trimmed. Tidy up the front beds and if they’re a little stark, add some seasonal flowers for a splash of welcoming colour. Make sure your walkways are free of weeds and that any loose bricks, tiles or cobblestones are fixed. Cut back any overhanging branches and shape your hedges.
Clear the clutter
If your garage doors are looking tired, either splash on a fresh coat of paint or feed the wood with a suitable varnish. If paint is peeling from your downpipes or burglar bars, sand them down and use a paint that’s suitable for metal surfaces like Hammerite Direct to Rust or products from Plascon’s Metalcare range. Remember Fix any loose facia boards too.
You want your home to look spacious and inviting but lived in – it’s a fragile balance. Removing too much gives it a staged look while having too much confuses the eyes and makes your home look too small.
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A messy home is not appealing to buyers. You’re looking to move on, so it’s the perfect time to get the whole family involved in clearing the clutter. Throw away broken items which won’t be of use to anyone else and donate or sell the items that are still in good condition but aren’t useful to you anymore.
Pack away the items that you want to take with you in the move but that are adding to the clutter in your home. These
DECOR boxes and furnishings can be stored relatively inexpensively in one of the many storage facilities around the country. Ensure there is adequate space to walk around in the rooms and that passages and thoroughfares aren’t blocked by pieces of furniture. Do a thorough clean There’s nothing more off-putting than a dirty home. While on the surface things may seem tidy, buyers will be looking closely at walls, skirting and carpets. Either put on your rubber gloves and get stuck in yourself or hire one of the professional cleaning companies to come in and do a serious clean. Remember to dust your walls down first before washing or you’ll just spread the dirt around and don’t forget to wash your windows. Let the sun shine in Tie back your curtains to let the most natural light into the room. If it’s a particularly bright room, soft chiffon curtains can be used to diffuse the bright light and soften a room. Make sure that all of your curtain fittings are securely fasten to the walls and are dusted. Clashing Colour Remember that colour is a very personal choice in a home and more often than not, buyers may not be able to look past your colour choices. It might be a good idea to change to a neutral pallet throughout your home before agreeing to a show day. Keep your personal photos to a minimum – rather select a few tasteful artworks to keep throughout the house to give it a lived in feel.
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DECOR
Practical Storage Solutions for the Entire House The space in which you live will never transmit the feeling of home and warmth if it’s messy and busy. No matter how large it is. It’s essential to keep order in rooms with practical storage solutions, if you want to display an organized setting and in good shape. To organize a house means to maximize the use of any space. If you live in a house where there’s an acute need for space, the more urgent is a good organization of things. The organisation does not mean to hide all the items to give the impression of cleanliness and order, but just to know how to make good choices regarding storage components. Today, there are available many storage alternatives, some of them more elegant than before, suitable for each room in the house. Their purpose is to keep things in order, also managed to hide the ones you don’t want to view, but also to accentuate the design style. In the kitchen, there are a wide variety of storage solutions, some including various models of containers: glass jars or boxes filled with all kinds of food (pasta, cereals, spices, sugar, flour, beans, nuts, rice, etc.). One of the most effective ways to exploit space in the kitchen is to find room for each item and product and to achieve filing systems for drawers and cabinets, compartmentalized and structured as needed. Like any room where we spend more time in, the bathroom is a room that attracts clutter and dust. If you don’t want to | Page 28
see chaos in the bathroom every morning, set apart cabinet models to convey sophistication and while all care products store. An option for arranging towels and accessories is the vertical shelves. If you want to create a cozy and warm, you can include wicker baskets or seagrass. So it is with living room, fortunately, there are so many organizational solutions available, so you just need to make the right choices. Chests of drawers and shelves are today true centers of interest in the living rooms. Floating shelves add flexibility, and by combining ingenious colors, shapes and sizes, we can create almost any design. Pieces of furniture and drawers including built-in storage are priceless. Today’s furniture is very creative and incorporates numerous storage solutions. Even if we speak about bedrooms, there is no lack of innovation, from rails down to the sliding shelves, all for a more efficient arrangement of things. The bedrooms, which are mostly crowded and cramped, have to be inventive and to capitalize each space within. For example, the space under the bed is a valuable contribution to what is the storage space of a house. Storage solutions are endless, but keep in mind that whatever solutions we choose to store objects or materials, we can be sure that eliminating clutter will transform our home into an elegant, airy, open and welcoming space. http://designlike.com/2012/02/24/practical-storage-solutions-forthe-entire-house/
DECOR
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DECOR
Wall Mirrors For Your Small Home Or Apartment If you live in a small home or apartment, it is important to create an environment that gives it the feeling of a bigger space. There are a number of ways that you can do that with colors, furniture, and dĂŠcor. One of the best items to buy when trying to create the appearance of more depth is mirrors. Wall mirrors really work for a small space. They will reflect the size of the room and make it seem twice its size. There are all kinds of wall mirrors that you can use that come in different shapes, styles, and colors. The best types of mirrors for a small space are wall mirrors. Standing mirrors will take up too much of the small space you have. Wall mirrors can be hung almost anywhere. You can make use of them in a small living room, dining room, bedroom, hallway, or even entryway. Wall mirrors are easy to find in any style that will work with the dĂŠcor you already have in your home. Be sure you have the right items to hang your mirror. Some wall mirrors can be very heavy and this can cause big problems on apartment walls. The best idea when picking a wall mirror for a small space is to go with something large. A large wall mirror will be the best way to really reflect all of your space and visually double its size. Large mirrors can come in all different shapes and styles and will work best in living rooms or bedrooms. A large mirror can create a glamorous and elegant feel in | Page 30
your space. These also work great as functional clothing mirrors when you need to get dressed in the morning. Wall mirrors are available in a wide range of styles. Your options are really limitless. You can do some research on the internet to see all the options out there. You can find Victorian Frame Company mirrors and other items from thousands of manufacturers. Depending on the style of your home, you may want Victorian Frame Company wall mirrors, modern mirrors, or eclectic and vintage mirrors. It should be pretty simple to find something that will work wonderfully in your space. You can also shop around town. Sometimes seeing a mirror up close can help you make a better decision. Mirrors are the best idea when you need something to decorate your small home or apartment. They are functional and beautiful, and act just like works of art. http://www.en.arquigrafico.com/wall-mirrors-for-your-smallhome-or-apartment
LANDSCAPING
Good landscaping helps trim energy bills Today’s energy prices have everyone looking for ways to cut costs. One often-overlooked way of reducing energy costs is through landscaping, and fall is a great time to do it. Landscaping not only helps with your energy bills, it also enhances the overall beauty and value of your property. As trees transpire during the day, they serve as an evaporative coolant. Therefore, trees, shrubs and other plants affect solar radiation more than structural devices, such as awnings. Shade trees significantly reduce air temperatures indoors and outdoors in the summer as trees intercept and absorb the sun’s heat while transpiring, and thus lowering immediate air temperatures. Before you begin planting, you should take a few things into consideration. First, spend some time outdoors. Take note of how the sun falls across your property at different times of the day. We all know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but did you know that it rises more from the northeast during the summer solstice and the southeast during the winter solstice? So, keep this in mind as you decide how and what to plant for which season. To provide morning shade in the summer, trees should be planted on the eastern and southeastern exposures of your home. For afternoon shade, trees placed on the western and southwestern exposures are most effective. However,
avoid placing trees too close to your home; planting trees a distance of 25 feet from the walls or roofline is usually adequate. Also, take precautions to plant away from power lines, underground sewer, water or utility lines and be sure to space trees properly according to their anticipated mature size. Effective tree planting will allow the winter sun to warm the roof and walls of your home. An important consideration for energy conservation in the winter is the use of deciduous tree species. These trees lose their leaves in the winter and should be planted on the east and southeast sides of your home to allow the sun through to help warm the house. You should also incorporate evergreens such as pine, magnolia and cedar on the north and northwestern sides to act as a screen against cold, northerly winds so that your heater does not have to work as hard to heat your home. This is only a general overview of how landscaping can help conserve energy. If you need help deciding what to plant and where, as well as proper care for your trees, contact your local plant nursery. Shade trees beautify the landscape as well as protect your property from sun and wind damage. So, do yourself a favor and seriously consider landscaping to conserve energy. http://www.clintonnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ article?AID=/20121114/LIFE/311140010/Good+landscaping+he lps+trim+energy+bills Page 31 |
LANDSCAPING
Japanese Landscapers Reclaim Lost Habitats Generally, landscape design is about controlling natural environments. Landscape architecture often works with the environment, but more often than not the form serves to tame the natural as much as it promotes it.
have been replanted with magnolia, oak and white birch trees. In the meadows, abundant bamboo has been purposely cut back in order to encourage the original undergrowth to flourish, with the inclusion of mass plantings of perennials. Raised planters also feature ornamental plants.
One landscape architecture project that is putting an emphasis more on the landscape and less on the design is the ‘Tokachi Millenium Forest’ located on the northern island of Hokkaido in Japan. The project is the brainchild of a collaborative team made up of London landscape architecture practice Dan Pearson Studio and Japanese landscape designer Fumiaki Takano.
A wooden plank pathway leads through the varied local wildlife, which ranges from wild and unrestrained to stylised and controlled. The curving pathway gives a sense of organic flow, which is only maximised by what is perhaps the key feature: the undulating grass hills.
The development is more than simply a pretty garden space. The 240-hectare master plan is a prime example of the power of landscape architecture in taking back and promoting natural environments. The development not only offers to offset the carbon footprint created by the nearby newspaper business – also owned by the client – but through development stages, it has fostered lost natural habitats of the region. In terms of environmental regeneration, the forest areas | Page 32
Visitors will be educated about the gardens and encouraged to participate in the maintenance and further development of the land. This creates, in the truest sense, a socially and environmentally sustainable environment. Currently near completion, the gardens will soon serve as a community hub for residents of the area, as well as any tourists it may attract. http://designbuildsource.com.au/japanese-landscapers-reclaimlost-habitats
LANDSCAPING
Above: Tokachi Millenium Forest
Below: Earth Garden
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