IMPLEMENTING A G
The built environment is one of the highest energy consumers in
the world. South Africa has only recently enforced regulations for
designers of the built environment to implement sustainable measures,
in order to use less energy according to the SANS 10400 and SANS
204 Building regulations. Francois Marais Architects has used the
following construction design criteria to decrease the use of energy in
the new Cruises International building and introduced passive solar
design principals to enhance the energy efficiency of the building.
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arais kept these passive considerations in mind in the conceptual
stage of the design and considered the orientation, the view
and also the visibility of the new Cruises International building.
The building has achieved an exceptionally high ‘green’ building
grading and with the help of Synergy, specialists in the field of
energy efficiency, have been able to take the building off the
electrical grid. This required careful planning with regards to the
use of power and special consideration to certain aspects of the
design, planning and construction of the building.
The site has prominent highway exposure on the North Western site boundary, however
this poses particular challenges in terms of sun control. The Western sun in the late
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