SA Affordable Housing January / February 2018 // Issue: 68 | Page 31

PROJECTS Belhar Gardens, affordably efficient A Cape Town social housing development is the first affordable housing project in South Africa to be recognised for its water and energy saving design. By The City of Cape Town | All images courtesy City of Cape Town This social housing project located in Cape Town is recognised by the GBCSA for saving water. B elhar Gardens development was recently recognised by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) as a project that shows Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (Edge). The City of Cape Town sees this is a significant achievement, saying that this will assist Cape Town’s water saving efforts while at the same time it makes the rental units more affordable for tenants. The development, situated on the corner of Carmen End and Symphony Way, was completed in August 2017 and boasts 630 social housing units, comprising of bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. It is currently managed by the Madulammoho Housing Association, one of the social housing companies that has partnered with the City of Cape Town. “Belhar Gardens recently achieved an Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (Edge) preliminary grading from the GBCSA; final certification will be issued in early 2018. The significance of this certification cannot be overstated. Cape Town is facing one of the worst droughts in recorded history. The long-term sustainability of our city depends on our ability to plan, use innovative technologies and foster an acute awareness of how we use scarce resources. It is imperative that all of us who are involved in urban development, be it the private or public sector, focus on methods and innovative designs to save water and electricity, and to limit the impact on our environment,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron. He also wants to commend Madulammoho for this achievement and for setting the benchmark in social housing developments. “We are proud to have them as a social housing partner. They have proved to the industry that one can go green when building affordable housing units, and that energy and water efficiency is not the sole preserve of upper-income developments.” LIVING IN BELHAR GARDENS The tenants, the majority of whom are from the Belhar area or work close to the development, have already moved in. AFFORDABLE SA HOUSING JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2018 29