SA Affordable Housing July / August 2018 // Issue: 71 | Page 29

PROJECTS
Each unit is fitted with a solar geyser.
have even employed a salesman from the community, who
has already sold 35 units,” says Warren.
Engaging with the community, DWD, got involved with a
corporate social investment project as well. “At the bottom
field of the development the locals had a soccer field where 17
teams played on a regular basis. We spoke to the community
liaison officer and explained to him that the boundary wall
will be going up and that they would no longer be able to
use that space. We identified an area inside the informal
settlement and built a soccer field for them. We hired the plant,
compacted the field and donated 17 soccer kits to the teams,”
says Warren.
An outline of the estate, consisting of 638 units.
GREEN HOMES
As the houses are EDGE registered, DWD included certain
elements to make the houses ‘green’.
“Our homes are EDGE certified by the Green Building
Council of South Africa, which means our houses are better
for the environment, use less energy and water and are truly
‘green homes’. The estimated monthly utility saving is a
minimum of up to 20% less as a result of the interventions
implemented in the Edge Certificat.ion process,” adds Warren.
TIMBER ROOF TRUSSES
“Our interventions include adjusting our construction that
the embodied energy is slightly reduced. Our roof trusses
for example are timber and not light weight steel which is
normally used in comparable developments.
“The reason we’ve gone with timber is embodied energy
in timber is less than in steel. We are using maxi bricks as
opposed to a 220-brick wall - the result is that the embodied
energy in the super structure of the house is slightly less.
On the actual energy side of it we have reduced the power
consumption all of the lights and are using led light fittings.
Our solar geysers are larger than the normal solar geyser SANS
10400, we’ve made them bigger so we have greater saving on
the solar geysers and then we put in light control mechanisms
for day and night light sensors,” Warren says.
Aluminium window frames are also installed, this not only
gives a better finish to the product but keeps the heat in the
house, cooling the house in summer and without air
leaking out.
Photographed on site at the Tirong affordable housing estate
are, from left: Philip Kroukamp (DWD architect), Derek Warren
(managing director of DWD) and Charl Duvenhage (DWD sales
consultant).
Some of the units have an open plan lounge and dining room.
AFFORDABLE
SA HOUSING
JULY - AUGUST 2018
27