SA Roofing March 2018 // Issue 98 | Page 15

PROJECTS
The entire hotel operates in a sustainable and energy efficient manner . aesthetically pleasing the endemic and indigenous vegetation creates a habitat for insects and bird-life , and thermally insulates the areas below and reduces the heat island effect of the building and hardscapes ,” says Harms .
Having come in after the preliminary design phase was already initiated , created a bit of a challenge . “ The designs changed a few times for various reasons and with it the construction timelines . The budget was also developed along the way ,” he explains .
The design of the building was optimised utilising a building energy model . The modelling process was managed by Ecolution Consulting and executed by Solid Green to optimise the building ’ s efficiency and performance in terms of both active and passive energy consuming systems . The energy model was used to compare the performance of different construction techniques , system installations , materials or products and cost benefits .
The project commenced in 2011 and during the time , green concepts weren ’ t common in the industry therefore they