Fynbloem Packing Facility receives CSR Award for Socially Responsible Development

The FynBloem Sustainable Protea Packing facility in Riviersonderend.

The Fynbloem Protea Packing Facility by Cape Town Architects, KUBE architecture was recently awarded the Corporate Social Responsibility Award by the Investment Fund for Developing Countries. The CSR Award is the industry's showcase for the most powerful and successful, social responsibility and green campaigns. Christian Friis Bach, Minister for Development Coordination, explains why FynBloem walked away with this honour...

How the FynBloem Packing Facility used TABS to cut Electricity costs

The Thermally Activated Building System employed at FynBloem cut down electricity costs significantly. 

Cape Town based architects KUBE recently completed a sustainable Protea packing facility in Riviersonderend. One of the methods employed towards greening the building is called TABS...

Kasteelberg Nature Estate

KUBE architecture is compiling the architectural guidelines and concept for a new residential estate on the slopes of the Kasteelberg Mountain Estate just above the town of  Riebeek Wes in the Western Cape. Here's a little taste of what to expect...

FynBloem Update: Practical Completion

Practical Completion has been achieved at FynBloem, a first-of-its-kind Protea Packing Facility in Riviersonderend designed by Cape Town architects KUBE. The client, a South African and Danish partnership have been exporting Proteas to the United Kingdom and Europe for a number of years under the Fynbloem brand. Previously the product was transported via airfreight but now, in an endeavour to reduce the carbon footprint and cost, our client is looking at sea freight as an alternative - an entirely new concept for this type of product, resulting in a new set of challenges.

You can read up about this project and see more images here.

KUBE architecture is now Competent and Registered: SANS10400XA

A first-of-its-kind FynBloem Sustainable Protea Packing Facility in Riviersonderend. You can read more about this project here. 

Cape Town based architectural practice, KUBE architecture is now capable of acting in the capacity of Competent Persons with regard to the new SANS10400XA Energy legislation. What this means is that we are able to perform Rational Designs according to the Regulation and Standards, and make use of the Deemed-to-Satisfy route for compliance...

Implementation of New Energy Legislation (SANS10400XA): 14 May 2012

Like many other Cape Town architects we received this letter in the electronic mailbox the other day...What it says is that all new building work, alterations and additions included, would have to comply with these regulations which targets the amount of electricity consumed by households for heating water, temperature regulation and lighting...

Fynbloem Update: Cracking the Social Code of Sustainability

So why are we writing about people when this is blog is about architecture? People who aren't even celebrities...It all started back in 1987 when a couple of really smart people gathered at an event known as the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations. Sustainable development was defined as development which meets the needs of the current generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability as a term is commonly used to collect all the trendy carelessly tossed about terminology such as environmentally friendly, green, organic etc. etc., but it doesn't end there, in 2005 at the UN World Summit, it was noted that sustainability required satisfying environmental, social and economic criteria.

“Sustainability, as it’s commonly expressed, IS a fad", Sherin Wing

d love to           You can read the article here.

NERSA sets out Energy Saving Measures in Paper

The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) has published a consultation paper with measures to encourage rapid and large scale implementation of energy savings, in line with government policy on energy efficiency. This is one of the short-term measures to address SA’s power supply constraints through reduction of electricity demand, instead of commissioning new capacity.

Nersa said the introduction of the government’s energy efficiency and demand-side management policy had necessitated the review of its energy efficiency and demand-side management rules.

The review follows a December Government Gazette notice in which Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said Nersa should develop rules for the implementation of energy efficiency and reduction of electricity demand through a financial incentive scheme and the installation of 1- million solar water heaters. The government wants to distribute these by 2014. 

You can read the rest of the article by SISEKO NJOBENI,  as published in Business Day,  2010/06/25, here

Department of Trade and Industry: Energy Compliant Buildings Now the Rule!

Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies has published amendments to energy efficiency regulations which make it compulsory for all new buildings to be designed to a standard that minimises energy use along stipulated lines. The regulations are applicable to all new "residential and commercial buildings, places of learning and worship, certain medical clinics and other categories of buildings", the department of trade and industry (DTI) said in a statement. The DTI said that the regulations would form “part of the deliverables of the National Energy Strategy that were identified in the Industrial Policy Action Plan to strengthen South African standards and regulations for energy efficiency, and would be finalised by the end of 2010.”

The new rules will make it compulsory for all new buildings to be designed and constructed to a standard that will make it possible for the user to minimise the energy required to meet the functional requirements," the statement said. DTI stated that different elements of the building "envelope", such as roofs and ceilings, walls and windows, would have to meet minimum requirements for preventing heat loss in winter, or heat gain in summer, to meet energy efficient targets.

The regulation* reads:

1. Buildings shall be designed and constructed so that buildings:

a. are capable of using energy efficiently while fulfilling the user needs in relation to vertical transport, if any, thermal comfort, lighting and hot water; or

b. have features and services which facilitate the efficient use of energy appropriate to their function and use, internal environment and geographical location

2. At least 50% by volume of the annual average hot water heating requirement shall be provided by means other than electrical resistance heating including but not limited to solar heating, pumps, heat recovery from other systems or processes and renewable combustible fuel.

3. The requirements of sub-regulation 1 shall be deemed to be satisfied when such building is designed and constructed in accordance with the following requirements:

a. Has an orientation, shading, services and building envelope in accordance with SANS 10400 Part XA; or

b. Is the subject of a rational design by a competent person, which demonstrates that the energy usage of such building is equivalent to or better than which would have been achieved by compliance with the requirements of SANS10400 XA, or

c. Has a theoretical energy usage performance determined using certified thermal calculation software, less than or equal to that of a reference building in accordance with SANS 10400 XA.

You can request a copy of the SANS 10400 XA draft here

*Government Gazette no. 33265 as published on 11 June 2010