Eco friendly buildings seem to be cropping up, boding well for the green vision. Incorporating sustainability and design, Makeka Design Lab has envisioned an eco friendly and stylish regional public transport headquarters for Athlone, Cape Town. Called Public Transport Shared Services Center, the building will seek to integrate the various ethnicities and races of people that coexist in Cape Town. The self sustaining headquarters will also make use of non toxic building materials, and natural light and ventilation.
The urban design will maximize sunlight in winters through efficient floor plates, which will allow natural light to penetrate. The headquarters will be built such that it doesn’t obscure light reaching other neighboring buildings, while also taking into consideration the direction of the rising and setting of the sun.
The building’s north façade will sport solar chimneys, light shelves and screens to aid the innovative HVAC system, which will end up being 60 percent more efficient than standard systems.
The center’s electricity requirements, meanwhile, will be supplemented by solar panels. To make the building even more self sustaining, solar water geysers will be used to heat water, while waste water will be treated for flushing and irrigation purposes.
Makeka, in its endeavor to leave as little carbon footprint as possible, will use building materials that are non toxic and taken from renewable sources. The concrete used will have increased fly ash content while timber will be sourced from accredited plantations.
Atria and bridges will be seen running through the building to symbolize movement. Local workers comprising the youth, women and semi and unskilled laborers will be hired for the construction process. Once completed, the center will be able to accommodate a staff of 400, a bus testing facility and a public cum customer care interface.
Via: Makeka Design Lab
