Construction on 'green-designed' Cape Town hotel to start in ‘08
Thématique :
RSA
By: Christy van der Merwe, Engineering News, 2 Nov 07
Property development company Realcor Cape will start construction on an environmentally sensitively planned five-star hotel in Blouberg, near Cape Town, in March 2008.
The 13-storey, 200-room hotel, designed by architects Otten & Louw, is expected to be completed by 2009, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Zoning was granted for unlimited height, but it was decided to limit the hotel to 13 storeys, Realcor Cape said on Friday.
"The environment has been taken into consideration from the start of the planning of this hotel," Realcor Cape MD Deonette de Ridder told Engineering News Online in a telephone interview.
"The whole professional team has been told to source materials required for construction locally," she added.
This supports local industry, and also cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions involved in the transport of materials.
She explained that the hotel had been designed using green-design principles, including the addition of window overhangs and tinted windows to reduce heat and glare and thus cutting down on the air conditioning required.
A grey-water system was in the final design stages, although it would still be decided whether or not this would be implemented, considering the hygiene issues associated with the hotel industry.
The hotel would also make use of solar water heaters, low-flow taps and shower heads, as well as energy efficient light fittings and air-conditioning systems. The basic heating of the hotel would also be derived from solar power, with a back-up generator.
The décor and finishing touches in the luxury hotel would come, as much as possible, from recycled material. Recycled glass, paper and wood had been sourced for use in the development.
Biodegradable soaps and detergents for cleaning rooms will be used, carpeting and linen will be made from 100% natural fibres, the restaurant will serve organic food, the spa will make use of natural South African herbal products, and the swimming pool will use ozone, which is effective in killing bacteria, as opposed to chlorine.
"For too long the environment has taken a back seat when it comes to construction in South Africa, and the country has lagged behind most of the developed world when it comes to matters of the environment. Our policy at Realcor is to try and give something back to the community without harming the environment," said De Ridder.
Property development company Realcor Cape will start construction on an environmentally sensitively planned five-star hotel in Blouberg, near Cape Town, in March 2008.
The 13-storey, 200-room hotel, designed by architects Otten & Louw, is expected to be completed by 2009, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Zoning was granted for unlimited height, but it was decided to limit the hotel to 13 storeys, Realcor Cape said on Friday.
"The environment has been taken into consideration from the start of the planning of this hotel," Realcor Cape MD Deonette de Ridder told Engineering News Online in a telephone interview.
"The whole professional team has been told to source materials required for construction locally," she added.
This supports local industry, and also cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions involved in the transport of materials.
She explained that the hotel had been designed using green-design principles, including the addition of window overhangs and tinted windows to reduce heat and glare and thus cutting down on the air conditioning required.
A grey-water system was in the final design stages, although it would still be decided whether or not this would be implemented, considering the hygiene issues associated with the hotel industry.
The hotel would also make use of solar water heaters, low-flow taps and shower heads, as well as energy efficient light fittings and air-conditioning systems. The basic heating of the hotel would also be derived from solar power, with a back-up generator.
The décor and finishing touches in the luxury hotel would come, as much as possible, from recycled material. Recycled glass, paper and wood had been sourced for use in the development.
Biodegradable soaps and detergents for cleaning rooms will be used, carpeting and linen will be made from 100% natural fibres, the restaurant will serve organic food, the spa will make use of natural South African herbal products, and the swimming pool will use ozone, which is effective in killing bacteria, as opposed to chlorine.
"For too long the environment has taken a back seat when it comes to construction in South Africa, and the country has lagged behind most of the developed world when it comes to matters of the environment. Our policy at Realcor is to try and give something back to the community without harming the environment," said De Ridder.
