Shaw, C (2023) Understanding the need for a comparative framework when selecting an appropriate building technology for sustainable human settlements in South Africa. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Abstract
Research Report: By investigating the mechanisms behind environmentally sustainable construction technologies, designers and other critical stakeholders could gain a more comprehensive, holistic understanding of the implications for certain design and implementation decisions during a building's life have on the larger environment. In the context of South Africa, innovative building technologies offer a new means of combating the carbon footprint of human activities and settlement development, producing in the building industry, on resources and the natural environment. By conducting a comparative study of present IBT systems against the existing traditional form of brick-and-mortar construction, potential embodied energy savings in material selection will be investigated and form the basis for recommendations for future studies regarding environmentally sustainable human development. Design Project: The City of Tshwane municipality’s population will almost double from 3. 5 million to 5. 8 million by 2050 (Green Book, 2023). Pretoria, as a city within this municipality, is set to experience urban growth pressure. With this expansion comes several critical issues hindering the city’s ability to adapt and develop, such as: access to adequate resources and services, the reduced quality of life of its residents and associated potential mental health issues, as well as the loss of critical biodiversity. The intervention addresses the pressing need for improved access to mental healthcare resources in a city where a notable portion of the population suffers from mental health issues. Thus, it proposes a facility that provides complementary therapy interventions in combination with conventional therapy, and presents how access to public green space can play a vital role in healing. In an effort to improve Pretoria’s environmental vulnerability, this renewed purpose aims to preserve and regenerate green sites across the city as it continues to densify. Salutogenic and biophilic design strategies are used to provide a comprehensive solution using natural systems to address human wellbeing and the state of nature in the city. The design resolution, located in Nieuw Muckleneuk, is a series of spaces bridging the Walkerspruit river and nesting into the ground at either end, anchoring and reconnecting each side of Trim Park into a newly activated urban green site. It illustrates how innovative building technologies (IBTs) can reduce a project’s carbon footprint and energy demands. Moreover, contextually-specific passive design principles and the curated introduction of indigenous plant species at a site level, exemplify how architecture is enriched when the context and site are allowed to shape the buildings. This presents a new typology in which architecture serves as a facilitator between critical urban stakeholders to ensure symbiotic collaborations that produce environmentally-responsible building practices and an improved sense of urban wellbeing for the city, its residents and nature.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Van Reenen, C |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | South Africa; building technology; carbon footprint; future studies; healthcare; municipality; population; sustainable construction; wellbeing |
| Index terms: | urban growth, facilitator, savings, designer, critical issue, mortars (material), carbon footprint, biodiversity, energy demand, resolution, implementation, embodied energy, future study, biophilic, human activity, mental health, building industry, comparative study, quality of life, passive design, building technology, design strategy, sustainable construction, comparative framework, South Africa, municipality, building practice, population, collaboration, well-being, vulnerability |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, analytical methods, economic analysis, environmental impact, practitioner, demography, building construction, environmental hazards, Geography, sustainable construction, building materials, sustainability and energy, design incorporating nature, energy systems, risk assessment, profession, research design and methodology, mental health and wellbeing, engineering systems, design methods, conflict resolution, health conditions and diseases, sociology, administrative law, industry analysis, management, public and environmental health, biodiversity |
| Topics: | Design Practice, Urban Studies, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Construction Materials, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Construction Technology, Legal Issues, Health and Safety, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Risk Management, Procurement, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here