“I cannot imagine people using perfectly good drinking water to flush their toilets and water the gardens,” says Durban architect Carl Wright.
Standing in front of the eco-friendly home he has built in Kloof, Wright is leading by example by using water wisely.
Water from the taps is used for drinking, while harvested rainwater is used to water the gardens and flush the toilets.
This is but one of the features that makes Wright’s house eco-friendly.
Situated at the top of a slope in the middle of Kloof, Wright’s home cuts a striking figure. The walls have no paint finishes and, with a solar geyser on the roof, it’s a home Wright is proud to show off as an example of environmentally-friendly design.
Wright, an architect with Ruben Reddy and Associates in Durban, began building his house in 2003, and within two years created an example of what could become the norm in building designs.
“My wife, Helen, and I were looking to buy land in 2003 and found an overgrown plot of land with invasive shrubs.”
As an architect, Wright said he looked towards Australian architecture, as buildings in that country had some of the “most sustainable buildings around”.
The couple aimed for a long-term goal of creating a low-maintenance house and choosing the right building materials was a key part of that.
“We looked for recycled products and concrete blocks were found to be more sustainable, as the process of creating the blocks is ‘greener’,” he explained, adding that the concrete floors had a natural epoxy finish for easy maintenance.
Aluminium windows were chosen because 80 percent of the aluminium was recycled, and no tiles were used as the process of creating tiles was less environmentally friendly.
“We opted to not use timber as it would require further use of materials, such as varnish, to maintain it,” he said.
Wright said the steep plot was in their favour, as it created “natural ventilation”.
“The wind comes up the hill so we placed windows parallel to each other to cool the house,” he said, adding that the open-plan design house ensured there were no blockages as the air moved through.
To cut out the strong sun, Wright created overhangs for the windows, which he said was perfect in winter as the interior heated up.
The steep driveway was built using concrete blocks. “This is as opposed to simply tarring, because water just runs off the tar; with concrete blocks the water runs off into the garden,” he said.
Two 5 000-litre JoJo tanks collect rainwater, which is connected to the toilet cisterns.
A solar geyser, compact fluorescent lighting and recycling bins for paper, cans, plastic and general waste all form the rest of Wright’s green house.
Much of the vegetation on the property has been kept because they are indigenous plants.
“We also have a worm farm on the property, where we put left-over food and stale bread for example, which will become good compost,” he said.
And the furniture chosen was just as important.
“My wife ensured we had second-hand furniture. We believe in reusing, reducing and recycling principles,” he said.
“The kids are getting into the habit of recycling, too,” he said of his children, Torin, 6, and Cailin, 3.
The building was completed in 2005, and while Wright hasn’t quantified the savings he has made as a result of the enviro-friendly design, he estimates that the use of the solar geyser alone has decreased his electricity bills by as much as 40 percent.
“We also save a lot of water as we use the rainwater to irrigate the gardens.
“In Australia, they are very advanced with water collection, and by law you have to have a rainwater collection,” he said, adding that this would become the way forward in the future design of buildings.
“At the moment there is increased awareness in the public and from municipalities about greener buildings. It takes a bit more effort but it is for the better,” he said.
Nivashen Naguran, an environmental consultant and Wright’s colleague, said while there were no laws for residential buildings to incorporate green principles in the design, the practice of using environmentally friendly features was growing.
Naguran said in designing a green building, energy, waste management, water, site ecology and transport were some of the aspects to consider in establishing the environmental footprint of the house.
“People should look at using dual-system toilets which are 60 percent more efficient, use sensor lighting, use gas stoves which reduces the electricity bill, install water-efficient shower heads and taps,” said Naguran.
“Most of these items are readily and easily available and people can retrofit their homes to be more eco-friendly,” he said. - Independent on Saturday