November 2003, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality approved the development of a project to rehabilitate the identified wetlands and their environs across the municipality to maximise environmental, educational and recreational opportunities for the surrounding communities. One of the specifications for the redevelopment was that environmentally-friendly building designs and methods be used.
“The idea of the OR Tambo Environmental Education and Narrative Centre came when we decided to rehabilitate the wetland. With Leeupan situated in Wattville, where OR Tambo used to stay before he went to exile, we felt that the centre was a proper way to honour a selfless leader who is a free person of the city,” says counsellor Vuyelwa Mabena, member of the mayoral committee on environmental development at Ekurhuleni.
Mabena says that the precinct will be unique in its environmental friendliness and will attract tourists and other visitors through not only the link to Tambo but also in how it has been developed.
Building green
“Today, people are proud to be environmentally conscious and want to adhere to issues facing the world, such as climate change. Increasingly, companies are developing buildings that are environmentally-friendly. At the centre, we are building with materials that are not generally used and will attract people who want to see the feasibility of using such natural materials as cow dung,” she says. She says that previously communities in Ekurhuleni were not exposed to matters of environmental development, but the centre will provide a much needed impetus to highlight matters of the environment.
In fact, Mabena says that the model for development and building at the precinct will be used as a case study for other municipalities throughout South Africa. Ekurhuleni will take its learnings to such platforms as the upcoming COP17 conference on climate change in Durban next month. “However, we will not rest on our laurels but will continue to improve on our work and learn from others. But we are proud of what we have accomplished to date,” she adds.
The legacy of green
Mabena says that the people of Ekurhuleni will know that the municipality has taken a serious look at how to be as environmentally friendly as possible and will be able to experience the benefits of this by visiting the precinct. She says that OR Tambo was a man for the people and the precinct reflects this humility. By using indigenous ways of building such as straw and cow dung, the precinct shows a connectedness to the people that Tambo would have been proud of.
“Looking at the aesthetics of the precinct, you will be able to summarise what OR Tambo was about. We are also empowering the communities around the centre by not only giving them jobs but also providing them with skills they will be able to use once the building is completed. Skills development and job creation are key imperatives for us,” she says. Mabena says that while many businesses are trying to develop green buildings, most of them rely simply on being energy efficient.
“We decided to do more than just install energy-saving globes and solar panels for geysers. For example, the materials we have used to build have excellent insulating properties. The walls consist of straw bales plastered with mud and cow dung. Floors are made from mud bricks that lie on a bed of rocks which in turn are also plastered with cow dung. This is not only completely natural but it shows thermal energy working at its best,” says Mabena.
The municipality contracted female labourers to plaster the walls using methods employed throughout Africa for centuries. It is not a case of re-inventing the wheel but borrowing from memories and linking people back to their roots.
Thermal heating
Such is the effectiveness of the natural thermal heating that there will be a very limited need for air conditioners and external heating sources. Mabena says that no building in the country can come close to the number of green technologies the precinct used in its development. Once the building is completed, the green maintenance aspect comes into play. For example, the floor in the narrative centre can be polished with a diamond blade.
There is therefore no need for detergents or other cleaning materials. With the walls also being made from natural materials, there is no need to have them painted and skylights are used wherever possible to promote natural lighting. Where carpets are installed, the builders have ensured that they use only recycled materials. Furniture is also recycled or made from bamboo. The intention is to reduce the maintenance aspect of the buildings and be as green friendly as possible.
Where to next?
Mabena says that the construction of the centre is phase one and uses approximately three hectares of the 260 hectare property. “The second phase will be focused on the development of the park. We have started with the bio-remediation of the water and the introduction of natural micro-organisms to clean up chemicals. This has already been so effective that flamingos have returned to the area for the first time in seven years,” she says. Certain areas which have been damaged in the past will be developed into football fields, play areas for children and braai areas for visitors.
Urban agriculture on the western side of the property will be expanded, with lifestock farmers in the area also being taken into account. “We will engage with the departments of economic development and agriculture to improve on stock to introduce indigenous cows, sheep and goat breeds in the area.” The informal settlements in the area will also be relocated, with instructions given to the housing department that the new developments should use similar
This article originally appeared in the Mail & Guardian newspaper as an advertorial supplement