Riaan Louw is an architect at Water Berry Trading 44. The company’s goal as a small business is to help change the world and make it a better place for future generations. It manufactures biomass and recycles products to protect the environment, helps people save money and makes their homes and the planet safer places to live. It uses products that are recyclable, reducing the impact on the environment. Its products are in high demand and already widely in use. These products have been designed to have the following characteristics: they are lightweight and of high quality and are Agrément-approved and certified for construction products and systems, ensuring safety standards are met. Water Berry Trading also has load-bearing biomass concrete that can be used to build up to six storeys high. The wall panels are classified as type FR with a minimum fire resistance of 180 minutes. They have superior acoustic and insulation properties that are two to three times better than bricks. In addition they are water-, bullet- and termite-proof. The result is cost-effective, low-maintenance building materials which results in savings on water and energy. In addition they have a negative carbon footprint that complies with the Carbon Smart programme. Riaan’s motto is, “Great design, better life.”
What’s been your/the organisation’s greatest achievement in your field?
Distributing high-quality wall panels with outstanding characteristics.
Please provide specific examples of how your/your organisation’s practices and work have a positive effect on the environment
Making use of environmentally friendly products that are recyclable.
What are some of the biggest environmental challenges faced by South Africans today?
Reducing waste in the construction industry, which helps to counter global warming.
Our theme this year is Celebrating Environment Heroes. What do you believe could be the repercussions for millions of people in South Africa and the continent if we do not tackle problems exacerbated by climate change, encompassing issues like drought, floods, fires, extreme heat, biodiversity loss, and pollution of air and water?
To provide all South Africans with adequate shelter will solve many social and environmental problems and give people human dignity again.