Sustainability + Environmental Policy

dhk are committed to design excellence, sustainability and commercial reality. We aim to create added value for our clients through excellent design and concern for the performance of buildings over their lifetime.  dhk has a growing track record for delivering high quality, contemporary buildings that achieve these aims.  Starting from base principles dhk take a holistic approach based on the belief that all buildings and places we create must contribute to environmental, social and economic sustainability. We have a good understanding of and a strong commitment to integrating these values into our design process from feasibility to construction.  This includes working with the client and leading sustainability consultants with whom we regularly collaborate and have an excellent working relationship.

To assess our performance in this regard, the group has developed an urban sustainability rating tool (in addition to the generally available green star rating tool), used for the broad-based sustainability assessment of large scale projects, as well as to guide design decisions. Our design policy is to consider all aspects of broad based sustainability and environmental conservation at a variety of scales, and this thinking permeates our approach to all projects.

We are actively involved in current debates on all green issues, and have an in-house Sustainability Committee. We regularly attend sustainability seminars and workshops in order to remain fully informed of best practice and dhk staff are encouraged to become involved in a variety of environmental forums and organizations within the industry. Office initiatives further include recycling and reuse.

dhk  is a member of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) the official certification body of buildings under the Green Star SA Rating System.   The company has recently completed the full Green Star SA accreditation process; achieving the second certified building in South Africa, for Nedbank, at Umhlanga Ridge in Durban.

We are currently involved in a number of high profile buildings such as the Portside Office Tower for FNB and Old Mutual Properties in Cape Town, the Village Walk Hotel, Office and Shopping complex in Sandton, and a new Bank Call Centre, Office & Retail complex in Newtown, Johannesburg, among others. All are being designed to achieve at least a 4-star GBCSA design rating.  Our track record in this field extends to the recently won international competition for the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental studies in Nairobi, Kenya. The competition was adjudicated with emphasis on achieving the highest possible level of sustainable design.

Where appropriate, it is our policy to focus on the following measures in our design approach:

Strategic land use and site considerations

  • Encouraging a sequential approach to the development of sites, favouring brownfield land developments
  • Favouring development in areas where key services, transport and amenities are accessible by foot or cycling, which would be maintained or enhanced by the proposals
  • Favouring development of appropriate density and / or of mixed-use
  • Incorporating good urban design principles
  • Supporting the siting of developments away from health-detrimental noise pollution, flood risk areas, polluted waterways, areas of high air or land pollution and sources of electromagnetic or microwave radiation

Building Considerations

  • Working to agreed performance targets and benchmarks such as the  Green Star System of rating
  • Aiming to design buildings that are adaptable, have a long life, require  minimal maintenance and are accessible to all people
  • Encouraging the re-use of buildings and / or materials, recycling of  demolition materials and design for easy future demolition / recycling
  • Specifying low environmental impact materials including timber that is  sourced sustainability
  • Avoiding specifying materials with ozone-depleting potential or which contain volatile organic compounds or materials harmful to the natural environment
  • Designing buildings with a flexible, comfortable internal environment in  terms of thermal performance, controlling ventilation, daylighting, solar gain, acoustics, air quality, electromagnetic fields without compromising overall energy efficiency performance
  • Giving consideration to predictions for future increased rainfall and storm  frequency, as well as the predicted impacts of climate change

Energy Considerations

  • Maximising opportunities for energy conservation through orientation and position on site (solar gain, reduction of wind chill, shelter), optimisation of the building envelope, use of natural climate features for cooling and the integration of daylight and artificial lighting, with the aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions
  • Encouraging low energy use for equipment and processes
  • Investigating the use of renewable and integrated energy sources (solar collectors, photo-voltaics, ground source heat pumps, integrated wind power, etc.)
  • Encouraging the consideration of carbon offset or storage in the form of forests

Water Considerations

  • Aiming to incorporate water conservation measures, which minimise the use of mains water for uses other than drinking, including re-use/ storage of rainwater
  • Preserving existing watersheds and groundwater on site
  • Considering the implementation of methods to reduce storm water run-off and the risk of flooding
  • Considering systems for the disposal of human waste that uses little or no water

Landscape Considerations

  • Aiming to enhance the landscape and ecology of sites, and protect existing  areas of high quality landscape/ ecology
  • Supporting developments which encourage/ enable local production of food
  • Aiming to give access to a variety of high quality open spaces for leisure and amenity use

Waste Considerations

  • Encouraging and enable the recycling of domestic and workplace waste
  • Supporting development contracts that encourage the reduction of construction site waste through separation, re-use, recycling and prefabrication
  • Considering life-cycle impact of construction materials

 
Transport Considerations

  • Planning developments that reduce the need to travel
  • Supporting developments that are within walking distance of existing or planned transport links and provide safe cycling and pedestrian routes
  • Including measures to give pedestrians priority and ensure their safety in areas where cars are not segregated
  • Encouraging the provision of a reduced ratio of car parking where more  sustainable forms of transport are available

Social and Economic Considerations

  • Consulting and involving local communities in the design decision-making process
  • Supporting development strategies which address the inter-related problems of unemployment, crime, poor health, poor education and degraded local surroundings
  • Supporting initiatives which promote social cohesion such as provision of community facilities, mixed tenures and unit types
  • Supporting encouragement and utilisation of local enterprise, production and employment