Sustainable Development in Botswana: BWE Facility

In Botswana the construction of the new BWE Facility adheres strictly to green building principles emphasizing sustainability across various elements. The sustainability measures for energy, water and materials used are targeted and are under assessment.

Energy:

Insulated roof to minimise heat losses and gains in winter and summer respectively.
Use of efficient glass for the windows and glazed doors.
Use of ceiling fans instead of mechanical heating and cooling in the workshop areas.
Efficient cooling & heating systems in the office areas.
Use of heat-pump for water heating.
Efficient lighting for internal areas and external areas with optimum lighting power densities.

Water:

Efficient tap fittings, with lower flow rates than a benchmark building, are used to minimize water consumption.
Toilets and urinals with lower flush volumes are used to minimize water consumption.
The wastewater treatment system from the Wash-bay to ensure the savings from re-using the water used.

Materials used:

Use of Fly-ash in all concrete mixes to minimize the amount of embodied carbon in the structure. The coffer slab for some of the suspended slab further reduces the amount of embodied carbon in the structure.
Use of no insulation material in the floors and exterior walls means that the building has less materials and therefore lower embodied carbon.
The use of steel profile cladding and stock brick over fired clay brick means lower embodied carbon.
The use of a finished concrete floor in the workshop area, instead of other floor finishes, means lower embodied carbon.
The chosen porcelain and carpets in offices and passages perform better in terms of embodied carbon when compared to laminated wooden flooring.
The steel roof has a much lower embodied carbon than the standard in-situ concrete roof slab.