Green building technics

These days everyone is very conscious about how building material and buildings effect the enviroment and how we can lower our carbin footprint on earth.  There are several systems availible such as generating our own energy for our homes, recycling waste materials, re-using old fittings or building materials evolve to be more sustainable.

Most of the systems and construction materials we know of are newly developed or inproved.  Some of our oldest systems are forgetten as cob building.  Cob building was used in the 11th - 14th century and in 1994 cob building imerged agaain.  This building method is very primitive and traditional.

Cob consist of sand, clay, straw and water.  The sand and clay acts as the adhesive of the material and the straw is added for its tensile strenght.  It is relativily load bearing in small structures but you can increase the load bearing capacity by adding struts or columns.  This building materail is fireproof, inexspensive but very labor intensive.  This material can be used to create artistic forms such as curved walls, pizza ovens and sculptures. 

On our trip tp Knysna, a few weeks back, we visisted a house built with cob.  I can not remember the owners name but I will refer to her as Nina.  She reminds me of Nina from 'Fiela se kind'. Nina's house is built from natural materials.  Stone wall for the foundations, cob for the internal, external walls and floors and timber frame construction where the house is suspended.

The house is located in the George forest, close to Wilderness.

 Photo's of hte visist...






Pansgrouw cheking something...












 The ceiling is woven banana leave. 

'Nina' is next to the bakkie..

Front door

Front door from the foyer

Foyer leading to main bedroom, bathroom

In the lounge area

Behind: is the kitchen

North side of house

Under the deck - the solar geyser is located here as well as wood for fires

The view from the deck - the mountain in the background is the Jonkersberg in Goerge.

Service courtyard

The recycle bins fit the style of the house

Project Management ... follow up...

This is a follow up to my post on the 23rd of March 2011...

It turns out that students enthusiasm only last till you give them work to do.  After I handed out the drawings for them to complete it took them about one week to produce any work.  The program I set up was totally ignored and it feels like I'm talking to a wall.  We initially decided to meet twice a week but since they are so behind I have to see them everyday.  One thing I learned in the office is that one never assume!

My group consist of four girls and one guy.  The girls did not disappoint me at all, i have absolutely no problem with them.  Maybe the occasional slim hand in. They at least listen to me but the guy, I have seen him twice in this 3 week project.  Send threatening emails which could end his studies at NMMU does not help at all not even my most unfriendly face.  The only motivation/threat they follow is from the big boss - Pansgrouw.   One positive thing about my group is that they have not made lame excuses for not attending meetings or why their work is behind.  I like to think that we communicate good with each other (touch wood - I have not heard any complaints).

While I was working I kind of envied the boss, he was never in the office.  On most of the projects he was the project manager.  It seemed like he only attended meetings, write the minutes, take the occasional photo for the staff if changes should happened and write a report afterwards, until I started with my first big project.  Attending meetings is the mild part of the project everyone do not always agree, the job is behind, people are losing interest in the project.  The admin is the hard part - coordinating the consultants etc. ensuring that everyone is up to speed.  Some times it felt like I was the project manager all the consultants phoned me about information about the project.  Someday it felt like smooth sailing and others like my boat is caught in a storm...  Thanks to this experience and my tutors I think I am doing well with my group.