Entrance to the Eco-Centre.
Pavement space for parking bicycles with window display space behind.
Reception area, laser cut steel lettering on the concrete of the spiral staircase behind.
Organic coffee shop serving counter.
Retail space leading from the front of house area to the back.
Library and research space facing on to the large vertical garden, which runs along the length of the building.
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Eco-Awareness CentreThis project formed my thesis research and design project for my BTech degree.
The centre takes the form of an interactive eco-exhibition, education and multi-use space to aid people in discovering green principles and ways of embracing a more sustainable lifestyle within the residential environment. The exhibition will give visitors a well-rounded introduction to the need to embrace a greener lifestyle, as well as provide solutions and products that can implemented within the home to make a difference. This exhibition will model sustainability, ensuring that it 'leads by example' and makes use of the ideas and systems portrayed so as to act in a sustainable and energy efficient manner. There will be a symbiosis between the building’s functionality and the exhibition material. The two aspects coexist and enhance one another, informing material choices and physical forms. Visitors to the space will be encouraged to make it their own and use it as more than just an exhibition space. It is somewhere that they can meet, perform business, socialise. host functions and learn at their own pace. Small businesses will be able to market their products and become involved within the centre. A focal feature of the design, is the large vertical garden which runs along the length of the building, adding to the eco or green aesthetic. It serves a dual purpose of improving the indoor environmental air quality of the space, and providing vegetation for use within the coffee shop. Concept:“walk the green line”
Project Brief:
Eco-Awareness Centre for the Residential Market in Claremont, Cape Town Design included:
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Zone 1 of the exhibition where screens detail the reasons behind a need to go green. Displays contain maps which look at statistics from the past and present day as well as predictions for what will happen if nothing is changes soon. These displays look at: Resources, Water, Climate and Waste.
The third zone within the exhibition, an interactive database. Here visitors to the centre are encouraged to give feedback on the exhibition itself and what they would like to see more of. In addition, households create profiles and fill in information as to how green they are being within their home environment. They detail what it is that they are doing to make a difference. In this way, an online database is created for researchers and the centre itself, so that they can see and monitor what is being done in different areas and which products or systems there needs to be more information available on.
View of the second zone of the exhibition from the opposite side. The table in the foreground would showcase example plants off the green wall for visitors to interact with. The displays behind are for examples of larger systems that can be implemented within the home. These include: Energy efficient appliances, solar geysers, solar panels and general tips. To the right, the curved display unit will house different finishes and materials that can be incorporated in home alterations such as: wall finishes (wall paper, paints, cladding) and different surfacing options.
Water display under the new roof structure. This space showcases working rainwater tanks of two different sizes to show the options available for different property sizes. The adjacent toilet facilities are connected to small scale grey and black water filtering systems, which provide water for the vegetable garden, green wall and roof garden.
Lecture and multi-purpose space on the first floor. The vertical garden is visible in the background. At the front of the space is a setup for giving presentations. This includes a screen and projector fixed to the ceiling. As there is a great deal of daylight filtering into the space, automated blinds will be installed, which can be closed to darken the room for presentations.
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Zone 2 of the exhibition where actual products are placed on display as examples of what home owners can use within their homes in making a difference, bearing the statistics and figures that they had just learned in mind. The central display is for showcasing different kinds of energy efficient light sources. Each type will be in a dark box, and visitors can turn certain ones on and off to compare them.
Timber screens of sand blasted eucalyptus timber, provides privacy to offices for centre administration as well as to eco-consultants who would operate from the space. The open nature of these screens shows that the consultants are always available and are there to help and to offer advice.
Space under a newly constructed roof structure. This structure is not sealed to the elements such as the wind and rain, on the side to allow natural ventilation and irrigation for the vegetable garden. This space contains a pause area next to the vegetable garden, seen on the left. There are bins available for visitors to the centre to drop off their recycling in. These bins also cater for the waste separation needs of the centre itself.
Upstairs foyer space with a kitchen kiosk for serving beverages and food between lectures or functions. Bar counter set up overlooks the main exhibition below, creating a space for socialising that is visually connected to the exhibition itself. There is an abundance of natural light in this area from the clerestory glazing.
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