A Grahamstown museum plans to become the first in the country to get a green rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa.
A Grahamstown museum plans to become the first in the country to get a green rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa.
The National English Literary Museum will expand into a larger building, built on the green building concept, to be environmentally responsible and resource efficient. This expansion was announced by the Department of Arts and Culture at COP17, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, that is currently taking place in Durban until 9 December.
"We are very excited about it," said Nelm's director, Beverley Thomas. "It will be the first museum building in South Africa that will get an accreditation from the Green Building Council of South Africa." The building design, as announced at COP17, takes an environmental approach and plans to reduce the environmental impact of construction and demolition of the structure.
Some features in the design include using materials that absorb heat by day and release it into the structure by night, thus creating a more constant indoor air temperature. This will also allow the building's interiors to draw in natural ventilation.
Rain water harvesting reservoirs will be installed to catch water that can be re-used for irrigation and cleaning water, and pipes under the building will divert storm water to a retention pond which can be re-used for irrigation, cooling and flushing toilets.
Permeable paving in the parking areas is also proposed to collect water and divert it to the retention pond. The design for the building, prepared by Intsika Architects from East London, is a pilot project and aims to achieve a four star green star SA rating.
Nelm is currently situated on Beaufort Street and houses extensive archival material relating to Southern African English Literature. Thomas said that they will also expand to include volumes from other languages.
