UPDATE: It is confirmed that a further extension until December 2011 has been granted. This gives everybody another opportunity to send their letters of support to the SABS. This is important as the SABS have already indicated that the technical committee will be voting against this code. The reasons for this have not been clarified and we therefore appeal to all to maintain the pressure.

In terms of the SADC process for adopting this code into the entire region is currently in its 5th round of votes and the deadline for submissions was meant to be for the end of June (Now December). Once this round of votes has gone through there will be a 6th and final round of votes, so it is a good idea to keep the pressure up with letters of support regardless of the deadlines. Please still do send your email / letter of support.

If any of you are interested in assisting the planet in a small but significant way you are more than welcome to assist by sending an email in support of SA adopting a green building standard, to be more precise a Rammed Earth building code. Currently in SA we cannot raise a bond to by any form of newly constructed earth building – so this would be a significant step in the right direction. See below….

There has been the UK’s leading expert in very low embedded energy building technology, rammed earth – Roland Keable – here in Cape Town earlier this week and we have been asked by him to drum up as many emails/letters of support for the adoption of Zimbabwe’s rammed earth building codes into all the SADC countries including SA’s building codes.

A letter of support is urgently needed from local stakeholders for the adaptation of Zimbabwe’s rammed earth building code of practice (already 10 years old) into all 15 of the SADC countries. This requires a majority vote in the SADC standards summit scheduled for the end of June 2011.  (Now extended to December 2011 - No exact date is yet known...)

To assist this process we need any potential stakeholders/individuals to write to The Senior Standards Officer for the SABS in support of SA voting YES for the SABS to adopt the Zimbabwe Code SADCSTAN TC1/SC5 Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures.

The letter/email of support should be forwarded to:

- Solly Peter, Manager - Construction Standards SABS, peterm{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

-  Suraiya Adam, Senior Manager Standards Division SABS, adamsa{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

-  Sazi Zangqa, Senior Manager Compliance and Development SABS, zangqasl{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

- Jacob Ramatsetse - Construction Standards SABS, ramatsjj{at}sabs{dot}co{dot}za

In the letter please quote SADCSTAN TC1/SC5 Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures and copy Roland Keable (rowland {at} rammed-earth{dot}info) and Andy Horn (andy{at}ecodesignarchitects{dot}co{dot}za) in please.

The Guba Team in Swaziland has recently gone ahead with the construction of the structures for their centre.

The brief to Eco Design Architects was that “the buildings must demonstrate a variety of different eco-building techniques that are replicable within the Swazi community at homestead level using locally sourced materials.”
The full design layout includes a training centre, a versatile production space, an office and admin building, ablution facilities, a roadside stall and a nursery.

The green building technologies which have been incorporated are Adobe Construction, Wattle and Daub Construction, Rammed Earth Construction Planted Roofs, Compost Toilets, Moonphase Harvesting of Timber and Renewable Energies (Photovoltaic, Hot water Solar heating, Windpower).

For more images and updates: Eco Design Project Gallery.
For more information about Guba, please visit their website: www.gubaswaziland.org or for current updates click here to access the Guba facebook page.