The R300k eco-home could be the future of housing in South Africa.
The newly exhibited structure in Cape Town has a net zero carbon footprint and is made out of recycled palette wood, solar panels and two shipping containers.
The home features a lounge, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, edible food garden and spacious courtyard. This home has many people thinking about the future of homes and how it can also benefit the ecosystem.
The City of Cape Town, in partnership with the Green Building Council of SA, launched the My Clean Green home pop-up exhibit, on March 1, 202,1 in Green Point Park, in Cape Town.
Mayor of Cape Town Dan Plato officially revealed the home that costs about R300 000 to construct.
“Carbon neutrality is very important for the City of Cape Town. Seeing the innovation, that shipping containers could become a type of housing, is remarkable,” said Plato.
The home, with a tree house feel, is spacious with natural light in all rooms.
“We were inspired by using the principles of a tree,” Shawn Alimohammadi, a member of Team Mahali, said from inside the net zero carbon footprint structure.
“The wooden palettes all round and on the roof provide shade for the building, just as a tree has a shade footprint. We produce energy from the solar panels, which power the entire house. We are completely off-grid and net zero energy dependent.”
Four South African cities – eThekwini, Tshwane, Johannesburg and Cape Town – recently joined the C40 cities net zero carbon by 2050 initiative. The aim is to reach net zero carbon for all new buildings by 2030, and all buildings by 2050.
Team Mahali won first prize in the City of Cape Town and Green Building Council of SA’s design competition for sustainable buildings.
“We are hoping we will get more projects from this one, more community-orientated projects, and catalyse sustainable industrialisation in SA, and support the movement of jobs into the green economy,” said Alimohammadi.
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