Sunday 24 November 2019

Onsite service enterprises



Onsite service enterprises (OSEs) are enterprises that develop and maintain systems and facilities that provide services to occupants of a building or a precinct. Examples of onsite services include hot water, energy, lighting, waste and recycling, mobility, food preparation and delivery, childcare, education and personal care. The full capital and operating costs of providing these services, including installing and maintaining systems, equipment and facilities, are borne by the enterprises and transparent fair costing models are used to determine fees charged for services to ensure there is a reasonable return for the enterprises and that services are affordable.

The paper shows how the concept of OSEs can be applied to a housing development near Alexandra, Johannesburg. A critical evaluation of this application in relation to affordability and sustainability is carried out to determine the significance of the approach. The paper concludes that the OSE concept has significant potential and provides detail on how it can be developed and investigated further.

Saturday 19 October 2019

5 Questions to ask when choosing a building sustainability rating system



There are now many different rating and indicator systems for building sustainability so it is becoming increasingly difficult to choose and distinguish between these.
This presentation, therefore, goes back to first principles and focusses on 5 questions that can be applied to review systems to choose the one most suitable for your situation.
The 5 questions are:
  1. How does the system define sustainability?
  2. Does the system address your / local priorities?
  3. Does the system change behaviour as well as technical performance?
  4. Does the system help prepare the built environment for change?
  5. Is there an evidence base to confirm that the system will achieve the required levels of change?