What makes it truly remarkable is that this "green" building is ventilated and cooled by
natural means, inspired by the self-cooling termite mounds of Africa!
 |
| Eastgate Centre, Harare, Zimbabwe - image by David Brazier, (CC BY-SA license) source: this Wikipedia article |
Opened
in1996 in central Harare, it is a mid-rise shopping centre and
office block which has over 5 000 m2 of retail space, 26 000 m2 of
office space and parking for over 400 cars.
Inside, a comfortable temperature is achieved without conventional air-conditioning and heating so it consumes less than 10% of the energy that other buildings of the same size require. Isn't that fantastic?
Inside, a comfortable temperature is achieved without conventional air-conditioning and heating so it consumes less than 10% of the energy that other buildings of the same size require. Isn't that fantastic?
The
architect, Mick Pearce, specialises in eco-friendly buildings that are
low cost and low maintenance, using resources that are available
locally. Unsurprisingly, he has won several awards for his designs.
