Eco-friendly lounge opened at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
A new environmentally friendly lounge has been opened at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, a Mantis property in the Western Cape. It offers a warm welcome and service excellence to guests arriving at the 54 000 hectare reserve in the Klein Karoo.
In keeping with environmental and conservation principles, the lounge is powered by wind energy and the restroom facilities are eco-friendly.
On arrival, guests who have booked lodge transfers are directed to the welcome lounge where they can enjoy refreshments while waiting for their chauffeur.
Eco features extend to the construction method and various power sources used. The building was designed by BandV Architects.
All walls are constructed from locally sourced gumpoles with strawbales. This method is low carbon and offers superior insulation properties to standard construction methods to keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer.
The floor is made from locally sourced saligna (gumpole) planks which are laid on timber bearers and fixed with shoeing nails to give an antique look.
As the Staging Post is situated approximately 10kms from the nearest power line, it was decided to power the building utilizing solely wind and sun energy. The roof has a solar array generating a maximum 800Watts as well as a six-metre high wind turbine which generates a further 400Watts.
The cost of this installation, including invertors, batteries and other items totals some R120 000.
Hot water is provided by a gas geyser. A dry composting toilet has been installed to minimize the requirement for water on site as well as reducing excavations for septic tanks.
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