Durban North Coast Beach Shack

Challenges:

• Independent consultants performed an EIA. It included struct assessments of how the property design and building could impact the land and cause minimal disruption. 
• The house sits on concrete stilts on a floating slab 1.8 m above ground level. This facilitates airflow for mass cooling in summer.
• The building footprint was minimized to have the least impact on the site. The second floor cantilevers the smaller first floor, which is raised off the ground.
• Water usage during the build was kept to a minimum due to the shuttering of the concrete with no mixing required on site and the usage of lightweight dry construction materials from Saint-Gobain.
• Rainwater is harvested into two tanks under the house, further supporting low water consumption.

See the PDF for more. 

Saint-Gobain Products and Systems :

Building element Design & systems used Foundations

Concrete stilts on a 1.8 m high floating slab facilitate airflow for summer cooling the thermal mass.

Anchoring of lightweight concrete blocks off the slab and columns is by Weber Tylon® Multi Fix tile adhesive.

Roofing

Aluminum ribbed locking roof.  The roof has a 1.5 m overhang to manage the sun shining directly into the house. In line with SANS 10400-XA, an internal reflective foil is also fitted under-roof.

Ceilings

Gyptone® Big line 6 was combined with RhinoBoard® 9 mm when a smooth ceiling or bulkhead was required.

Ceiling products supported by Aerolite® which has exceptional acoustic insulation properties; it enhances your indoor environment by absorbing noise from the inside and outside. l

The upper-level veranda has RhinoBoard® MoistureResistant plasterboard skimmed with RhinoLite®, as it is a covered space.

Insulation (thermal) 

135 mm Aerolite® glasswool with up to 85% recycled glass above the ceiling boards, which exceeds SANS 10400-XA requirements for the region and a 200 mm air gap under the roof.

The wall cavities contain Isover® Cavitybatt™/Cavitylite® insulation to an R-value of 2.68 m2k/w. Walling

The exterior walls of the building consist of Green Crete lightweight 110 mm concrete/EPS blocks. These were plastered with an external coloured acrylic render.

The interior walls and interior drywalls – 12.5 mm RhinoBoard®,  RhinoLite® supported by a 102 mm Gypframe® UltraSTEEL® Stud and track system insulated with 102 mm Isover Cavitylite.

Surfaces

Interior and exterior – skimmed and painted. Large format tiles were installed on the walls of the open en-suite bathroom and wet areas.

Weber-Tylon® Plaskey and Key It was used to benefit long-term health through superior waterproofing properties for the bathrooms and showers, ensuring resistance to mould growth.

Windows

Windows and sliding doors from Saint-Gobain Cool-Lite® 150 with a solar factor – solar absorption of 37%. These are openable to facilitate airflow and cooling. Floors l Solid wooden floors, providing natural thermal comfort in the living areas, with tiles in the wet areas.

Tiles

Weber Tylon® Porcelain S was used to fix the floor tiles with Weber Tylon® Bonding-It, providing a stronger bond for the large format tiles.

Grouting was done using Weber Tylon® All Purpose Grout.

Systems supporting Comfort:

System Performance System Products

Thermal Windows Saint-Gobain Cool-Lite® 150 were utilised. Cool-Lite® 150 Low-E glass absorbs 37% of inbound solar.

Roof & cavity insulation Aerolite® 135 mm Cavity insulation (walls) Isover Cavitybatt™/Cavitylite® 102 mm Floor Thermal comfort is also facilitated by the wooden floors. Acoustic Ceilings l Aerolite® 135 mm in the roof.

A combination of RhinoBoard® 9 and Gyptone® Bigline 6 reduces reverberation.

Walls l Isover® Cavitybatt™/Cavitylite® 102 mm supports improved acoustics.

RhinoBoard® 12.5 helps support privacy between spaces. Windows l Cool-Lite® 150 Low-E glass reduces transmission of inbound noise.

Visual

Environmental sensitive design, meaning an elevated view above the protected trees.

The nature of the design, when viewed from the outside, also gives the house a beautiful aesthetic.

Natural light is maximised inside the house.

Indoor air quality (IAC) l Gyptone® Big Line 6 – helps improve indoor air quality by absorbing formaldehyde due to ActivAir technology.

Key Achievements

• Indoor environments perform better for acoustic and thermal comfort while promoting required passive fire safety.
• Aesthetically pleasing spaces.
• Wall-mounted fixtures properly fixed to the walls: “We absolutely do believe that the right
• choices were made as we considered every detail of the interior layout of wall fixtures and applications”.