COURSE: (AAR3203) BUILDING SERVICES

FACULTY: THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT:. QUANTITY SURVEYING

LECTURER: MR MUUNGANI

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

COOLWECALEZA CHINENE N0183253D

Bulawayo city council has a vision to turn Bulawayo to a green city by 2030. Advise on
what they should do or enforce to achieve this vision in relation to water usage. [50]

Definition:
A green and sustainable city is a community of residents, neighbours, workers and visitors
who strive together to balance ecological, economic, and social needs to ensure a healthy and
safe environment for all members of society and generations to come[ CITATION ahm17 \l
12297 ]

The green city means a way to increase the sustainability of urbanized areas. It is a concept of
urban planning relying on the ecosystem services that green infrastructure can supply.
Green cities have clean air and water and pleasant streets and parks. Green cities are resilient
in the face of natural disasters, and the risk of major infectious disease outbreaks in such
cities is low. Green cities also encourage green behaviour, such as the use of public transit,
and their ecological impact is relatively small[ CITATION Mat06 \l 12297 ]

It is also called sustainable construction. It is the meeting the needs of present generations
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Green building is
not simply about protecting the biosphere and natural resources from over exploitation or
over consumption, nor is it simply about saving energy to reduce our heating bills. It
considers the impact of buildings and materials on occupants and the impact of our lives on
the future environments.
Sustainable development means achieving four objectives at the same time: effective
protection of the environment; prudent use of natural resources; social progress which
recognizes the needs of everyone; and maintenance of high and stable levels of economic
growth and employment. Sustainable building aims for no overall net environmental burden
by considering a building’s total economic and environmental impact and performance, from
raw material extraction and product manufacture to building design, construction, operations
and maintenance, and building reuse or disposal.
Green building ensures that waste is minimised at every stage during the construction and
operation of the building resulting in low costs according to experts in the technology. The
process requires close cooperation of the design team, architects, engineers and the client at
all stages of the project. Practice expands and complements the classical building design
concerns of economy, utility, durability and comfort. Green buildings are designed to reduce
the overall impact of the built environment on human health and natural environment by:
 efficiently using energy, water and other resources
 protecting occupants health and improving employee productivity
 reducing waste, pollution and environment degradation
Elements of the green city
 Site planning and design:
Affordable housing works best when residents have easy access to key services and
transit. Infill sites have these and many more environmental benefits. Design your site
to fit into the surrounding neighbourhood and to work with natural features to provide
 safe play spaces, shade your building, and naturally control storm water runoff.
Minimize site impacts by shrinking the physical footprint of your development with
more compact building and parking lot layouts and by taking care of trees and soil
conditions during construction[ CITATION Gre18 \l 12297 ].
 Community:
Green buildings and developments support strong communities by giving neighbours
places to meet, establishing a sense of place and safety, and creating spaces for
pedestrians and kids, rather than cars. Successful and sustainable designs involve
residents and community members from the planning stage all the way through to
operation and maintenance[ CITATION Mar15 \l 12297 ].
 Water:
Conserve finite freshwater resources and reduce utility bills by installing water-
efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures, landscaping with drought-resistant plants
and efficient irrigation, and putting rainwater and grey water to use.
To soak up more of the storm water runoff that plagues rivers and streams in the
Washington metropolitan area, replace asphalt and turf with porous pavement and
trees; then consider rain barrels, rain gardens, and green roofs.
 Energy:
Energy efficiency is the key to making your building a finely tuned, lean, green
machine. Start using energy modelling software early in the design process to take
advantage of the sun and wind to heat, light, and cool your building affordably.
Modelling will show how a high performance building envelope and superior
insulation can let you can choose smaller, efficient HVAC systems, lighting, and
appliances. Renewable energy, where feasible, is the ideal next step.
 Waste:
Reduce, reuse, and recycle construction and demolition waste to cut costs and
improve building quality. Design for efficient use of materials and for durability,
avoiding future waste. Then identify goals in a waste management plan and work
them into contract documents. With the right setup, you can recycle over 70 percent
of some waste materials on the construction site, and residents can recycle 100
percent of others in their homes.
 Material:
Green, high quality building materials that minimize or eliminate indoor air quality
concerns, avoid toxics, and greatly reduce waste are now widely available, often from
local manufacturers. Recycled-content and pre-fabricated products reduce material
use, cut costs, and often perform better than traditional alternatives. To set criteria for
purchasing, consult existing guidelines, standards, and certifications. Life cycle
analysis has provided several rules of thumb for different categories of materials.
 Commissioning:
Commissioning is the process of making sure that a building works right. By
systematically evaluating and adjusting building systems to function together as
designed, commissioning optimizes efficiency, health, and comfort. A commissioning
agent--often a third-party architect or engineer--gives advice during the design phase
 and follows through with testing during construction and training of operations and
maintenance staff.

 Indoor Air quality:

Indoor air quality significantly impacts resident health and comfort--essential goals
for any building. Achieving a high quality indoor environment requires careful
design, construction, and materials choices, and thus strong coordination among the
building team. Indoor air quality canters on well-designed ventilation and moisture
control, which goes hand in hand with energy efficiency and building durability.
Ongoing maintenance is important, of course, as is a commitment to finding
alternatives to toxic materials and finishes.
 Community:
Green buildings and developments support strong communities by giving neighbors
places to meet, establishing a sense of place and safety, and creating spaces for
pedestrians and kids, rather than cars. Successful and sustainable designs involve
residents and community members from the planning stage all the way through to
operation and maintenance.
 Marketability:
When architects use day lighting to flood an open floor plan with natural light; when
residents open a window to let in fresh air and look out on thriving trees, green
buildings don't just lower utility bills and keep residents healthy--they inspire.
Distinctive and attractive design gives residents, developers, and neighbours a reason
to take pride in a green development, to care for their homes, their community, and
the environment. These values are the foundation of sustainability. By treating green
design as an art, not just a science, we can elevate economic, aesthetic, community,
and ecological values to serve future generations.
Advantages of green building
i. reduction of emissions released by fossil fuel’s
ii. conservation of water created by introduced by methods of rain water and grey water
harvesting
iii. waste reduction through recycling and reusing waste material reduces initial cost of a
building
iv. reservation of natural environment
v. low utility bills
Disadvantages of green building
i. they is additional cost incurred due to the increase in the quality of construction
methods and material used
ii. Eco -friendly, building materials are often difficult to find which can lead to prices
being higher than standard building materials.
iii. Green building projects encourage the use of recycled material and trying to source
these can add to the time to complete certain stage of the build that the contractor and
client haven’t allowed for the project.
iv. The fact that in recent years houses have become airtight, which has added to the
problem of indoor air quality.
Green buildings may incorporate sustainable materials in their construction for example
reused, recycled content, or made from renewable resources. It creates healthy indoor
environments with minimal pollutants for example reduced product emissions. Creates also
feature landscaping that reduce water usage for example by using native plants that survive
without extra watering
Strategies that can be used to promote Green city concept in relation to water usage: -
a) Rain Water Harvesting
b) Grey Water Recycling and Reuse
c) Cooling Towers

A. Rain water harvesting

It is the collection and distribution of rainwater for using in daily life, rather than
allowing it to run off. Rainwater is generally accumulated from roof tops. Then it is
deposited in a reservoir with percolation. It is used for gardening, cultivation and
domestic uses. The +harvested water can also be used as ground water recharge.
A basic system for the harvesting of rainwater consists of three stages:
1. Collection Stage
When raining in a catchment area, rainwater is collected in a container on roofs,
pavement or the soil surface. Collected water is then channelled all around the
 edge of a sloping roof to be collect and transported to the storage tanks for
example JOJO tanks.
2. Distribution Stage
Pipelines are the backbone of the distribution system in rain water harvesting.
They carry rainwater from the catchment or rooftop area to the harvesting system.
They can be semi-circular or rectangular and are made using galvanized iron sheet
(20 to 22 gauge), PVC, Bamboo.
Table 1. Diameter of pipe required according to average precipitation and area of
the roof
Average rainfall (mm)
50 75 10 125 15 20
0 0 0
Diameter of pipe roof area(sqm)
(mm)
50 13.4 8.9 6.6 5.3 4.4 3.3
65 24.1 16 1 9.5 8 6
75 40.8 27 20. 16.3 13. 10.
4 6 2
100 85.4 57 42. 34.2 28. 21.
7 5 3
125 - - 80. 64.3 53. 40
5 5
150 - - - - 83. 62.
6 7

3. Storage Stage
For simple rain water harvesting, storage tanks are used. The capacity of the
storage tank is based upon several design criteria: - rainfall, the length of dry
season, estimated need
Treated rainwater can solve the demand of household water needs. If rainwater
can be collected and used, it will reduce the cost of distribution.
Figure 1: rain water harvesting

B. Grey Water Recycling and Reuse

Grey water refers to the domestic waste water which is drained out excluding the
waste water from kitchen sink and the water closet as they have high concentration of
organic matters. In order to conserve water this water cannot be just drained out but
should be recycled and reused. The benefit of using recycled grey water is that it is a
large source with low concentration of organic matter. The bathroom grey water
consists of waste water from showers, bathtubs and washes basins. It has a very low
concentration of organic matter. The other sources of grey water are from washing of
clothes, car washing.
It is essential that water can therefore be recycled around the house. This can be
achieved by installing grey water and rain water harvesting systems which will reuse
water for tasks like watering plants or toilet flushing. Incorporating water efficient
appliances in kitchens and bathrooms such as low flow showerheads, self-closing or
spray taps, low flush toilets, or water less composting toilets, will all aid in reducing
the amount of water required for the day to day running of the house.
Low flow showerheads uses 50% less water than a regular free flow shower head in
that it has small opening which allow flow of water.

Figure 2: low flow shower heads

 Self-closing or spray taps this are taps that detects the presence of anything placed
underneath.

Figure 3: self-closing spray and tap

Low flush toilet it uses less amount of water than a full flash toilet of about 4.8litres.

Figure 4: low flush toilet

Waterless composting toilet is a type of toilet that treats human waste by a biological
process called composting. This process leads to decomposition of organic matter and
turns human waste into compost. It is carried out by microorganisms under controlled
aerobic conditions
 Figure 5: waterless composite toilets
The grey water from all these sources are collected and then treated to make them
safe for non- potable use. These treatments include passing the grey water through
sand filters or by using natural coagulating agents or by electro coagulation
techniques. It has been found that using recycled grey water can support the quantity
of water required for water closets, car washing and garden watering.
Also we can make use of no water urinals (bowl urinal) which does not allow
continual flow of water and making use of water cisterns with a wash basin attached
to the cistern therefore water used will be transferred to the cistern therefore reducing
water losses

Figure 6: bowl type and water closet

C. Cooling Towers
Green buildings use evaporative cooling systems to save energy. These systems use
water for cooling. Keeping in mind the need for conservation of water, the water used
in these cooling systems is non-potable water. The circulated water is not drained out
but is recycled again used in cooling towers. Using cooling towers which recycle
almost 95% of the total water are recommended.
Water efficiency refers to the decrease in the usage of water as well as decrease in the
wastage of water. Wastage of water or its extra usage leads to drawing out of more water
from the fresh water resources, resulting in their depletion. Thus, water efficient technologies
have been developed to conserve potable as well as non-potable water and to ultimately save
the already limited fresh water resources.

Storm water Management

You can reduce the storm water runoff the plagues Bulawayo area, rivers and streams. Good
landscaping techniques, pavement modifications, and storage and treatment systems will
allow rain to soak into the ground instead of running straight to a sewer. Reducing the
volume of water entering the combined overflow sewer system by just 10 to 20 percent could
have a significant impact on the cost of cleaning up the Anacostia River.

 Enhance streams and wetlands on your development site and let the existing
topography channel storm water to these natural water filters. Plant trees and create
vegetated swales, perhaps filled with beautiful irises, to soak up rainwater and
intercept runoff streams. Protect these resources and prevent erosion during
construction.

 Shrink impermeable surfaces by designing an efficient development footprint that will

also save on construction and energy costs. Efficient parking design can make a big
difference, and underground parking has other benefits.

 Use permeable pavement in low use areas such as shoulders, parking lots, patios, and
walkways.

 Consider a green roof, an attractive addition that protects your building as it soaks up
rainfall, saves energy, and lasts longer than a traditional roof.

 Onsite storm water retention. If runoff during hard rains has nowhere to go--employ a
storm water consultant to model flows--install rain barrels or channel water to cisterns
or a retention basin to hold water onsite. You can use the water for irrigation or allow
it to slowly drain after peak flow.
  Limit pollutants. Treatment systems such as oil/grit and oil/water separators can filter
out pollutants that get swept into streams during storms. Landscaping without
pesticides and fertilizers improves water quality and cuts costs.

Water in the green economy focuses on the socio-economic opportunities that proper water
management provides to social and economic development, whilst also safeguarding
freshwater ecosystems. In green economies, the role of water in both maintaining biodiversity
and ecosystem services and in providing water is recognised, valued and paid for. [ CITATION
Ban15 \l 12297 ]

Question 2
a) A room measuring 15x7x3m is to have a ventilation rate of 11 air changes/hr.
Air enters from a duct at a velocity of 8,5m/s. Find the dimensions of the square
duct. [12]

The air flow rate is given by:

N air changes Vm3 1h

δ= × ×
hour air change 3600 s
 Where room volume V m³ = 1 air change. Hence

NV
δ= m/s
3600

11×15 ×7 ×3 3
δ= m /s
3600

¿ 0.9625 m 3 /s

Also,

δ m3 / s=duct cross sectional area ¿

Therefore:
δ 0.9625 2
A= = m =0.11323529
v 8.5

If the duct side is l m, then A = l²m². Therefore:

l= √ A m

l= √0.11323529 m

l=33650452m

l=0.337 m

b) Calculate the gradient required for a 350mm diameter surface water sewer
when flowing half full bore at a velocity of 0.8m/s [13]

V =C √ mi
 where C=Chezy constant
V=velocity of flow in m/s
m=hydraulic mean depth
i=inclination or fall

Chezy constant = 55 (from calculations)

Wetted area
hydraulic meandepth (m)=
Wetted perimeter

For half or full bore discharge, the hydraulic mean depth is = D/4 (also from the calculations)

therefore,
V =C √ mi

D 1
V =C
√ ×
4 L

C 2
L=⌊ ⌋ ×m
V
but hydraulic mean = D/4

55 2 0.350
L=⌊ ⌋ ×⌊ ⌋
0.8 4

L=4726.5625× 0.0875

L=413.574219

L=414

Gradient=1∈414

Question 3
A flat roof for a classroom measuring 52x28m is to be drained by rectangular gutters
down each long side. Each gutter is to be provided with an outlet at each end. If rainfall
intensity of 65mm/hr, and gutter width of 100mm is to be used, calculate the cross
sectional size of gutter and the diameter of the rainwater pipe required [25]

Effective catchment area of roof

 A=52 x 28 = 1456

Design flow
load (Q)

= Area of roof x rainfall intensity

3600

1456 ×65
Q=
3600

=26.288889

Rainfall received by each outlet = Rainfall runoff ÷ Outlets

26.288889
¿
4

¿ 6.572222

Q=3.48 × 10−5 ( A z )1.25 ( A z ) is the cross sectional area of gutter

, where

−5 1.25 1.25
Q=3.48 × 10 (100 ) ×D

Q
−5 1.25
=D 1.25
3.48× 10 ( 100 )

Q
D=1.25
√ 3.48 × 10−5 (100 )
1.25

6.572222
D=
√
1.25

0.011004726

D=1.25√ 597.2181406
 D=166.305416

Cross sectional Area=166.305mm × 100

Diameter of down pipe

Q=2.5× 10−4 × k−0.167 ×d 2.667 × f 1.667

where Q = capacity of water = 6.572222

d= internal diameter of down pipe
k = pipe roughness factor = 0.25
f = filling degree of rain water
pipe cross sectional filled with water we use (0.33) as f

Q=2.5× 10−5 ×k 0.167 ×d 2.667 × f 1.667

Q
d 2.667= , where Q=6.572222
2.5 ×10 ×k −0.167 × f 1.667
−4

d= 2.667√ 132.3945932

d=83.26476984 mm

d=83 mm

Therefore Diameter=83 mm
References

1. Kahn, M. E. (2006). GREEN CITIES. Retrieved from

https://books.google.co.zw/books/about/Green_Cities.html?
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epage&q&f=false
2. Ki-moon, B. (2015). UN WATER. Retrieved from United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs:
https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/green_economy.shtml
3. Marian. (2015). WAGENINGEN. Retrieved from Green in the city:
https://www.wur.nl/en/Dossiers/file/Greenery-in-the-city.htm
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5. Zaid, a. (2017, May 10). WHAT IS A GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE CITY? Retrieved
from Slideshare: https://www.slideshare.net/ah16/green-city-75843883
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Efficiency in Green Buildings”, New York University School of Law, Columbia
University, 2007, pp.114-117.

7. Pidou,M., Memon, F.A., Stephenson,T., Jefferson,B., Jeffrey,P., “Greywater

recycling: A review of treatment options and applications”, Engineering Sustainability

8. Procurement and process design by Peter Boswell and Lorna Walker

i. Nelson, P.A., “Measuring from the High Watermark: Defining Baselines for Water
Efficiency in Green Buildings”, New York University School of Law, Columbia
University, 2007, pp.114-117.
ii. Moghadam, B.Z., “Introducing Water Efficiency of U.S. Green Building Council’s
LEED Program to the freshmen of the Technology College”, Architecture and
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iii. BUILDING SERVICES HANDBOOK Fourth edition By Fred Hall and Roger
Greeno