Johannesburg eco-village

For the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, we joined forces with the City of Johannesburg EcoCity Initiative to bring some of the ideas from BedZED to a township, Ivory Park.

Working with the community, designs for a terrace of homes and a community centre were developed with Zedfactory and Arup Africa.

By reducing heating demand in winter, energy efficient homes can reduce coal burning which is a cause of respiratory problems in 30% of township children.

Supported by Lafarge South Africa, the buildings created a major Summit attraction. High profile visitors from the UK included Nicky Gavron, London’s Deputy Mayor, David Trimble, Northern Ireland First Minister, and Rhodri Morgan, the Welsh First Minister. We aim with WWF to support further development of eco-housing in South Africa as part of our One Planet Living programme.

Last updated 14th January 2008