Breaking ground, Newinbosch Neighbourhood Estate in Stellenbosch is the highest-rated sustainable precinct, having achieved both 6-Star Green Star and EDGE ratings. 

As part of a new mixed-use neighbourhood, on the northern outskirts of Stellenbosch Municipality in the Western Cape, Newinbosch falls within the planned expansion zones to the north along the Adam Tas Corridor. 

At initial certification it consisted of 1 331 residential units of mixed typologies including apartment units, simplexes, courtyard homes, townhouses and homesteads. The broader development area will see the construction of a church, shopping centre, preschool, primary and high school and lifestyle precinct to service the community. 

Newinbosch is a new mixed-use neighbourhood, on the northern outskirts of Stellenbosch Municipality in the Western Cape.

Newinbosch community 

Located on the R304, just three kilometres from the heart of Stellenbosch, Newinbosch’s core focus was on liveability, health and fostering community through an active community life. 

It has well-integrated, non-motorised and pedestrian-prioritised transit routes. These connect residents with its biodiversity routes, green avenues, parks and a sports and leisure hub, called the Grappa Shed and Yard. 

The Grappa Shed, is the flagship lifestyle centre, which has a 5-Star Green Star rating.

High-tech vs historic 

Taking the notion of sustainable transportation and innovation seriously, remote working opportunities are facilitated by site-wide fibre to the home. Most homes are designed to promote remote working with dedicated, street-facing office pods. 

The sense of place was enhanced through the implementation of three heritage interpretation strategies – the retention of historical names, a farmhouse renovation, and an urban form that was consistent with the peri-urban transitional landscape from urban to rural. 

Empowering development 

During construction, school leavers and the unemployed are supported in finding gainful employment through a trade-school partnership with Tjeka. This in-service training takes learners through NQF levels 1-5, imparting blended theory and practical skills. 

Resource management 

All buildings sport efficient sanware fixtures and state-of-the-art monitoring software to detect water leakages where and when they happen. Approximately 40% of the landscaping irrigation water is supplemented by stored rainwater and greywater collected from the apartment blocks. 

The development is equipped with enough grid-tied PV and battery banks to ensure that it is resilient with a full load up to loadshedding Stage 3 and curtailed from Stage 4 onwards. About 65% of the neighbourhood’s energy will come from renewable sources. 

About 65% of the neighbourhood’s energy will come from renewable sources.

Aiming for zero 

To reduce the embodied carbon of materials, the buildings included hollow core slabs and cast slabs were carefully designed to reduce the requirement for steel rebar. The structural rebar is also manufactured predominantly from recycled steel, and Portland cement was reduced with the use of recycled fly-ash. 

A site-wide operational waste management plan was developed. Each house was issued with bins for the separation of waste at the source. On-site composting facilities will turn wet waste into organic fertiliser. 

Climate-proof 

Climate change was modelled for likely and severe impacts. Several strategies to mitigate these effects were then implemented. This included water-sensitive urban design with several key benefits including heat-wave resilience through soil cooling, groundwater retention and recharge. 

Stakeholder engagement was held with local disaster responders to refine a response plan should a severe weather event occur. Cooling and biodiversity were enhanced through the introduction of Southern Afrotemperate pocket forests, and Swartland Shale Renosterveld plants. 

A biodiversity management plan will include annual monitoring activities to measure the outcomes of these interventions. 

1 Newinbosch Boulevard, Newinbosch, Stellenbosch is the first 6-Star Green Star – Sustainable Precincts v1.1

Facilities management 

Governance was an important consideration in the establishment of the development. The homeowners association and sub-committees will be prominent partners steering the management of the facilities, including the hosting of events to meet changing community needs over time. 

Certification points 

At the initial certification, Newinbosch targeted and achieved seven innovation points. Three are for exceeding benchmarks in the provision of incentives for sustainability, renewable energy provision and peak energy. 

It was further recognised and rewarded for market transformation through a new credit in biodiversity connectivity, and responding to innovation challenges in financial transparency, water leak detection to public space and a strategy for promoting remote working. 

Project type: Design 

Area: 334 360m2 

Total points: 77 

Owner: Cloetesdal Developments 

Accredited professional: Ecolution Consulting 

Sustainability consultant: Ecolution Consulting 

Environmental consultant: Guillaume Nel 

Heritage consultant: Lize Malan 

Urban design/ architect: Osmond-Langee 

Main contractor/sponsor: Raubex 

Developer/ sponsor: Similan 

Town planner: TV3 

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to https://www.gbcsa.org.za/ for the information in this article. For more information visit https://newinbosch.co.za/.