Green Goal initiative a great success Jun 25, 2010

by Roy Barford

Staff have some outside the Green Goal structure at the FIFA Fan Fest™. Photo provided by City of Cape Town

The Green Goal exhibition at the FIFA Fan Fest™ is a must-visit for anyone who is interested in environmentally-friendly activities, architecture or green housing.

The scaffold structure (pictured) outside the City Hall on Darling Street, features a pine interior and an exterior made up of 1 500 milk crates, which contain 18 000 milk bottles filled with water.

Stephen Lamb of Touching the Earth Lightly said the structure was put together within five days, within a budget of R280 000. “I really want to say a big thank-you to everyone involved in this project,” he said, explaining how teams worked around the clock.

Andre Rademeyer of ST&AR Architects explained that the structure was build with materials sourced within 10km of the FIFA Fan Fest™, to minimise carbon emissions caused by transporting them.

“The concept was to clad a scaffold cube using multicoloured re-usable plastic milk crates filled with empty milk bottles, all tied to the scaffolding frame,” he said in a City of Cape Town media release.

“Low energy lighting behind the crates would illuminate the entire structure at night, turning it into a glowing ‘jewel box’ promoting sustainability. The interior would contrast with the exterior waste world, being clad entirely in timber from trees pruned and felled during the construction of the Cape Town Stadium, fixed with twine to allow later re-use. The interior is lit from above with translucent roof panels and is filled with fragrant Fynbos from the Cape Floral Kingdom. At roof level the organic interior metaphorically ‘grows’ out of the crates in the form of a forest of wooden poles which wave in the breeze, giving the structure a kinetic and sculptural presence.”

He explained that when the structure is dismantled after the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, all the materials will be recycled.

Visit the Green Goal structure at the FIFA Fan Fest™ to learn about what you can do to be more environmentally friendly, and about sustainable development after the tournament.

Green Goal was also the environmental concept for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ held in Germany. The programme aimed to address the environmental impact of hosting the event and offset the associated carbon emissions.

The Green Goal exhibition area is to the right of the stage at the FIFA Fan Fest™ as you face it, behind the bar.

The Green Goal structure. Photo by Roy Barford