Prospects for Sustainable Construction Practices in Tanzania Paper

Prospects for Sustainable Construction Practices in Tanzania Paper Presented at European Real Estate Society Conference 24 – 27 June, 2009, Stockholm Moses Mpogole Kusiluka & Sophia Marcian Kongela IRE|BS - International Real Estate Business School, Regensburg University, Universitaetstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany E-mails: kusiluka@gmail. com & kongelasophia@gmail. com

Tanzania

Sustainability issues l Alarming environmental degradation o Deforestation, poor control of urban land uses and development, air pollution etc. l Acute shortage of electricity and piped water o Only 10% of the population has access to electricity and only 73% of urban population has access to clean/piped water % of population with access to electricity

Sustainability issues l Shortage of industrial building materials l Shortage of human & financial resources l Pervasive effects of climate change o Increase in diseases (malaria, asthma, etc. ) o Depletion of ice cap on Kilimanjaro Mountain

Opportunities for sustainability Abundant sources of renewable energy o Solar energy - Being in a solar belt, solar energy potential is very high. Tanzania receives between 2800 - 3500 hours of sunshine per year and has a global radiation between 4 – 7 k. Wh/m 2 per day, (Kimambo, 2007; TASEA, 2005) o Hydro energy – Potential capacity is 4700 MW vs. the 561 MW already installed (Kaale, 2005) o Wind energy - Many areas have strong and reliable winds which could be harnessed to produce energy (Kainkwa, 2002; Nzali and Mushi, 2006) o Wave and tidal energy - Along 800 km of the Indian Ocean Coast o Geothermal energy - Existing potential of 150 MW (Gawell and Greenberg, 2007)

Opportunities for sustainability l Wind for cooling and solar for day lighting in buildings l Many areas of Tanzania receive high annual rainfall – Average above 1000 mm l Has about 33 million hactares of forests – local source of construction materials l Looked differently, poverty and shortage of resources are also some of the main reasons for adoption of sustainable construction practices in Tanzania Rainfall distribution

Study Question & Objectives Question Objectives Using the case of Dar es Salaam City: l Why, despite the cited problems and opportunities, very limited evidence exits suggesting keenness of key real estate stakeholders in capitalizing on the benefits associated with sustainability practices? To identify main sustainability issues in construction l To assess the level of sustainability awareness amongst key real estate sector stakeholders in Tanzania l To explore reasons for low response in adopting sustainability practices in Tanzania

Methodology l Data was collected using a questionnaire which was administered to 60 key informants Architects (15) Engineers (15) Property managers (15) Property owners (15) l Observations and Interviews were also used as a supplementary methods l Response rate was 65% i. e. 39 respondents i. e. • • Architects (12) Engineers (8) Property managers (10) Property owners (9) A section of Dar es Salaam City

Results Building desings & materials New buildings favour glass o Limit use of cross ventilation – hence use of air conditioners for cooling o o Higher construction costs - use of imported glass o Glass construction: Bo. T Tower & Kempinski Hotel Limit use of natural lighting - hence constant use of electricity High maintenance costs o Contribute to formation of heat islands

Results Acute shortage of energy o o Reported an unreported interuption in supply of electricity is common in Dar es Salaam o Only 59% of the households have access to electricity in Dar es Salaam (Kabaka et al, 2007) o Glass construction: Bo. T Tower All buildings depend on electricity from the public mains (TANESCO) Some buildings had standby generators (diesel) o Electricity and diesel prices are rising

Results Shortage of water o Buildings rely on water from the public mains (DAWASA) o Piped water meets only about 45% of the demand (Mwakapalila, 2007) o Water flow in buildings is not always guranteed due to the rundown water infrastructure o Waste management infrastructure not properly functioning o No attempts to harvest rain water which is abundant i. e. more than 1000 mm annually (NBS, 2007) Water vending

Results Sustainability awareness amongst architects & engineers l Architects and engineers demonstrated awareness, but architects were more focused on sustainable sites and energy efficiency l However, architects and engineers also indicated that awareness amongst practitioners in Tanzania was generally low l They also admitted that even those who are aware do not pay much attention to sustainability in their building designs! Glass construction: Water Front House

Results Sustainability awareness amongst property managers and property owners l Property managers were not conversant with the terminology, but were aware of some aspects of sustainabilty, especially energy, water and environement l Majority of property owners were generally not aware. They relied on their consultants (architects, engineers and property managers) for advice on all technical issues l Buildings owned or rented by foreigners from developed countries had substantial sustainability features – suggesting that their owners/users were sensitive to sustainabilty aspects A section of USA Embassy building

Results Buildings cited to have substantial sustainability features Ubungo Plaza Water Front House Building Name PPF Tower ILO House Bo. T Twin Towers Mbezi Beach ELCT Church St. Peter's Church Architecture Plaza (ARU) Nkrumah Hall (UDSM) USA Embassy Building Umoja House International House 0 A section of Umoja House 5 Frequency (number of respondents) 10

Results Other impediments to sustainability l l l Low education o o o Building users Government officers General public o o Taping energy from alternative sources eg. solar and wind energy Importation of sustainable building materials l High initial costs Inadequate government involvement o o o No policy, legislation Ineffective development control Poor supply of utilities l l Culture and habits o People wanting to use AC and other electric appliances without good reasons o People being attracted to new buildings Unpleasant neighbourhoods o Dusty, noisy and smelly atmosphere discourage the use of natural ventilation Security concerns o Solid walls and fencing deter natural ventilation lighting o Safety of outdoor equipment

Conclusion l Material, energy and water efficiency and sustainable sites are clearly visible sustainability oversights in buildings in Tanzania l Generally there is low sustainability awareness amongst key stakeholders in real estate sector in Tanzania l Even those who are aware (mainly architects and engineers) are still stuck to conventional designs l Buildings owened or used by people from developed countries have more sustainability features l Apart from low awareness, other reasons for low response in adopting sustainability in construction in Tanzania include: high initial costs, inadequate government involvement, culture and old habits, unpleasant neighbourhoods, and security concerns

Thanks!