Cape Town will soon be home to a luxury eco-friendly village with no cars and sustainable technologies. Being home to an R14bn ($900 million) green village, is thought to be the first development of its kind in SA and on the continent.
Swisatec, a Cape Town-based architectural and project management firm, will spearhead the project in Somerset West, which is nestled among some of the Western Cape’s trendiest wine farms.
The project will constitute an upgrade of the popular Blue Rock Resort, where construction is expected to start in August.
The Blue Rock Village will become one of the biggest mixed-use developments in Cape Town.
The plan for the mixed-use village constitutes 1,000 apartments, medical centres, spas, boutiques, schools and restaurants.
Cars will be limited to a main road or confined to underground parking lots. Energy efficiency will be a top priority, both through renewable energy sources and established technologies such as LED lights and water management systems.
The vision of Blue Rock Village is to let people enjoy the magnificent beauty and natural surroundings and with car-free living, it is possible for the tourists to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.
A report by environmental organization Groundwork found that the average temperature in South Africa would rise by anything between 6 and 12°C by the end of this century. This also explained how water stressed the country is currently and examines the ongoing power crisis.
But Cape Town has set a target to generate 10 — 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 and is inspiring its residents to use their own renewable energy.
