Monaghan Farm by Claude Bailey Architecture and Design

4SA Successful Submission
in the AfriSam SAIA Award for Sustainable Architecture 2014.

Monaghan Farm is a leading example in the conscious shift in how we live on the planet. It embraces both social and environmental sustainability as the only option going forward. It is an alternative to traditional residential estates that compromise the environment on which they are usually developed.

Over the past decade or so, the world has experienced a worldwide re-evaluation of environmental priorities through a combination of, among others, global-warming threats, economic destabilisation, a stretching of resources and a resultant frugality. Monaghan Farm is a leading example in the conscious shift in how we inhabit the planet, prioritising social upliftment as well as environmental sustainability as a way of living.
The developer of Monaghan Farm decided to take on the task of developing the land in a way that is breaking the current trend of insatiable property marketing seen in surrounding areas, opting for relative modesty in a world of ostentatious palaces on the hilltops.
Monaghan has put an emphasis on the sustainability of the environment, through the implementation of rainwater harvesting, solar PV panels, indigenous planting and
timber recycling.
Monaghan Farm is a working farm, which strongly emphasises organic agriculture. Thus 10 acres are dedicated to the farming of vegetables, herbs and cut flowers. Organic methods are used in the farming process thus minimising the pollution of the environment and people as a result of farming with chemicals.
The Monaghan farm communities as well as those in surrounding areas are uplifted through gaining meaningful employment on the farm. The residents on the development are also supplied with healthy produce from the farm. The houses on Monaghan Farm challenge conventional building in that they are designed to quietly merge with the environment.