Experience:

Sasakwa Lodge
Sasakwa Lodge, in Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserve, is a small luxury hotel serving the high net worth individual market. The Lodge was only recently connected to the local energy grid, which is unreliable and extremely costly. As a result, the Lodge is still dependent on several diesel generators for electricity, which are also very expensive to operate. To address these issues, Singita Grumeti Reserves asked Terrapin to conduct an on-site facility and systems review and identify opportunities to lower Sasakwa Lodge’s energy costs. Our recommendations included improving system efficiency, harnessing waste heat, shifting thermal loads to solar water heaters to reduce electricity consumed, and potentially utilizing photovoltaics for partial on-site power generation.

These strategies are intended to lower operating costs and environmental impacts without affecting the guest experience. Since profits from the Lodge are used to support the Grumeti Reserve, environmental efficiency measures that lower operating costs compound to benefit both the environment and wildlife conservation. An impressive number of social sustainability programs are already in place at the Lodge, such as school construction in local communities, local hiring and job training, and organic vegetable production in nearby villages. Detailed Terrapin Case Studies are available in the Workroom, our private extranet full of detailed information and resources to help you make an informed decision.

Photo by Bill Browning

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On-site facility and systems review; Energy cost reduction strategies

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Terrapin featured in Green Community

Terrapin has contributed an essay on Energy and Communities for the American Planning Association’s upcoming book, Green Community. Based on the National Building Museum's Green Community exhibition (www.nbm.org), these collected essays illuminate connections among personal health, community health, and our planet's health.

Click here for pre-order information.

Biophilic Design wins American Publishers Award

Bill Browning and Bob Fox are among the authors of a new book, Biophilic Design: The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life edited by Yale professor Stephen Kellert and winner of the 2008 American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence in the Architecture and Urban Planning category.

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