Business offerings enriched by their green innovations
Many of Rabie’s buildings have been certified, with others following suit
THE move towards going green in the commercial property sector is gaining momentum. Since 2009, the total number of green-building projects certified by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has increased by 121 percent, with aspects such as energy, water, waste management, transport, emissions and indoor environment quality all taken into account.
Banks, listed property funds, developers and certain government departments seem to be leading the charge. Nedbank was the first, in 2009, with the launch of its Sandton head office extension, and FNB, ABSA and Standard Bank following suit.
Growthpoint and Redefine have both stated that all their new buildings will conform to GBCSA’s minimum Green Star SA rating, with Attacq and Tower also striving to
are differentiate themselves in terms of being green.
Rabie has had many of its Century City buildings certified green, and key government departments are following suit, including the departments of Environmental Affairs and Public Works, the Western Cape government, the City of Cape Town and eThekwini Municipality.
Anthony Manas, chief executive for Cube Workspace, a premium advertising agency-styled serviced office space for business and entrepreneurs in South Africa, is enthusiastically pro-green. “In May this year, we launched our fourth serviced office space building in two years,” he says, referring to what was previously a private home that he renovated into a stunning R40 million serviced office space facility in Bryanston.
“Each property is designed and furnished with some practical, easyto-apply green thinking, with roofs solar-panelled, insulation in the concrete, LED lighting throughout, gas cooking in the communal cafédining space, recycled materials for the tables, chairs, desks and carpets, and chemical-free paint on the walls.”
Manas points out that some green measures are easy and quick to implement at both design and building stages. Photovoltaic (PV) panels can be used for solar power; LED lights and light-switch timers can be installed; insulation can be incorporated into floor slabs and roofs; and double glazing can be used for windows. Recycled material should be considered for furniture and finishes such as carpets.
He adds that a business’s choice of suppliers can aid an organisation in becoming more environmentally friendly. Cube Workspace recently appointed a bottle-recycling company to provide branded bottled water throughout their properties. “The beauty of a supplier like Bottleworx is that not only do they use the PET manufacturing process, which is inert and BPA-free, but the upcycled product is used to build classrooms, clinics and houses in previously disadvantaged communities,” says Manas.
With no fewer than 100 initiatives designed by the GBCSA to score “green” in their Green Star SA rating tool for new buildings, businesses in South Africa are not only waking up the social prerogative, but also seeing the better investment return that green buildings can hold for their owners.
“Future-proofing your assets, but also mitigating the onslaught of increased utility costs through energy, water and waste savings, is an imperative,” says Manfred Braune, of GBCSA.
In August, the Investment Property Bank, along with GBCSA, released the South Africa Annual Green Property Indicators 2014, which indicate that energy-efficient buildings held a greater net income growth and capital value per square metre, with higher occupancy levels, compared to their less energyefficient counterparts.
Aside from the investment merits that an environmentally friendly building offers, Braune says that they can improve the well-being of their people too. Issues such as recirculated air, dust, mould, poor lighting and the use of materials with toxic chemicals can all contribute to poor health.