‘We had no control over Agrivaal material sourcing’

ASKED about the Agrivaal building, Department of Public Works Director-General Mziwonke Dlabantu commented: “At this stage, while we cannot comment about all the specifics of the Agrivaal building . . . we wish to clarify a few aspects.

“The Agrivaal project was awarded to the construction company through an open tender process. Once the project commences, the department does not have full control of the sourcing of material and the specifications that are used.

“But it should be clear that, as a department, we support and prefer that the materials utilised in our projects be sourced and manufactured locally.

“The choice of materials depended on green design considerations in order to attain the four-star green rating of the Green Building Council of South Africa. Materials not manufactured according to green principles could not be considered for inclusion as such would jeopardise the four-star green rating of the building.

“The total construction cost of the entire development amounts to R615.9-million, which is comparable to similar projects of this stature, considering that the refurbishment of the existing building with significant heritage elements is included.

“The Agrivaal building has made provision for 5% of the parking bays to be reserved for fuel-efficient vehicles.

“These bays will be formally allocated to people who drive petrol/electric hybrid cars and who engage in a formalised car-sharing scheme or who drive other forms of fuelefficient transport.

“At the moment there are no plans for these bays to be equipped with electrical charging points.

“As a part of the green building design criteria, it is critical to provide an indoor environment that is healthy and comfortable for the staff occupying the building.

“[The rooftop gardens] naturally form an insulating barrier to the building below, ensuring that the building remains cooler and not working the airconditioning system as much. In addition they limit storm water run-off, reducing the peak storm water impact on infrastructure.

“The department is in the process of establishing a pricing and benchmarking review committee as part of the department’s turnaround strategy. The main objective of the committee will be to review projects prior to award to ensure that costs are within acceptable norms and standards.”

This is an edited statement