New multimillion rand office block with green rating for Port Elizabeth

GROUND has been broken for the construction of a new multimillion rand office block within the R6 billion Baywest City precinct in Port Elizabeth’s western suburbs, which would be the first four-star green-rated commercial office building in the Eastern Cape.

Gavin Blows, the managing director of Baywest City, said the building signalled the rollout of the greater Baywest City and follows the opening in May of the project’s catalyst, the R1.7bn Baywest Mall. The 8 800m² office block is scheduled to open towards the end of next year.

The first phase of the Baywest City development includes 2 000 residential opportunities, office and commercial space, light industry, a private school, a hospital and a hotel.

Baywest City is to be developed over the next 15 to 20 years and comprise residential, commercial, light industry and retail space. It is modelled on the same concept as Gateway in Durban and Century City in Cape Town.

The Baywest development is a joint venture between two major local developers, Abacus Asset Management and Billion Group.

Blows said development was commencing on the office block project as the second phase of the R300 million Baywest road network was about to wrap with a road linking Port Elizabeth’s Walker Drive with Cape Road via a new bridge over the N2.

He said the second phase of the road network would be opening next month, further unlocking the economic growth potential in the western suburbs.

Edward Brooks, a director of architects Activate, said the demand for green rated buildings had grown globally.

“These sorts of developments are generally more pleasant to work in and tend to attract higher end tenants. Demand has grown among the high business user category.

“It might come with a greater capital outlay of between 5 percent and 20 percent, but one needs to look at the landscape of electricity scarcity and the energy savings the building would make over time,” he said.

Brooks said the office block would boast a 40 kilowatt roof mounted solar photovoltaic sys- tem, a rainwater harvesting system and highly insulated walls, roofing and flooring to maintain a moderate internal temperature in spite of fluctuating external temperatures.

He said the solar system would provide 15 percent of the building’s energy requirements.

As a requirement for the green rating, basement parking would give preference to bicycles, motorcycles and energy-efficient hybrid vehicles.