With a total GFA of 13,244sqm, Lakeview Phase II comprises three basement levels and four office levels. Indoor Environmental Quality was an important consideration to ensure occupant wellbeing and productivity, and to reduce absenteeism. Annelide Sherratt, sustainability consultant at Solid Green, says that, as office workers spend over 90% of their lives indoors, exposure to air pollutants can be a far greater consideration indoors than outdoors.

Image credit Abland.

“The HVAC system implemented therefore provides a high proportion of good quality outside air,” she explains.

Smoking inside the building is prohibited; and only interior finishes with low Volatile Organic Compounds have been specified for the fitout. In addition, all gaseous and fire suppression systems and thermal insulants used have an Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) of zero.

An energy model was generated in the design stages of the building to ensure that thermal comfort levels are within the ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 Acceptability Limits for at least 98% of occupied hours. Various energy initiatives were implemented to reduce the overall energy consumption of the building. All individual spaces or enclosed spaces are individually switched with occupancy sensors to offer greater flexibility for light switching; and care was taken to ensure that the office lighting is not over designed, and that artificial lighting with minimal energy consumption was specified.

Image credit Abland.

This reduction in operational energy consumption will ensure that Greenhouse Gas Emissions are minimised during the building’s lifecycle. As data gathering is essential to assessing opportunities for energy savings, sub-metering of major energy consuming systems was implemented.

Sub-metering of major water consuming systems is also in place. The building was designed to reduce the consumption of potable water for the building’s fire protection and essential water storage systems; and occupant water usage was limited to 0.4L/day/m2 thanks to the specification of water efficient fittings.

Image credit Abland.

Project specific Environmental and Waste Management Plans were developed and implemented during the construction phase to establish guidelines that minimise the environmental impact associated with construction activities, and to minimise the contribution of waste going to landfill.

As transparency in terms of perceived Green Building premiums is extremely important to help drive sustainability in the sector, Lakeview Phase II completed the financial transparency criteria to assist the GBCSA with market research and to help create a broader public awareness around the actual cost of Green Buildings.

“Nedbank has once again confirmed its dedication to driving green building in the property sector by committing to both 4-Star Green Star Office V1.1 Design and 5-Star As-Built certifications. This includes operational benefits expected from 45% energy savings compared to an average office building,” Sherratt concludes.

Collaborating with a client and professional team who share a common vision has made the certification process that much easier and has allowed each professional to push for sustainable solutions within their area of expertise, resulting in the significant achievement of the 5-star rating in As-Built.

Project Team

OWNER & CLIENT: Nedbank
DEVELOPER: Abland
ACCREDITED PROFESSIONAL & SUSTAINABLE BUILDING CONSULTANT: Solid Green Consulting
ARCHITECT & WET SERVICES: MWLF Architects
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Claassen Auret
FIRE ENGINEER: IFE SA International Fire Engineering
LIFT SPECIALIST: Quality in Motion
MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Spoormaker & Partners
QUANTITY SURVEYORS: Quanticost
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: WSP
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Tiber
PROJECT MANAGER: Morta Project Management
LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS: Connie Pretorius Landscaping
IRRIGATION CONSULTANT: Controlled Irrigation