The development is a partnership between Abland Property Developers, Barloworld Automotive, Tadvest Commercial SA and Namib Gate Investments. Covering 15 floors in total, the building houses Toyota’s newest flagship dealership at ground and first floor level with 12,000sqm of premium A-grade office space above. The building was designed by Boogertmen + Partners Pretoria, and Solid Green undertook the sustainable building review and Green Star certification.

Photo credited to Abland Property Developers.

Located on Corobay Avenue in the heart of Pretoria, the 12,000sqm office development will offer Menlyn Central’s users access to a range of local amenities such as top retail shops, hotels, conference facilities, health clubs and a variety of value-added services. And recent infrastructure upgrades mean that the site is easily accessible from the N1 freeway via the Atterbury and Garsfontein off-ramps.

Both the Gautrain and public bus services pass by the Menlyn Central site and, with its proximity to local amenities, the overall number of automobile trips taken by building users is expected to be reduced. In addition, 3-phase electric car charging stations have been installed on all Office parking levels.

Photo credited to Abland Property Developers.

The building is equipped with modern security systems, lower energy consumption features, and interiors that were designed to facilitate greater productivity and flexibility. Energy and water sub-metering have been employed to enable the building to be effectively managed and to facilitate the outcomes of the various sustainable initiatives that have been implemented. The meters are connected to a system which presents live data on a visual display in the reception area of the building.

With South Africa’s continued reliance on fossil fuel (coal) for energy production, energy efficiency is a key factor in reducing the development’s contribution to carbon emissions. Accordingly, an energy efficient 4-pipe chilled water system was specified to condition the air in the building. This is coupled with a thermal energy storage system. The combined effect results in an energy efficient building that also has a significantly reduced peak energy demand during the day. In addition, 100% of lighting installed in the building is LED, and all lights within the offices have motion sensors.

Occupants’ comfort and enjoyment of their surroundings is significantly increased by incorporating natural light and views, and the building’s floor plates were designed to optimise both daylighting and views to the outside, with all vision glazing equipped with manually operated blinds as part of the base build.

Photo credited to Abland Property Developers.

Avoiding materials and chemicals that create harmful or toxic emissions is essential in promoting the health and wellbeing of users. Accordingly, only paints, adhesives, sealants and carpets with low VOC emissions have been specified.

Menlyn Central is located in semi-arid Gauteng, and water efficiency was an important consideration. Low flow/flush water closets, urinals and faucet fixtures have been selected to ensure potable water usage is minimised; and, over and above normal water metering, flow sensors will be installed on all sanitary ware to detect water leaks from taps and flush mechanisms.

The building also boasts a condensate collection system which allows air-conditioning condensate to be collected and re-used. Furthermore, the Dealership’s major water usage, its Basement Carwash system, recycles up to 75% of its water in order to attain efficient water usage.

As the newest addition to Menlyn Maine and surrounds, Menlyn Central is contributing to the high-performance ethos of its urban precinct, and is helping to further embed sustainability as ‘business-as-usual’ in the South African commercial real estate sector.

More info and sustainable building features can be found on the Menlyn Central project page.

Project Team

OWNER: Abland (Pty) Ltd obo Menlyn Maine Towers (Pty) Ltd
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: CKR
QUANTITY SURVEYORS: Quanticost
ARCHITECTS: Boogertman and Partners
FIRE ENGINEER: Ronnie Koekemoer
MECHANICAL ENGINEER: C3 Engineers
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING CONSULTANT: Solid Green Consulting
WET SERVICES: GK Pereira Consulting
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: DG Consulting
PROJECT MANAGER: Abland (Pty) Ltd
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN REVIEW: Solid Green Consulting
MAIN CONTRACTOR: WBHO Construction

Photo credited to Abland Property Developers.