Recently, Solid Green announced that its office in Rosebank, Johannesburg, has been awarded LEED Platinum certification for commercial interiors. The project received the first 6-Star Green Star SA Interiors v1 certification earlier this year, and won the Highest Rated Building category at the Green Star SA Leadership Awards in July.

LEED Leadership

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the foremost programme for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and health performance – with projects in all 50 US states and about 160 countries and territories worldwide. The Solid Green Office refurbishment was primarily aimed at improving indoor environmental quality for employees – and was achieved by implementing both Green Star SA and LEED interior principles.

Office layout with natural lighting and ventilation

With more than 10 years’ experience in the sustainable consulting industry for the built environment, Marloes Reinink, founder and director of Solid Green, commented:

We obviously wanted to create a space which is energy and water efficient, but more importantly, a space where our staff can thrive and enjoy what they are doing. Our offices are filled with natural daylight and natural ventilation, and incorporate elements of biophilic design, all critical elements to a healthy indoor environment.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health”, said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC. “The work of innovative building projects such as the Solid Green Office is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.”

Located on the second floor of an existing mixed-use commercial building on Tyrwhitt Avenue, Solid Green’s 180 sqm premises have been designed to accommodate 15 employees in a 120 sqm double-volume studio space, with an additional interlinked 60 sqm workspace and boardroom at mezzanine level, as well as an outdoor terrace which is used as a chill-out and entertainment zone.

Outdoor terrace

As the offices are centrally located in Rosebank, Solid Green‘s employees have easy access to public transport within easy walking distance, including the Gautrain Rosebank Station, taxi rank and bus station. In addition, the company’s senior management has ensured that alternative transport modes are available during office hours, including: an electric car and electric bicycles with charging facilities; car-sharing; and cyclist facilities with a shower.

High-efficiency construction

For maximum energy efficiency, radiant-cooling and energy-efficient equipment have been specified (laptops and printers are Energy Star rated). All light fittings are energy efficient LEDs with occupancy sensors. And a 1.8 kW thinfilm solar PV system has been added to the roof, which takes the office to net zero energy on an annual basis. Water-saving fittings have been installed and rainwater tanks are planned, as well as rainwater harvesting for irrigation of the exterior vegetable garden.

Outdoor vegetable garden

Full-height windows and glass sliding doors at both entrance and mezzanine level, together with strategically placed windows, mean that natural lighting and ventilation are optimised. The indoor environment is further enhanced with indoor planting – a green wall leads from the entrance into the main workspace and plants are located through the open-plan work areas.

Choice of materials

Materials and finishes have been carefully selected for improved thermal and acoustic comfort, and to reduce occupants’ exposure to pollutants. All office furniture is reused or refurbished, with the exception of a few new ergonomic office chairs. Anglo-American donated 20 desks following their own refurbishment while the boardroom tables were bought at an auction and the boardroom chairs from antique stores. The feature seating (foops) in the meeting nook were made from recycled 2-litre plastic bottles and recycled partitioning material, while a love seat bean bag was made from upcycled T-shirt materials.

The meeting nook

Solid Insight

A key feature of the refurbishment was the installation of Solid Green’s own Solid Insight – a software platform that generates accurate live-metering data that can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. By integrating with the office’s smart-metering systems, the application enables automated billing for energy and water consumption, while environmental reporting is also handled automatically.

With its prestigious LEED Platinum certification, Solid Green has succeeded in reinforcing its green building sector leadership in sustainable design, practice and innovation.