The Firsouth office is targeting an ambitious 6-Star Interiors v1 certification for their refurbished offices and laboratories. The office, with a usable area of 1109,2m², is situated in an industrial zone in Midrand, Johannesburg, near highway access. The building itself is largely glazed, which ensures that most of the interior has access to daylighting and external views.

To deliver on the client’s values and aims, the Tétris design, furniture and project management team had to view the entire project delivery as a sustainable eco-system. The outcome is a workplace filled with light, plants and detailing for productive, comfortable and healthy workspaces. The design team used the hexagonal shape of a chemical molecule as the framework for its design and combined it with the structured geometry of traditional African ShweShwe fabric patterns. Planters, carpet tile designs and wallpapers all reflect this design language and combine well with Firmenich’s global brand standards to create an international look and feel that’s combined with local culture.

Air

The team worked closely with the client to understand the specific requirements for their office and laboratories. Air quality is core to Firmenich achieving a healthy workspace environment. Air flows are managed to ensure that odours remain inside the laboratories and don’t extend beyond these areas. The HVAC system distributes fresh air throughout the space, and CO₂ monitors continually measure air quality to ensure full compliance. Non-critical air conditioners are on timers to reduce unnecessary use of power.

Access to two outdoor balconies and openable windows allow for additional fresh air to enter the building. Interior spaces are shaded by external awnings, which also decreases the need for excessive use of air conditioning and provides visual comfort from glare. Areas are accessed through sealed, no-touch, double doors that are activated by access cards to ensure that each space is thermally controlled.

Cebisa Mafukuzela, sustainable building consultant at Solid Green, adds that the project has included Indoor Air Quality monitoring that focuses on virus management.

Considering the Covid pandemic, Firmenich prioritises the health and safety of employees and has installed a system that ensures indoor air quality remains at a healthy rate.

Water

At the request of the client, the design and project management team was tasked with providing solutions for harvesting rainwater, storing water, sourcing underground water and ensuring efficient water use.

Rainwater is harvested from the roof and parking area and then stored in a 100kL underground concrete water storage tank. This system reduces the reliance on municipally supplied water by approximately 67%. Collected rainwater is pumped to an above ground 5kL tank and then through a reverse osmosis treatment plant to provide potable water to the building. To become even more self-sufficient, a borehole was sunk to access natural underground water. The quality of the water production is consistently tested and measured, thereby ensuring the continuous supply of compliant potable water.

No-touch timed sensor taps are used throughout, which equates to a water saving of 60% in relation to conventional taps. All toilets are Propelair toilets, which use 84% less water in comparison to conventional toilets. In addition, a circular heat pump ensures that hot water is immediately available when taps are opened, thereby reducing water wastage.

Energy

A 75% reduction in municipal power use was achieved through the installation of 110kWp photovoltaic system with battery storage, which ensures continuous productivity despite power outages. Energy consumption and peak demand figures are measured by meters that are connected to the building management system (BMS), which is updated continuously at the polling speed of the BMS controller (live trending). This information is displayed on a screen in the main entrance foyer to allow staff and visitors to see the usage, to share reduction targets and to create awareness. As part of the energy saving strategy, the project has opted to select energy efficient equipment wherever possible to ensure that the operating consumption is as low as possible. All lighting used within the building is energy efficient LED.

Waste

An operational waste management strategy has been put in place to ensure that waste generated throughout the offices is collected, sorted, and recycled where possible. All waste types, including food, plastic, glass, tins, general waste, paper and cardboard, will be collected in recycling bins and transferred to the waste storage area for collection for recycling on a weekly basis.

Amenities

Limited car parking is provided for allocated staff members to encourage the use of alternative transport modes. One electric car station is available on site located near the entrance of the building. Cyclist facilities such as gym showers, lockers and changing facilities are available for employees.

The office is located within on kilometre walking distance of a bus and taxi stop as well as other amenities such as an ATM, convenience store, a restaurant, a place of worship and a retail shop.

For Ashley Sams, Firmenich’s Global Workplace Solutions Workplace Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, the highlight of the project is being able to bring together the improved workplace experience, enhanced offices and laboratories as well as various sustainable initiatives into a single project. He says:

To get the balance of achieving these in an equally successful manner with the various stakeholders involved was a challenge that I’d like to think we successfully navigated.

This inclusive approach, together with a creative yet practical vision, has enabled Firmenich to confidently demonstrate its commitment to user wellbeing and sustainability.

Project Team

Developer: Firmenich
Accredited Professional: Solid Green Consulting
Architect: Tétris
Interior architect: Tétris
Electrical engineer: Presto Electrical
Mechanical engineer: SFGP
Quantity surveyors: Tétris
Sustainable building consultant: Solid Green Consulting
Wet services: Tétris
Project manager: Tétris

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Located on the second floor of an existing mixed-use commercial building on Tyrwhitt Avenue, the 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. The public facilities – a meeting nook and kitchenette – lead onto an outdoor terrace on the southern side which is used as a chill-out and entertainment zone.

Environmental quality

Marloes Reinink, Director at Solid Green, says:

We spend about 90% of our time indoors, either at work in our offices or at home. It is therefore only logical that we should focus more on how these interior spaces can support our healthy living by improving the air quality of our indoor spaces.

Accordingly, a strong emphasis was placed on the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) of the company’s offices in order to support employee well-being and comfort. Full-height windows and glass sliding doors at both entrance and mezzanine level, together with strategically placed window sections, mean that natural lighting and ventilation are optimised. Materials and finishes have been carefully selected for improved thermal and acoustic comfort, and to reduce the occupants’ exposure to pollutants. Jessé Hamman, Sustainable Building Consultant at Solid Green, says, “The main focus was on enhancing the interior features of the space to make it not just function better within the different zones, but also more comfortable for the employees.”

Reinink adds:

There is also a growing recognition of the benefits of including biophilia in our building designs, which centres around the fact that humans have an innate attraction to nature. Connecting with nature reduces stress, enhances creativity and improves well-being. Research suggest that workers in office environments with natural elements report a 15% higher level of well-being; and are 6% more productive, and 15% more creative.

This philosophy is carried throughout the spaces with indoor and outdoor planting: a green wall leads from the entrance into the main workspace; plants are located through the open plan work areas; succulents form sculptural elements along the north-facing balcony overlooking the street; and small-scale urban farming is planned for the open-air terrace. The company’s signature green is also subtly incorporated into various furnishings and fittings, giving the spaces a bright, attractive quality; and the staircase connecting the entrance and mezzanine levels is a lightweight, sinuous vertical element.

For maximum energy efficiency, radiant cooling and energy-efficient equipment (laptops and printers are Energy Star rated) have been specified. 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. Rainwater tanks and water-saving fittings are planned, as well as rainwater harvesting for irrigation of the exterior vegetable garden.

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.

“Solid Insight is like internet banking for your energy,” says Warren Gray, Director at Solid Green. “When users are provided with clear, real-time insight into the workings of their buildings, they are able to pursue sustainability goals as informed and responsible agents.”

Interior furnishings

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; the boardroom tables were bought at an auction; and the boardroom chairs from antique stores. Feature seating (foops) in the meeting nook was made from recycled 2-litre plastic bottles and recycled partitioning material, while the love-seat bean bag was made from upcycled T-shirt materials.

Transport

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

“Solid Green is one of the initiators of the Decongest Sandton movement and so there is a big push for our staff to minimise private car use and explore alternative modes of transport,” Reinink emphasises.

We are currently in the process of setting up an incentive programme for the staff to encourage non-private car use. As our own client, it has been insightful to understand the cost implications of creating a more sustainable space.  We have learned to keep a close eye on what is actually happening on site, and to establish processes to minimise change. We understand that there is always time pressure involved with projects and with interior projects even more so – and we therefore encourage our clients to allow for as much design time as possible.

By achieving such a significant milestone for green interiors in the redevelopment of its own offices, Solid Green has succeeded in demonstrating, once again, its commitment to sustainable building design, practice and innovation.

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