Official sod turning ceremony for Gautrain Midrand offices

The 7000sqm development, directly opposite the Gautrain Midrand station, will ultimately form part of the Grand Central Office Park, with Growthpoint's neighbouring building tenanted by Sanofi. Gautrain will occupy 2500sqm of offices in the stylish new multitenant building. The road upgrades in the area provide an easily accessible location. The entrance to the property is on Diagonal Street, just off the main K101 arterial.

Growthpoint Properties has held the rights to develop on this land for several years. Rudolf Pienaar, its divisional director explains, "We waited for the right time and the right tenant to allow us to develop a quality property asset and further our green building drive."

The new building is designed to Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) 4-Star Green Star rating specifications and the developers intend to verify this rating with the GBCSA, the country's official green building authority. The company has already achieved two 4-Star Green Star certifications for recent office developments.

Its strong push towards energy-efficient buildings and sustainable development means it is emerging as South Africa's innovator in green offices. This also counted favourably when winning the tender for the Gautrain Midrand offices.

"Our commitment to sustainability shows in the growing number of innovative new, green-building projects we are developing," says Pienaar. Besides the Midrand offices, it has several other green developments in the pipeline, including projects in Sandhurst and Rosebank, Johannesburg.

"We're building new offices that strive to achieve a balance between aesthetics, functionality, flexibility, sustainability, energy efficiency and provide the best experience for users," he concludes.