Group Five building receives two Green Star ratings

© artqu – 123RF.com

The building, located at the Waterfall Estate in Midrand and developed by ATTACQ, received the award in recognition of the environmental sustainability of the building. The project came about after Group Five made the strategic decision to consolidate all its offices into a new head office and approached WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff in Africa to be their sustainable design and building consultants.

"As the sustainable design consultants for this project we were involved with, and oversaw, all crucial elements of the project related to the sustainability of the building. From the schematic design stage, right through the construction phase, to the comprehensive reporting and handover, we helped Group Five to ensure that the building reflects the company's commitment to environmental sustainability," says Alison Groves, sustainability consultant at WSP|Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Construction of Group Five's new 24,000m2 head office started in October 2012. The building was awarded a 5 Star Green Star SA Design certification in 2013 under the GBCSA's Office v1 Rating Tool. Once construction was completed a comprehensive assessment was undertaken, and in February this year the building was then awarded a 5 Star Green Star As Built Certification under the Office v1 Rating Tool of the GBCSA.

Healthy environment

The primary role of a sustainable building is to provide a comfortable and healthy environment for the occupants of and visitors to the building. To that end the building has been designed to achieve a minimum 150% improvement on required fresh air rates and to ensure good quality air for all office usable areas. In addition, CO2 sensors provide constant air quality readings to the building management system (BMS) which will automatically adjust fresh air rates should CO2 levels rise.

Additionally, the building has been designed to combat daylight glare, while 80% of the office's usable areas have access to an outside view. Internal air quality is preserved by the use of low volatile organic compounds paints, carpets and sealants, and dedicated tenant exhaust risers extract printer fumes at the source, reducing the build-up of harmful indoor pollutants.

"It is important that energy savings are achieved without inconveniencing building users or relying on individuals to take responsibility for energy saving. Occupancy sensors are one example of how automation can realise significant energy savings in a building. Energy meters are extensively used to monitor energy use and identify unusual or excessive consumption.

"This is an important mechanism to manage the building, and optimise operating schedules. Group Five also took the decision to install ammonia chillers which operate at higher levels of efficiency to conventional chillers. Additionally, a thermal storage system has been provided to reduce peak energy demand on the national power grid," says Groves.