Baywest City boasts first green commercial building

Phase One of the R6bn Baywest City development includes 2,000 residential opportunities, office and commercial space, light industry, a private school and hospital, and a hotel.

The building, which is due to open towards the end of 2016, is the first green rated commercial office block for the Eastern Cape.

According to Baywest City MD, Gavin Blows, the green office block was the first of many more to come for the precinct. Developers are focused on positioning the development as eco-friendly, having set aside 20% of the 320ha Baywest City site for the protection of rare and indigenous fauna and flora.

Ideally located

"There is immense interest in developments of this calibre," said Blows. "Port Elizabeth has nowhere else to grow but into the western suburbs, which is why Baywest City is ideally located for the future of the city."

A landmark deal between Baywest and Vodacom has seen the installation of the country's largest green-fields fibre-optic network, securing the Baywest City's future as an interconnected 'smart city', said Blows. Baywest has laid the fibre-optic infrastructure, which Vodacom will use to supply high-speed data.

The new office block would boast a modern façade, with fluid, clean lines and off-shutter concrete. An aluminium façade would mimic the outline of the Port Elizabeth coastline.

Edward Brooks, director of Activate architects, said the demand for green rated buildings had grown globally.

High end tenants

"These sorts of developments are generally more pleasant to work in, and tend to attract higher end tenants. Demand has grown among the high business user category," said Brooks. "It might come with a greater capital outlay of between five and 20%, but one needs to look at the landscape of electricity scarcity and the energy savings the building will make over time."

The office block would boast a 40KW roof mounted solar photovoltaic system, a rainwater harvesting system, and highly insulated walls, roofing and flooring to maintain a moderate internal temperature in spite of fluctuating external temperatures.

The solar system would provide 15% of the building's energy requirements. Also, as a requirement for the green rating, basement parking would give preference to bicycles, motorcycles and energy-efficient hybrid vehicles. An indigenous landscaped garden around the building would be maintained using the harvested rainwater, said Brooks.