Construction of the R60 million green building at Route 21 Corporate Park in Pretoria is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.

Situated on the border of Centurion and Pretoria East, the 4 200 square metre property is being developed by Giflo Investments. The developer is said to be taking a 20 to 30 year view on the investment

The R60 million building was designed by renowned architects Boogertman and Partners from the outset to be a green building.(artist impression)

According to Org Geldenhuys, managing director of Abacus Divisions, it seems the go green trend in the property market is on the increase.

Geldenhuys says the green building movement is gaining in popularity but could be potentially hamstrung going forward due to the fact that additional upfront costs often need to be factored in.

He explains that green buildings or upgrading existing buildings is the way to go although the costs associated with going green may often be a hindrance.

“The owner of the R60 million green building at Route 21 is prepared to take a 20 to 30 year view of his investment.”

He says the new building will be developed with a long list of green features.

These include variable refrigerant volume (VRV) air conditioner units that reduce the number of units from 96 air conditioners in a conventional system to just 16 units in the VRV system.

Power saving with the VRV system is estimated to be 50 percent less than conventional systems, which makes a huge impact on the building’s future operating costs.

It will also include the use of rainwater and groundwater harvesting, a process which sees water being stored in a 150 000 litre sump for re-use in the building and gardens.

Geldenhuys says energy efficient glass would be used throughout the building, which acts to reduce the heat load on the building.

The property will make use of motion sensors in the bathrooms and basements to switch off lights when the area is not in use.

LED lights and florescent strip lights will be used, which are much more energy efficient than traditional halogen lights.

Geldenhuys says the building will be tenanted and it consists of two separate buildings of 2 100 square metres with two floors each of approximately 1 050 square metres.

Asked about some green buildings at Route 21, he says no other buildings are green to the extent of this new development. A lot of buildings in the park have green features such as solar geysers.

The R60 million building was designed by renowned architects Boogertman and Partners from the outset to be a green building.

Abacus Divisions is also actively involved in developments within Route 21 Corporate Park, a R2 billion development.  – Denise Mhlanga

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