by Shane Henson — June 26, 2013—The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) recently announced that it has awarded a 4 Star Green Star Office Design Rating to the Cecilia Square office building in Paarl, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.
Owned by Lazercor Developments, this desirably situated and innovative office space comprises two buildings on the project site, which are part of the same development sharing a common address, a single entrance and common parking areas, while being connected to each other through ground floor walkways.
Michelle Ludwig of PJ Carew Consulting, the green consultant for Cecilia Square, explains that Cecilia Square managed to achieve a 55 percent reduction in energy and a 70 percent reduction in water consumption by adopting simple measures such as harvesting rainwater runoff and using energy-efficient lighting.
PJ Carew Consulting also sought to minimize waste during the construction of the office building.
“Concrete usage was minimized through the use of coffered slabs between the floor levels, says Michelle Ludwig. “Coffered slabs contain empty pockets, rather than a solid slab of concrete These not only minimize concrete use but also have excellent thermal capabilities—meaning that the building limits the amount of heating and air conditioning required to maintain an ambient indoor temperature.”
The awarding of Cecilia Square’s Green Star SA certification brings the number of certifications awarded by the GBCSA to 31 and a first for the Western Cape Boland town of Paarl—another milestone signaling the increasing “spread” of green building into South Africa.
According to the GBCSA, the number of Green Star SA certifications has doubled every year since 2009 year-on-year, and the Council’s goal is to reach a total of 60 certifications by the end of 2013.
