Nedbank HQ gets first Green Star rating

Environment-friendly bank is the country's first to get a green building rating. Phase II of Nedbank's head office in Sandton, Johannesburg has been certified as South Africa's first Green Star SA Building under the Green Building Council of South Africa's (GBCSA) Office v1 rating tool.

The building, to be completed by April 2010, achieved a 4 Star Green Star SA Office Design v1 rating, which signifies "Best Practice" in green building.  Design ratings are awarded at the end of the design process and are based on tender documents. 

This milestone for South Africa's property industry will be officially announced tomorrow at the 2nd annual GBCSA Convention & Exhibition in Cape Town.

In order to achieve a rating, projects need to gain credits in the eight environmental categories of Green Star SA - Management, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy, Water, Transport, Materials, Emissions and Land Use & Ecology.

The main elements that contributed to the Four Star rating that Nedbank Phase II was awarded include the full economy air conditioning system; the Dali lighting system and energy efficient light fittings; the Black Water Treatment System; the implementation of an efficient waste recycling system, both during construction and when the building is in use; and the fact that the building will achieve a 30% energy saving when compared to a conventional building, This includes the use of gas for cooking in the kitchens, solar heated geysers for showers, no hot water in the wash hand basins and push-through geysers which replace conventional geysers - all in addition to the Dali system mentioned above.

GBCSA CEO Nicola Douglas said that the GBCSA is thrilled to award its first certification. "The Green Star SA rating system represents international best practice. Achievement of a rating is a significant accomplishment and this project has done extremely well to put together a successful submission less than a year after the system was launched in SA."

Tom Boardman, Nedbank Group chief executive said, "We are proud to be pioneers in South Africa's green movement and having our head office certified as the first Green Star rated building in South Africa shows our commitment to this.  If we look at what is happening in Europe and Australia, green building and carbon footprint reduction is the way of the future.  Nedbank is leading the way in South Africa with Phase II and our announcement to go carbon neutral last month, and will continue to take ground breaking, pioneering leaps as the Green Bank."

Get commercial property news by email

Free alerts when we publish — pick a focus or get everything, unsubscribe in one click. Subscribe »