SIX STAR RATING

Extract from the official press release issued by the V&A Waterfront on the 5th of February 2013:

The V&A Waterfront’s No. 1 Silo Building is South Africa’s 2nd office building to achieve a 6 star rating The new No.1 Silo office building at the V&A Waterfront has been awarded a 6 star Green Star SA rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa. The No. 1 Silo office development is South Africa’s latest – and largest - green office building. It is only the second office building to be awarded a 6 star Green rating in South Africa and the first in the Western Cape. This rating is particularly significant given the scale of the project.

“Sustainable development and green operations are fundamental to the V&A Waterfront’s overall development strategy,” says David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront. “We have adopted a rigorous approach to green construction and sustainable design principles, and the efficient use of natural and energy resources,” he says.

The No. 1 Silo development, one of Africa’s most advanced intelligent buildings, is currently under construction at the V&A Waterfront, due for completion in June 2013. Through innovative design solutions, combined with proven technology, the building works with the environment rather than against. It speaks to a wide range of sustainability issues and adheres to the strictest global environmentally sustainable building principles and requirements. Some of the more unique green features are the use of seawater from the Atlantic Ocean, which will be used to reject waste heat from the cooling plant and allows for significant potable water savings and improves the overall energy efficiency of the building. Heat generated from the IT server room will feed the underfloor water borne heating system to warm the reception area.

Another key innovation of the building is the double glazed double skin high performance façade that has a system of automatically controlled blinds between the internal double glazed system and the external single glazed skin which will track the sun as it moves across the building. The high performance façade reduces solar heat gain while maximising the natural light penetration into the building. The blinds prevent further heat gain and also control the solar glare in the office space. The double glazing prevents any radiant heat loss or gain to the office space. One of the benefits of this façade is to maximize views and natural light throughout the building.

Further to this, the building has been designed to also provide quality outdoor environments.

he construction process has been underpinned by internationally recognised environmental management standards, ensuring that more than 70% of all waste generated on site is recycled. An innovative feature of the construction site was the use of green hoarding – approximately one third of the sites hoarding is a green, living vertical wall, which contributes to the noise and dust suppression of a construction site and providing green spaces within the city centre for pedestrians.

“The building is equipped with an intelligent building management system to helps to maximise the benefit to the occupants of the various green technologies in the building and the opportunities presented by the high performance facades,” says Green

The Green Star rating system was established by the Green Building Council of South Africa in 2008 with the aim to evaluate the potential environmental performance of buildings.

A green building should be energy efficient, resource efficient and environmentally responsible. Design, construction and operational elements need to be combined to significantly reduce or eliminate its negative impact on the environment and its occupants. The aim of a green building is to use resources more efficiently and to address climate change whilst creating healthier and more productive environments for people to live and work in.