Construction World February 2016

WATER POSITIVE HEAD OFFICE Chevron Century Boulevard is a R200-million, 9 000 m 2 head office with a difference. It is a water-positive building, collecting more water than it consumes. > Both rain water and air-conditioning condensate is harvested from the roof and balconies and stored in a tank below the basement, which is almost the size of an olympic pool. This amounts to a reduction in water consumption in the building by approx- imately 90%. Chevron Century Boulevard is one of a handful of buildings in the area that has been awarded a Five-Star Green Star rating bestowed by the Green Building Council of South Africa for excellence in green building design, construction and management. Commenting on the sustainability perfor- mance of their head office, Shashi Rabbipal, chairman of Chevron South Africa stated, “Chevron South Africa wanted to provide the most appropriate and sustainable long term office accommodation for the well-being of our employees and environment in which we operate. The operations of the building over the past 12 months show that design and construction techniques are critical to producing sustainable spaces.” Chevron South Africa trades under the Caltex brand in the country. Occupied since 2014, the newChevron South Africa headquarters has reduced its electricity consumption by roughly half. Contributing to the reduction in electricity is the installation of a sophisticated lighting control, known as Digital Addressable Lighting Interface , which is energy efficient and permits control over each light individually. The award winning Louis Karol Architects, who focused on using mostly locally sourced materials in the building, believes that design for detail permanence and creative re-usability are an important contribution to architectural sustainability, “Building obsolescence is an envi- ronmental catastrophe. Aside from the conven-

tional environmental priorities of energy and materials consumption, given that buildings can constitute the most polluting entities on earth, creative re-usability is our greatest contribution to architectural sustainability.” Shashi Rabbipal continues, “Chevron world- wide is at the cutting edge of technology and it is therefore appropriate that we have a marriage of human needs and architectural ideals in this wonderful building. “We have a fine example of how good archi- tecture can combine with technology to influ- ence our moods and consumption behaviour, which is so important considering South Africa’s water and energy needs.” In addition to the recognition for its envi- ronmentally friendly features, the developers also fetched an award for safety at the 2013 Master Builders’ Association for achieving a zero-injury status during the construction period of 450 days. “Chevron South Africa has maintained a longstanding presence in the country dating back to 1911 and Chevron Century Boulevard is themodern symbol of our on-going contribution to the country and the economy of Cape Town. This year, government has put more emphasis on improving the struggling economy, creating jobs, developing service delivery and making South Africa more energy secure. “We all have a role to play in this. The combined workforce of Chevron South Africa and its business partners supports over 100 000 jobs, which amounts to approximately 0,8% of total employment in South Africa.” For each employment opportunity created by Chevron South Africa and its direct suppliers, 3,1 additional jobs are sustained by Chevron South Africa throughout the economy. “Furthermore, Chevron South Africa makes a considerable contribution to the Western Cape as well as the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). During the course of 2012, Chevron South Africa generated an estimated R19-billion in tax income,” Rabbipal concludes.

who adds that “At current exchange rates, Hinkley C has an LCOE in excess of R 2,00/kWh. “Being in the RE industry, of course I’m biased towards renewable energy gener- ation, but it’s difficult to ignore audited, unbiased figures. And this evidence points to the fact that, compared to other new-build generation options, RE is scal- able, cost-effective and quick to deploy,” he concludes. Sources • WWF Technical Report, Renewable Energy Vision 2030 – South Africa • University of Cape Town Energy Research Centre Analysis • Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Energy Centre Study • Projected Costs of Electricity

17

Generation, International Energy Agency (IEA) and Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)

CONSTRUCTION WORLD FEBRUARY 2016