Construction World November 2015

The business magazine for the construction industry

NOVEMBER 2015

WORLD

P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN Investing in green buildings MORE COMPELLING EVERY YEAR Foreshore precinct revival REAFFIRMS CAPE TOWN‘S APPEAL Steel Awards 2015: ALL THE WINNERS

Wheel loaders built for INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

> CONTENTS

SUSTAINABILITY: TIME TO TAKE A LONG TERM VIEW It goes far beyond a mere green building.

04

STEEL CONCERNS The SAISC is worried about the immediate future of SA steel industry.

06

KEY TO SAVING WATER AND CUTTING FUTURE COSTS Addressing SA’s water issues with design innovation.

12

24

COVER STORY The L60Gz, L90Gz and L120Gz wheel loaders from Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) come from a long line of productive, fuel efficient wheel loaders. Building on a legendary reputation dating back to 1954, these machines are equipped with proven, advanced technology designed to deliver superior lifting and breakout forces in even the toughest of conditions.

ATHOLL TOWERS‘ 5-STAR GREEN STAR SA RATING Aurecon commissioned to provide services for this project.

14

14

HOWWORKPLACE DESIGN IS CHANGING Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in workplace design.

18

FUTURE CITIES As urbanisation gains momentum, cities of the future will be very different.

22

1

STEEL AWARDS 2015 WINNERS An overview of this year’s innovative winning projects.

26

34

SANDTON’S BOUTIQUE OFFICE OFFERING Development in Sandton will open in December.

31

PROJECT REQUIRES PILES-WITHIN- PILES An 11-storey apartment block required intricate and robust piling.

34

REGULARS

AIRPORT GAUTRAIN STATION EXPAN- SION OR Tambo’s station will soon be able to accommodate four wagons.

4

Marketplace

36

12

Environment & Sustainability

36

SPACIOUS NEW FOOD COURT IN ROSEBANK A new 2 000 m 2 food court is opening shortly.

38

18

Property

26

Project Profile

VICTORY PARK SHOPPING CENTRE TRANSFORMED Extensive makeover for community shopping centre.

39

30

Project and Contracts

47

Equipment

DORP STREET FACELIFT Dorp Street has been given a facelift – with the help of Sika products .

42

54

Products and Services

60

42

Diary and Appointments

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

COMMENT

>

Best Projects, Construction World’s recognition of excellence in the construction world, illustrates the breadth of innovation, diversity, ingenuity and complexity of South African civils and building projects. It is also an indicator of how healthy (or unhealthy) the South African construction industry is.

Two of the three judges for Construction World’s Best Projects, Trueman Goba and Rob Newberry, hard at work during the judging of this year’s competition.

structure projects that is more favourable than it has often been in the past, must be found – probable through pacts with the financial services industry. 8. A minimum wage will be implemented – once a proper study has been conducted. 9. An agency will be established that will vet all strategic workers and officials at state-owned companies. One can but hope that these are not merely empty promises to get maximumpublic support during the upcoming, and very important, local government elections.

EDITOR Wilhelm du Plessis constr@crown.co.za ADVERTISING MANAGER Erna Oosthuizen ernao@crown.co.za LAYOUT & DESIGN Lesley Testa CIRCULATION Karen Smith When I startedmanaging this awards programme in 2010, a record 74 entries were received – obvi- ously buoyed by the construction boom leading up to the World Cup. In the years that followed, Best Projects received upwards of 60 entries (many of which still had direct or indirect links to this boom period). While there was a marked drop the civil engineering and building contrac- tors entries, there were dramatic increases in the specialist supplier or contractor and professional services categories. The judging of this year’s entries took place early in October. The competition still received a healthy number of entries – 51, but significantly less than the 74 of six years ago. Construction activity is directly influenced by political and economic factors – albeit that it has a lagging effect. Even though the downward trend in the amount of entries won’t be arrested in a year or two, one can only hope that, in the long term, there will be a lasting solution. The African National Congress (ANC) emerged from its fourth National General Council in October – reportedly re-energised with a bold commitment to securing a decisive victory for the party in the 2016 Local Govern- ment Elections. Various aspects were discussed

and prioritised during this forum. Aspects that directly influence the economy (and indirectly construction) are: 1. It was decided that Eskom needs to revamp aging power stations in partnership with public industry (coming back to Best Projects: for the second year running there were no PPP entries), while the cost implications of building nuclear power plants should be investigated. 2. The mining industry, particularly the stand-off over black-empowerment, must be resolved if there is any chance of rescuing SA’s ailing mining industry. 3. Manufacturing incentives must be reviewed to ensure that they support jobs 4. State backing should be given to the steel industry. 5. The laws regulating the oil and gas industries must be finalised so they provide certainty to investors. 6. SA’s budget should focus on investment and not consumption expenditure. 7. A way to secure funding for infra-

2

Wilhelm du Plessis Editor

@ConstWorldSA

www.facebook.com/construction- worldmagazinesa

PUBLISHER Karen Grant PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY Crown Publications cc P O Box 140 BEDFORDVIEW, 2008 Tel: 27 11-622-4770 • Fax: 27 11-615-6108

TOTAL CIRCULATION: (Second Quarter ’15) 4 696

PRINTED BY Tandym Cape

www.constructionworldmagazine.co.za

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

3

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

> MARKETPLACE

SUSTAINABILITY: time to take a LONG TERM VIEW By Kevin Odendaal, PPC executive: business development.

As sustainability once again comes under the spotlight at this year’s annual Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) Congress, Kevin Odendaal, PPC’s executive of business development, argues that there has never been a better time to unpack the possibilities associated with this business approach – particularly in the context of our continent. Ensuring these translate into realities will, however, require all players in the construction value chain to take a long term view.

its properties worth exploring and under- standing in the context of warmer African climates so that they can be taken full advantage of. Innovation in Africa That being said, Africa’s context demands that we innovate across the full value chain from planning right the way through to mate- rials, manufacturing techniques, application, design and construction, management and logistics, funding and sales so that we find new solutions that match the continent’s uniqueness. This is easier said than done though, especially if you’re an emerging independent contractor looking to expand beyond South Africa’s borders. To this end, larger companies with a Pan-African footprint can potentially unlock new value chain opportunities for their smaller counterparts and partners – some- thing our own expansion across the continent is again showing us. With PPC currently represented in seven African countries, we are on track to derive up to 40% of our revenue from operations outside South Africa by 2017, having invested well over R4-billion in our Pan-African projects. We see ourselves as potentially giving players further down the value chain (including builders and contractors) a foot- hold for expansion across the continent and a gateway to new markets as we establish ourselves in these. This expansion has to be rooted in long term sustainability however, to ensure the collective – and responsible – success of all. If one considers that sustainability is about creating possibilities and not about limiting options, it’s thus critical for our sector to look towards the possibilities that exist for all of us across the continent and the country, and find viable means to partner in order to access these. Given the current statistics and projections, there has never been a better time to strive towards a more sustainable industry together – cognisant of the fact that many of Africa’s opportunities have yet to be discovered. In the case of the construction industry, this speaks to everything from how one does business – all the way through to how one maintains the final structure delivered to client well into the future.

with a good reason to look beyond South Africa’s borders for future prospects. Advantages Converting these opportunities into realities will require strategic and focused partner- ships however – something our own expe- rience has taught us. Given that the service part of any building’s lifespan contributes the most to its sustainability, how it is designed and the combination, quality and dura- bility of materials used in its construction suddenly take on new importance. As such, the interdependence of concrete, steel and aluminium for example, cannot be taken for granted in terms of the long term mainte- nance and durability of the overall structure into the future. This is particularly well illustrated if we look at how temperature control poten- tially affects the sustainability (and energy consumption and loss) of buildings. Concrete for example, is able to reduce the amount of energy required to control temperatures because of its thermal mass. This makes

In critically evaluating the definition of ‘sustainability’ as it currently stands, it’s important to note how the concept has

>

evolved over the years. Whereas in the past it typically referred to running a responsible, financially efficient business, with greener oriented companies more considerate as to how they disposed of their waste, today it means a great deal more. Today it reflects a complete shift in company philosophy and mindset from start to finish in all respects. In the case of the construction industry, this speaks to everything from how one does business – all the way through to how one maintains the final structure delivered to client well into the future. This is the only way to ensure you have a clear and holistic view of how your brand is impacting all of its touchpoints: the natural environment, the built environment and the social environment – now and beyond our own lifetimes. Our understanding of sustain- ability thus needs to be dynamic, so that we’re able to revisit and redefine this based on new knowledge and findings, and change our actions and approach accordingly – particularly as we look to the future of our continent. Consider for example the fact that sustainable buildings deliver healthier living environments with increased quality of life and the co-benefits of social integration, lower health costs, and increased rates of performance and productivity. This translates into reduced costs with savings on maintenance and, consequently, can have a significantly positive impact on the economic security of residents. Given Africa’s numerous socio-economic challenges and need for infrastructure, the impact of sustainable building potentially becomes priceless. It also provides local companies

4

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

5

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

> MARKETPLACE

STEEL CONCERNS

6

The Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) is concerned about the immediate future of the local steel industry. This is according to SAISC executive director, Paolo Trinchero.

“On average South Africa produces about seven million tons of steel per year of which about five million tons is locally consumed. He adds that China exported 100 million tons of steel last year and has the capacity to produce over 750 million tons. “It is not uncommon for imported Chinese fabrica- tions to land on our shores at a lower cost than that of raw steel and there is a very real possibility that practices such as these could have a catastrophic effect, not only on the South African industry but on the global steel industry.” Turning to local issues, Trinchero says that each unit of the Medupi and Kusile power stations required about 20 000 tons of steel per support structure. “In comparison, one large shopping mall such as the Mall of Africa needed about 1 000 tons of structural steel for its roof. So when we stop building power stations, we will have to build 20 large shopping centres to compensate for the lost work from each unit. This is currently a very real challenge,” he says. “The current difficulties being faced by >

the South African steel industry cannot be over emphasised,” he warned, reminding us of two key problems: the total lack of project work and the unrestricted access China has to South African markets. Trinchero says the biggest challenge to the local fabricators is order book. “Take one of the leading fabricators in South Africa with capacities of 24 000 tons per year. Its current order book is 600 tons we are told. That is a scary statistic! It is hard to imagine one of South Africa’s largest fabrication facilities running at 2% capacity.” “The only opportunity left open to them was to export. There are no more big projects on the South African horizon and the reality is they and others will be retrenching a lot of workers unless we can secure overseas work.” “It is a tragedy that our local industry is being decimated and it is surely in our interests to support and protect it through incentives. We are working closely with government along the lines of the following

government policy needs to create confidence.

• Release work into the economy. Prioritise and implement parts of the NDP that will have the biggest impact. • Encourage localisation. While this

is being done by the DTI already, it needs to be embraced by SOEs and large local businesses.

• Help team SA to generate a substantial export revenue stream by looking for a wide range of measures such as energy inputs, logistics etc. • Ensure the protection of the entire industry from unfair competition “We are encouraged by the latest initiatives of the government, industry and labour task teams. It’s tough times at the moment for our industry, but we remain confident that we will get through it,” Trinchero concluded.

‘wish’ list which I have submitted”: • Investor confidence is key and

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

> MARKETPLACE

WESTERN CAPE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY ON THE UP “2015 has seen theWestern Cape construction industrymaintaining a reasonably steady flow of work with a further slight improvement on last year,” according to Immediate Past President of the Master Builders Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC), Craig Bain.

At the recent MBAWC’s Annual General Meeting, Bain elaborated on develop- ments in the province that have helped

in excess of R500-million. These developments are certainly a vote of confidence in the future of our city. “High levels of building activity persist on the Atlantic Seaboard and at Century City where a number of large commercial developments are under construction at the moment,” added Bain. Bain praised the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town for continuing to award a significant number of projects in the health, education and housing spheres to the local construction industry. Regarding the National Government’s R847-billion infrastructure roll-out, Bain said, “This does not seem to have gained much trac- tion. The recent publicity appears to be focused on the long-delayed coal fired power stations in the north of the country and more recently on the proposed nuclear power stations. Our region could be the beneficiary of one or more of the nuclear power stations as the current site at Koeberg and another coastal site near Bredas-

>

Immediate Past President of the Master Builders Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC), Craig Bain.

to sustain the building sector over the past year, stating, “Cape Town has been fortunate that its CBD has not experienced the significant decline witnessed in cities like Johannesburg and Durban and continues to be a destination of choice. This has resulted in the construction of a number of new high-rise office blocks as well as residential accommodation in the city centre. Furthermore, the extensions to the CTICC have now commenced in earnest and will result in a conference facility that will be virtually double its present size.” He went on to say that, “The adjacent V&A Waterfront has continued to develop with a number of new hotels, office blocks and a high- rise residential block under construction. The new Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is also being constructed within the structure of the old grain silos and at a cost

dorp are earmarked at this stage. Whether our local industry will get to participate or whether we will see an influx of contractors from either Russia or China remains to be seen.” Bain concluded by saying, “Although most of our members and the contracting fraternity at large seem to have reasonable order books and sufficient projects on hand, this remains a very competitive industry with tight tendering and lowmargins remaining the order of the day. “Our industry seems to be fixed in a low-margin mind-set and one wonders what sort of volumes of work would be required to raise profit margins to a level that that adequately compensate contractors and subcontractors for the risks that they expose themselves to in their daily business operations.”

8

PARTNERSHIP FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

GIBB, South Africa’s largest black-owned multi- disciplinary engineering consulting firm, has announced the acquisition of environmental solutions consultancy, Strategic Environmental Focus (SEF). The transaction ushers in South Africa’s strongest environmental offering in the engineering fraternity.

“Developing infrastructure alone is not sustainable without rigorous envi- ronmental measures and both firms have built their reputation on standards of excellence. With this great marriage of minds, our clients can now look forward to comprehensive solutions delivered by some of the most talented professionals in the country,” he said. According to GIBB environmental services sector general manager Dr Urishanie Govender, the acquisition more than doubles the size of GIBB’s environmental team. “We are now able to position the broader group to deliver world-class environmental solutions using professional environmentalists, auditors, green design experts and specialists with sufficient capacity to develop a customised, comprehensive and complete range of solutions for clients,” she said. “The combined firms will result in a fully integrated environmental team, with more than 60 environmental practitioners being part of the GIBB Group’s approximately 950 staff,” she continued. The 18-year-old firm caught the attention of GIBB as the firm continues to grow in stature and capacity through, among other approaches, major acquisitions. Last year GIBB acquired 70% of one of the largest architectural firms in Africa, SVA International. The engagement will see former SEF staff provide their skills to several mega-projects currently underway, strengthening GIBB’s already impressive presence in the Environmental industry. Former SEF CEO, Dave Rudolph described the move as ‘a major development for the environmental sector’. “The time to move on was ideal since environmental legislation was recently passed allowing environmental impact assessments (EIAs) to be undertaken as part of large engineering teams, with external peer review,” said Rudolph. Rudolph said that with the latest change in 2014, authorities have recognised the value add of professionalism and self-regulation. “Environment is also no longer something which can be seen as an add on service and having a clear understanding to environmental constraints at the on-set of a project is critical,” he added.

GIBB Group CEO, Richard Vries, described the move as a great milestone, not just for GIBB and SEF, but for the entire South African Environmental Services Industry.

>

Former SEF CEO Dave Rudolph, left, and GIBB Group CEO Richard Vries sign the documentation that will see the acquisition through.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

9

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

> MARKETPLACE

LISTING ON THE JSE Balwin Properties Limited, South Africa’s largest homebuilder focusing on large scale sectional-title residential estates in high-growth, high-density metropolitan nodes in South Africa’s major cities, recently announced its intention to list on the main board of the JSE Limited subject to requisite approvals. units, the bulk of which were delivered since large scale operations began in 2005. Balwin controls and manages the entire development process, from land identification, acquisition and zoning to pre-sales and marketing, construction and construction management, sourcing of materials and fittings, safety and quality assurance, and the final handover to homebuyers. Stephen Brookes, chief executive officer and founder of Balwin said: “Our listing is an exciting and important next phase in the evolution of Balwin. Listing on the JSE will grant us access to the capital markets and enhance our profile. It will also support our strong development pipeline and geographical expansion. “Our developments appeal to a cross-section of buyers offering secure, high-quality spacious and environmentally friendly one, two and three bedroom residential apartments conveniently located in key nodes with on-site lifestyle amenities including restaurants, a club-house, sport and entertainment facilities. “Balwin offers an investment opportunity with excellent growth prospects backed by a significant pipeline and land-bank, leading market position, strong cash generating ability and the scalability to mitigate macro-eco- nomic impacts, including an exciting strategic initiative to develop, retain and manage a portion of future developments as a rental portfolio, growing to around 2 000 to 3 000 units by 2020,” Brookes added. > CEO OF THE YEAR Sika has won the award for best CEO of the year beating competition from the largest listed companies in Switzerland. The ranking is compiled by Obermatt, a Swiss financial research firm focused on indexing company performance. Since establishment in 1996, Balwin has successfully developed, marketed and sold over 70 prominent residential estates comprising some 13 500 residential

The high market demand for quality housing in the target price range is supported by robust structural market fundamentals. This, combined with excellent project management capabilities, will see Balwin sell over 1 600 units this year and deliver an after tax profit of around R550-million for the financial year to 29 February 2016 (excluding once-off listing costs). “The demand for new smaller-sized, higher density apartments and townhouses remains robust, accounting for more than 70% of new housing built in South Africa over the past 20 years. This trend is in line with similar emerging economies and is driven by factors such as urbanisation, growing population and growing middle class, land scarcity, building costs, housing affordability, property costs such as rates, taxes and levies, safety concerns with stand alone housing, as well as lifestyle changes, especially in the metropolitan areas of the country,” Brookes concluded. Balwin has a secured project pipeline of approximately eight years which, together with continually identified land acquisitions is expected to drive future growth. The company is also currently negotiating the acquisition of an additional land parcel in the Kyalami node, on which a further ±15 000 sectional-title residential units may be developed. Balwin is currently owned 70% by management and 30% by its private equity partner, Buffet Investments. Investec Bank has been appointed as book runner in relation to the proposed listing.

10

NEW ACQUISITION Otis, part of Otis Elevator, the world’s largest manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products, including elevators, escalators and moving walkways, announced recently the acquisition of the local service business of ThyssenKrupp Elevator (South Africa). The transaction will give customers access to Otis expertise in service and maintenance and expand Otis’ capabilities in the region. Otis is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Tech- nologies Corporation. “This acquisition will increase our operational foot- print, connecting us with new customers and increasing the number of units we maintain and repair,” said Segren Reddy, managing director, Otis Southern Africa. “We believe this acquisition will result in great benefits for our new and existing customers, including the opportunity to discuss Otis solutions for new equipment and modernisation products in building rejuvenation projects in South Africa.” Employees currently working for ThysssenKrupp will be incorporated into Otis business units. Terms of the transac- tion will not be disclosed. >

The top ranking of Sika is based on its strong results of the past three years – the best ever in Sika’s history. Sika outper- formed companies such as Geberit, Lindt & Sprüngli, Barry Callebaut and Givaudan while others such as Roche, Nestlé or Novartis did not reach the top ten ranking. Sika CEO Jan Jenisch acknowledges Sika’s global employees as follows: “Friends, this award goes to all of you and we would like to congratulate you for making Sika one of the most successful companies. You consequently imple- mented Sika’s STRATEGY 2018 and made our GROWTHMODELwork. Wewould like to thank you for your passion and huge efforts which make Sika such a successful company. Please extend our compliments to your teams and employees who all contributed to this success.”

The Obermatt CEO of the Year rankings measure a company’s performance against that of its

>

competitors. The performance metrics that are monitored are: sales growth, operating performance (EBITDA) and total shareholder return.

Sika CEO, Jan Jenisch.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

11

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Biodiversity’s unseen value

KEY to SAVING water and CUTTING future costs The issues with South Africa’s water resources can be summarised as ‘too much’, ‘too little’ or ‘too dirty’, but simple design innovations based on sustainability principles could go a long way to addressing them. Implementation of such sustainability measures would also ease future government expenditure on infrastructure, according to leading consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting (SA).

She said an important aspect of sustainability in the development context was to ensure affordability of services for future genera- tions, and not just current users and taxpayers. “We will see more benefit from the sustainability approach when organisations and individuals move along the continuum – from a reactive compliance focus to the adop- tion of sustainability as an integrated strategy driven by societal values,” she said. She acknowledged that financial savings do motivate and accelerate behaviour change, especially in the areas of energy-saving, water conservation, saving materials in its products and packaging, and saving on waste-handling costs. However, she argued that organisa- tions who do not go beyond this point tend to marginalise their sustainability initiatives within specialised departments – and tack them on as ‘green housekeeping’ rather than institutionalising the approach within the company’s way of doing business to the point where value is created. By adopting sustainability as an integrated strategy – the next phase in the continuum – the whole business model gets transformed into a sustainable ‘borrow-use- return’ design. In the final stage, she said, behaviour is driven by a passionate, values- based commitment to improve the well- being of the organisation, the society and the environment. The landmark bioregional plan for Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, gazetted this year, highlights the social and economic value of biodiversity in an area of unparal- leled diversity; the area boasts five of SA’s nine biomes – the Fynbos, Albany Thicket, Forest, Nama Karoo and Grassland. The plan provides clear priorities and guidelines for all decisions that impact on biodiversity, including land-use planning, environmental assessment and authorisa- tions, and natural resource management in the municipal area. If implemented, this will help conserve ecosystems, which in turn provide frequently unseen ‘services’ to the community such as attenuating floods, providing clean water of a drinking quality standard, facilitating the pollination of important agricultural crops to support food security, and providing primary sources of food. “Ecosystems provide a range of valuable services that we take for granted because we often don’t pay in full for the services they provide,” said SRK principal environmental scientist Warrick Stewart. “When inappropriately located, devel- opment results in the loss of important ecosystems, and communities often end up paying for the long term costs of losing these important ecological assets. Good planning means retaining our priority ecological assets when we develop our new settlements and roll out associ- ated services.”

With many parts of the country in the grip of water scarcity, SA shows a steady growth in national water consumption that outstrips

and fast-growing urban settlements placed increased stress on municipal services. About 35% of current water demand in SA is from the municipal sector, compared to just 8% from industry. A recent and highly noteworthy example of good progress in this respect was Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s bioregional plan, gazetted in March this year. The first such municipal-level plan to be completed and gazetted in SA, it was produced with the assis- tance of SRK and presents the opportunity to improve the ‘spatial resilience’ of the area by ensuring the protection and management of a representative proportion of its diverse ecosystems and the services they provide. “This resilience is based on the ability of the natural environment to continue providing important services that sustain livelihoods in communities most likely to suffer the impacts of economic and environmental shocks – which in this context could include water shortages,” said SRK environmental scientist and partner Briony Liber. SRK produced the Conservation Assess- ment and Plan for the NMBM in 2010, which underpins the gazetted document, and also assisted with the gazetting process. Liber also emphasised the unseen cost of ignoring the social and economic value of ecosystems when conducting infrastructure planning – and the savings in future infra- structure by maintaining resilient ecosystems. “When planners denude the environment in pursuit of faster or cheaper roll-out of services – such as residential estates or urban infrastructure – they often inadvertently incur higher future costs,” said Liber. “For example, if an environmental asset like clean water is compromised by a plan that allows damage to a wetland, then that local authority may soon have to pay for more water treatment facilities to accomplish what the wetland used to do.”

>

available supply; the situation calls for better ways of conserving water rather than just an additional supply of water, said SRK partner and principal hydrologist Peter Shepherd. “There are plenty of opportunities for all water management stakeholders – from local government to housing developers – to implement innovative designs that will save water,” said Shepherd. “Some examples are permeable roadways, water harvesting from roofs, re-use of grey water, and underground water storage – ideas that are relatively simple and inexpensive but which must be driven by sustainability principles.” The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) estimates that water demand, driven mainly by continuing industrialisation and urbanisation, will exceed availability of economically usable fresh water resources within about a decade. Emphasising the point, the Minister of the DWS had in 2013 warned that 98% of SA’s water was considered ‘fully allocated’. Although this estimate was later revised slightly downward, the point was well made. While the National Water Resource Strategy 2013 plans to increase surface water yield by about one cubic kilometre by 2035 – mainly through increased investment in infrastructure such as dams – a sustainability approach demands more than this, said Shepherd. He said that there is frequently a one-sided focus on the construction of infrastructure to deliver water from external sources, which ignores the consideration of ways to conserve, re-use and recycle water on site. This was a particular concern in relation to the rapid influx into municipal areas, where increased population numbers

12

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

The Swartkops Estuary is the top temperate estuary in terms of subsistence value in South Africa.

Warrick Stewart, principal environmental scientist, SRK Consulting (SA). Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality map of critical biodiversity areas

Peter Shepherd, partner and principal hydrologist, SRK Consulting (SA).

Briony Liber, partner and environmental scientist, SRK Consulting (SA).

13

Category

Code Description

Land management objective

Protected Area 1

PA 1

Protected areas managed by SAN Parks, provincial or local authorities, para- statals (e.g. NMMU) or the private sector. Includes national parks, provincial, local and private nature reserves. National parks, provincial, local, private nature reserves pending declaration. All officially endangered habitats, ecological process areas, ecological corridors, habitats for species of special concern and some endangered, vulner- able or least threatened habitats.

To be maintained as protected areas.

Protected Area 2

PA 2

To be declared and main- tained as protected areas. Such areas must be managed for biodiversity conservation purposes and incorporated into the protected area systems. Such areas must be maintained for extensive agricultural or similar low intensity purposes and managed to promote ecolog- ical connectivity. Such areas must be restored or rehabilitated to support ecological connectivity. Such areas must not be developed or utilised for medium to high intensity purposes (e.g. crop production, residential, industry, etc). As per the municipal SDF or local SDFs As per the municipal SDF or local SDFs

CBAs

Critical Biodi- versity Areas

Ecological Support Area 1

ESA 1 Agricultural or partly degraded land, that plays an important role in ecosystem fundtioning and/or provides connectivity between natural areas.

Ecological Support Area 2

ESA 2 Areas severely disturbed or transformed by human activities (e.g. mining) requiring restoration or rehabilitation.

Other Natural Areas Areas where no natural habitat remains

ONA Natural area that are not required to meet biodiversity targets.

DEV

Areas severely disturbed or transformed by human activities with no natural habitat remaining, including airfields, cultivated lands, forestry plantations, mines and quarries, severe overgrazing and urban and rural development.

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

ATHOLL TOWERS SCOOP 5-Star Green Star SA Rating

The Atholl Towers office development in Johannesburg, South Africa, was recently awarded a 5-Star Green Star SA Rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). Aurecon was commissioned by ALW Estates to provide Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) services for the project, which exceeded the initial Green Star ambitions for the building by incorporating a range of innovative sustainable features.

> Located between Katherine

insulation materials and blinds to maximise thermal comfort for building occupants, as well as a rainwater harvesting and water conservation systems. Otis GeN2 regen drive elevators, which are up to 75% more efficient than non-generative drive lifts, complete the green features. “We initially set out to achieve a 4-Star Green Star SA – Office v1 Design rating but, by incorporating extra cost-effective green features and initiatives, we were able to achieve the 60 points required by the GBCSA for a 5-Star Green Star Rating without incur- ring additional costs for the client. Atholl Towers marks the first Speculative Green Star Rated building for ALW Estates and Aurecon is proud to be involved in this landmark achievement for our client,” says Punt. Optimising the building’s efficiency While the building is efficient in terms of energy and water consumption, the project team took the concept of ‘building efficiency’ one step further when planning the design, layout and building services. Instead of simply looking at the savings for the client, the team put a great deal of thought into the use of the building by the client’s clients – in other words, the future tenants. “Building efficiency refers to the effi- ciency of the usable area to meet functional needs such as tenants’ work flow require- ments, office design, and personnel comfort. The efficiency of a building is dictated by a variety of aspects including the building shape, core location, floor size, leasing depth and corridors. These are conventionally addressed in the building design stages but not conventionally carried over to the system design and building operational stages by its tenants,” explains Kyra Young, ESD consultant at Aurecon. The approach of the Atholl Towers Design team was to not only create a highly efficient design but also to ensure this was carried over into the operational stages of the

building and maintained by any prospective tenant as well. Efficiency principles were also incorporated into the electrical and mechan- ical systems design of the building. Aurecon has created a Building User’s Guide that includes details for tenants, owners and facility managers. Some of the efficiency initiatives include a power grid system that was planned around the building installation design. The power grid and outlets were designed in such a way that tenants will have flexibility in terms of how they plan and use their spaces. “Tenants at Atholl Towers won’t have to lay a host of data cables after they move into the premises,” explains Young. “Materials that will be needed to make layout changes for future tenants have been minimised. By thinking ahead and merging the building layout, systems and operational design, an innovative and highly efficient building that will have reduced measureable operational costs has been created. Tenant fit out costs and most importantly reduced impact on the environment will be direct results of these efficiencies,” says Young. The project also has an extensive metering system connected to a fully automated Building Management System. A total of 55 power meters are distributed throughout the building and water meters have been installed for all major water uses. This is an important building management tool that will assist the facilities managers to efficiently manage the building in future. Access to consumption data is provided via the local facilities management PC or via a web browser. Trend logs will display the history of the water and electricity meter values, allowing usage trends to be accu- mulated and analysed to identify when and where peaks occur. “Green initiatives like these help owners, tenants and building users understand how sustainable buildings are performing and where improvements could be made. Aurecon is proud to be a part of this noteworthy project,” concludes Young.

and Patricia streets in Sandton, Atholl Towers was developed in two phases. The first phase was

completed in 2011 and comprises a 4 500 m 2 office building with the Volkswagen Group South Africa’s sales and marketing opera- tions as tenants. The second phase, which was completed in April 2015 consists of 10 211 m 2 of offices and 480 parking bays, with five basement levels. Marni Punt, Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) consultant at Aurecon, says the building is a modern, iconic design with open concept spaces. Some of the note- worthy aesthetic features include full-height façades, frameless glass and overhanging elements that create uniquely framed views of a shared public outdoor area between the two phases. “Aurecon’s ESD team worked closely with AMA architects and other project consult- ants to create an exceptionally energy- and water-efficient building that meets the sustainable development needs of the client. For example, the frameless, full-glass façade is not only energy efficient, but it has a self-cleaning silicone base that ensures minimal maintenance over the coming years,” says Punt. Some of the other energy efficiency features include optimised air conditioning, a central heat recovery system and motion sensor light fittings. The domestic hot water system is integrated with the air con-di- tioning system to receive recovered heat during cooling or simultaneous cooling and heating modes. When cooling is not required by the air conditioning system, it acts as an air-cooled heat pump to efficiently deliver heat to the domestic hot water system. Sustainability initiatives that were incor- porated include the use of recycled shutter boards for concrete casting, recycled steel components, the use of low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint, low formaldehyde timber and finishes, the smart application of

14

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

MORE STABLE SA ENERGY USAGE With South Africa investing approximately R73-million in sustainable energy solutions in 2014, a national mind-shift towards sustainable energy solutions may have played a significant role in Eskom managing to provide an uninterrupted power supply for 18 consecutive days.

This is according to Cala van der West- huizen, spokesperson for Energy Part- ners – a leading energy solutions

option for businesses and households that want to gain some form of energy independence. In fact, the only regions better suited than Southern Africa for solar energy generation globally are Australia and South America.” He points to the International Energy Agency, which indicates that sustainable energy formed 18% of the generation capacity mix globally in 2007, 21% in 2012 and 22% in 2013. The report also indicated that an estimated 25% of the world’s energy requirements will be fulfilled through sustainable sources by 2018. “There are some experts who believe that this rapid growth pattern in renewable technologies in SA, will result in 100% sustainable energy generation by 2025, though a more realistic expectation is approximately 30%.” Van der Westhuizen says that besides the most obvious environmental benefits like the significant decrease in pollution, the implemen- tation and privatisation of sustainable energy will

>

provider in South Africa. He says that with energy technologies becoming more affordable and accessible, and taking into account that 1,3-billion people globally still do not have access to electricity, there is great potential for growth in the sustainable energy sphere. “Between 2013 and 2014 the use of sustain- able energy in developing countries increased by over 35%.” Van der Westhuizen says that South Africa has ideal weather conditions for the implemen- tation of ‘green’ energy and adds that while wind power is most cost effective on a large scale, solar is the preferred form of energy generation for commercial and residential property owners. “Taking factors such as cost, availability and reliability into account, photovoltaic solar energy generation is currently by far the most efficient

Cala van der Westhuizen, spokesperson for Energy Partners.

also decrease the monetary cost of energy for the end-consumer. “The increased accessibility to this basic resource in the developing world will lessen the strain on the parastatal electricity provider, decrease the cost for the end-consumer and stimulate the economy through job creation. Greater investment in the development of sustainable energy solutions is therefore the ideal solution for the national energy crises,” concludes Van der Westhuizen.

15

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Released in July 2015 by MSCI Inc, a leading provider of research- based indexes and analytics, the IPD South Africa Annual Green INVESTING IN green buildings “The business case to invest in green buildings is becoming more compelling every year,” says Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), citing the results of the latest IPD South Africa Annual Green Property Indicators. >

5,5%, compared to the significantly lower 1,8% achieved by the balance of the sample. This capital growth was as a result of higher occupancy rates and a superior net income growth. “Electricity, water and waste-disposal are amongst the chief operational costs in most buildings. Green buildings provide the opportunity to significantly reduce these costs. Given that utilities typically account for more than 30% of a building’s operating expenses, and green building significantly reduces these, the impact on Net Operating Income is substantial. “Furthermore, and on a capitalised basis, the effect of green building practice on building valuation is indeed powerful,” comments Wilkinson. “There is no doubt about the hugely positive impact green building, and espe- cially energy efficiency measures, are having on the commercial property sector in South Africa. The benefits to occupiers of green buildings have already been widely estab- lished. Green building creates healthier, more productive environments that are less costly to operate. This research shows us that for owners and investors in greener buildings, these properties generate higher returns and are more sustainable investments. “We can now say with confidence that green building creates dual value for both owners and occupiers in South Africa. And better still, this means that green buildings not only ‘do good’ at an environmental level, they ‘do well’ at an economic level,” he concludes.

latest index results is 270 basis points (bps) above the balance of the sample of proper- ties. In 2013, green properties outperformed normal commercial properties by 170 bps, which means that the 2014 results show an even higher return for green buildings. This is remarkable and makes an even stronger busi- ness case for investing in green buildings.” GBCSA fully supports the IPD South Africa Annual Green Property Indicators. Launched in conjunction with the GBCSA, it is now in its second year and is released annually to track the performance of greener, more energy- and water-efficient properties in South Africa. “The index confirms that for property owners, investing in energy and water efficiency as well as green building practices makes both environmental and economic sense. This innovative index is set to become an important tool in the evaluation of both portfolio performance and in turn, asset and portfolio value. We anticipate this will further drive green building practices and invest- ment in South Africa,” says Wilkinson. The superior performance of green buildings according to the IPD research was driven largely by a higher capital growth of

Property Indicators 2014 show that prop- erties with top-quartile energy and water efficiency delivered an ungeared total return of 12,1%. Less efficient buildings, however, delivered a total return of only 9,4%. Green buildings therefore outperformed their conventional counterparts by almost 30%. The research was for the year ending December 2014. It consisted of the IPD SA database of 1 726 properties valued at more than R264-billion, of which the Green Property Indicators assessed a subset of 597 commer- cial buildings across 14 property types. Property owners contributing to the indicator in 2014 were Growthpoint Proper- ties, Hyprop Investments, Old Mutual Prop- erty, Pareto Limited, SA Corporate Real Estate Fund, Delta Property Fund, Vukile Property Fund Limited, Emira Property Fund Limited, Attacq Limited and the Liberty Property Portfolio. Wilkinson comments: “The total return of 12,1% on greener buildings illustrated in the

16

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

17

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015

PROPERTY

How WORKPLACE DESIGN is changing Specialist management, engineering and technical services company, Aurecon, recently published an article discussing ‘Futuristic workplaces and the adaption of building services’. Following this, Classic Business, a topical news programme

roles that are changing,” says Maserow. “A good building design needs to accom- modate multiple age groups. One of the things that we’re aware of is that buildings need to be designed for communication. For example, almost every office building that we design has interconnecting stairs so that people can see each other and communicate. This also promotes health and fitness within an organisation,” adds Robinson. Creating live-work-play precincts Many leading cities have focused on creating work-live-play precincts. Melbourne, in particular, has been extremely successful in pioneering this trend. “Mixed-use developments are very popular and successful in Melbourne, with residential, office and retail buildings being built in close proximity to each other. Many people are able to live close to their places of employment, they don’t necessarily need cars and it promotes a better work-life balance,” says Robinson. Maserow says that there is plenty of opportunity to incorporate this mixed- use development philosophy into areas of Gauteng. “We’ve been in discussion with people involved in these types of developments over the past few years. In the past, the prime goal of developments in Gauteng was to compart- mentalise the functionality of the spaces and mixed-use developments weren’t very popular. Fortunately, this is changing and it’s becoming an urgent reality in Gauteng and South Africa,” states Maserow. Geospatial smart phone apps One of the trends in the industry is the use of technology to control and customise indi- vidual spaces and areas. Greaves says that individual customisation options include being able to adjust lighting as well as heating and cooling systems from a mobile phone or tablet. “The way that we use technology is also changing. People travel to work and other places with their smart phones and there are apps that enable them to adjust things like lighting and the temperature in whatever space they are in. Geospatial apps are changing the way buildings function and this is going to change how our intelligent build- ings work. It helps designers and engineers to make a building emotionally intelligent so that it meets the needs of the building occupants,” says Greaves. Creating liveable, sustainable work- places and precincts requires a collective effort from designers, architects, engineers, consultants, companies and government.

hosted by anchor Michael Avery on ClassicFm, invited Peter Greaves, Aurecon’s technical director: buildings, Aurecon’s Jeff Robinson development leader: property, and Adrian Maserow of AMA Architects to participate in a panel discussion on the future of office environments.

More flexibility and adaptability is needed

quiet rooms where employees can concen- trate, areas that have been designed to encourage free thinking and creativity, and facilities where screen-based knowledge can be shared. A whole range of different kinds of spaces are becoming the norm now,” says Robinson. Demanding better work environments The change in density of office workers also has an impact on the building services that are required. More cooling, for example, will be needed in higher density office spaces. “As design engineers, we love solving these types of challenges. People are demanding better quality spaces, fresh air, lots of daylight and more comfortable environments. It changes the way in which we design basic systems. We’re also bringing more gardens into the indoor and optimising how people use the building,” says Greaves. The Department of Environmental Affairs’ new head office in Tshwane, South Africa, was recently awarded a 6 Green Star SA Office v1 Design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), which entails not only reducing energy and water consumption and other sustainable building initiatives within the building, but also looking at the sustainability levels of the entire supply chain as a whole. “Different built environment profes- sionals focus on different aspects of sustaina- bility. Personally, when I think about a living, breathing, healthy building, it would incorpo- rate a social aspect too. It also focuses on the way in which the building design accommo- dates how people move within the building and use the building. The building needs to allow people to express themselves in a way that past buildings didn’t. We have a very narrow view of what an organisation looks like, but organisations continue to change thanks to millennials in the workplace, retraining within the organisation, the retire- ment age that continues to rise and job

Despite the huge volume of changes that people have seen in their personal lives as a result of technology, many workplaces have remained remarkably static. Employees still work in big, inefficient offices, sit in cubicles and work at the same desk and on the same computer each day. The workplace of the future is going to be less centralised, more mobile and more flex- ible than the offices that we’re seeing today. In the past, people outside of the free- lance economy were unlikely to have a day-to-day work life that allowed them to work at coffee shop or the office, but this is increasingly becoming the case and it is one of the key drivers behind the changing needs of office buildings and the related buildings services. “Flexibility and adaptability are the key drivers of the change in workplace design. The workforce is changing, teams are changing and businesses are changing. People work from different locations and don’t need a dedicated desk in an office. Workplaces of the future have fewer desks and more communal areas. People also tend to move around the office more in order to share knowledge, so the workplaces of the future need to have multiple spaces to accommodate this interaction,” says Greaves. “Flexibility is needed to accommodate changing business plans and teams within a company and the wider industry in which the company operates. An office is the framework where this can happen, but it needs to be flexible enough to change with an organisa- tion,” comments Maserow. Workplaces are very much about collaboration and transparency. Some companies have foregone the idea of indi- vidual offices completely. “Companies want spaces where they can put teams together so that they can share knowledge. For example, there are more

18

CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2015