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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
JUNE
2015
PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS
water. The dams themselves form important features in the land-
scape and provide a habitat for wild life and birds,” says Groves.
“The bulk of the landscape has used indigenous plants that are
well suited to survival without irrigation. These plants are more
resilient to local pests and as a result require fewer insecticides
and artificial fertilisers in order to thrive. Additionally, the gardens
planted between the wings of the building use drip irrigation and
are regulated by soil moisture sensors, where these areas also
predominately use rainwater for irrigation.”
Transport
The project provided the minimum parking bays as required by the
local authority. In addition, five percent of these bays are designed
for motorbike parking and a further five percent are reserved for
fuel efficient vehicles. The Waterfall Estate has numerous bicycle
routes and is designing the precinct with ‘complete roads’. Bicycle
storage facilities are provided, as are showers and lockers. As
attitudes to bicycle commuting change, Group Five will have the
facilities in place that will allow building users to make that choice
more easily.
“The site is currently served by the Sunninghill Gautrain bus
and we anticipate that, as development increases in the vicinity,
the public transport offering will also improve. This will continue
to create access to alternative means of transport for the building’s
occupants,” adds Groves.
WSP also worked closely with the project team to ensure the
materials used at this site were in line with sustainability require-
ments – and that overall the greenhouse gas emissions associated
with the operational phase of the Group Five Head Office were
reduced as far as possible. The team worked closely with Group
Five in the 12 month handover period, which included monthly
monitoring, quarterly reporting and a full re-commissioning at the
end of the project.
“As a construction company, Group Five sought to be on the
forefront of sustainable design – bringing best practice initia-
tives into their very own building. The building is a great example
of what can be achieved when partners who share a passion for
sustainable design meet,” concludes Groves.
Alison Groves,
sustainability consultant,
WSP | Parsons
Brinckerhoff, Building
Services, Africa.