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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
NOVEMBER
2015
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Located between Katherine
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
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.
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.
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY