Mechanical Technology may 2015

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Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning

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Mechanical Technology — May 2015

SP | Parsons Brincker-

hoff in Africa, one of the

largest multi-disciplinary

engineering consultancies

on the continent, is “thrilled” that the

new Group Five head office has achieved

Design and As Built 5-Star Green Star

ratings from the Green Building Council

of South Africa (GBCSA). The building,

located at the Waterfall Estate in Midrand

and developed by ATTACQ, received the

award in recognition of the environmental

sustainability of the building.

The project came about after Group

Five made the strategic decision to

consolidate all its offices into a new

head office and approached WSP to be

its sustainable design and building con-

sultants. Alison Groves, Sustainability

consultant, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff,

Building Services, Africa, says: “As the

sustainable design consultants for this

project we were involved with, and

oversaw, all crucial elements of the

project related to the sustainability of

WSP in Africa achieves two 5-Star ratings

Group Five’s new 24 000 m

head office has

been awarded an As Built 5 Star Green Star

rating.

An aerial view of Group Five’s 5 Star Green Star building on the Waterfall Estate in Midrand.

Group Five’s new 24 000 m

head office on the Waterfall

Estate in Midrand, following the award of 5-Star Green

Star SA Design certification in 2013 under the GBCSA’s

Office Rating Tool (v1), has now also received an As Built

5-Star Green Star rating. Alison Groves (left), sustainability

consultant, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, talks about some

of the buildings features.

the building. From the schematic design

stage, right through the construction

phase, to the comprehensive reporting

and handover, we helped Group Five

to ensure that the building reflects the

company’s commitment to environmen-

tal sustainability.”

Construction of Group Five’s new

24 000 m

head office started in October

2012. The building was awarded a

5-Star Green Star SA Design certifica-

tion in 2013 under the GBCSA’s Office

Rating Tool (v1). Once construction was

completed a comprehensive assessment

was undertaken, and in February this

year the building was then awarded a

5-Star Green Star As Built Certification

under the Rating Tool.

Indoor environment quality

The primary role of a sustainable building

is to provide a comfortable and healthy

environment for the occupants of and

visitors to the building. To that end, the

building has been designed to achieve

a minimum 150% improvement on

required fresh air rates and to ensure

good quality air for all office usable

areas. In addition, CO

sensors provide

constant air quality readings to the build-

ing management system (BMS), which

will automatically adjust fresh air rates

should CO

levels rise.

Additionally, the building has been

designed to combat daylight glare, while

80% of the office’s usable areas have ac-

cess to an outside view. Internal air qual-

ity is preserved by the use of low volatile

organic compound paints, carpets, and

sealants, and dedicated tenant exhaust

risers extract printer fumes at the source,

reducing the build-up of harmful indoor

pollutants.