Construction World June 2015

PROJECTS AND CONTRACTS

Alison Groves, sustainability consultant, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, Building Services, Africa.

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.

31

CONSTRUCTION WORLD JUNE 2015