FNB @Parkside Building now 5 Star Green Star

WINDHOEK, Aug. 28 – The FNB head office @Parkside in Windhoek has officially received a 5 Star Green Star Africa As Built rating from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA). This is the only As Built project (i.e. construction completed, operational, new building) in Africa, outside of South Africa, and the first 5 Star rating in Namibia, and Africa outside of SA.

Sarel van Zyl, CEO of FNB Namibia Holdings said: “Our building is the first As Built rated building outside of South Africa, as well as the first 5 Star rating outside of South Africa. We are immensely proud of this achievement and once again thank all involved parties who have made this possible. This is a great achievement and a testament to hard work by the construction and operational team.”

The 5 Star Green Star SA Certified Rating recognises “South African Excellence” and carries a weighted score of between 60 and 74. The project achieved 55 points in its Design rating in 2014/2015, which is a comfortable 4 Star Rating. The threshold for a 4 Star Rating is 45 points, and as FNB achieved an excess of 10 points, A 5 Star rating requires 60 points to be certified. The project achieved 64 points for its final As Built rating.

FNB Namibia Holdings worked closely with WSP Building Services, Africa to identify further opportunities to increase the point value for a comfortable 5 Star rating of 64 points. The project includes the following innovation aspects that contributed to the 5 Star Rating:
Community Accessible bicycle racks, for use by building visitors and community members for nearby amenities.

Significant energy savings as each light fitting in the office area is fitted with an occupancy sensor, this initiative reduces energy consumption on the building which is a substantial environmental benefit as less energy is wasted through active lights in areas where there are no occupants.

As part of the project development, community traders’ stalls and amenities have been installed on the active street network along Independence avenue.
FNB has implemented a Waste and Recycling Management Plan, that addresses operational waste production, suitable storage and how operational waste is diverted from landfill for the life of the building
Inclusion of an access flooring system that contains recycled content, and can be fully recycled after use.

Gregory Rice, Green Star SA Accredited Professional Sustainability Consultant (Associate) explains: “The Green Star SA rating tools consist of eight environmental categories (and a ninth for Innovation) which include: Management, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use and Ecology, and Emissions. These categories are subdivided into credits which address an initiative that aims at improving environmental performance for the building. Points are awarded to the design or building (as “Design” or “As built” certifications are allowed for) according to the categories and after appropriate environmental weighting, a calculated score is assigned to the design or building. This score is then converted into a Green Star SA rating.”

There are two types of ratings that can be applied for: “Design” or “As built”. The Design rating is a certification of the project’s sustainable design, prior to construction. The reason for this certification is so that the building can be marketed as Green Star SA certified to attract tenants, investors and/or buyers. Once the building is constructed, an “As built” certification can be applied for. In both instances, the certified rating must be achieved no later than 24 months after Practical Completion of the building. The As Built rating is based on actual building design, system operation and comprehensive commissioning to optimize the operations of the installed systems. The contractor carried out commissioning in accordance with CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers) requirements. This detailed process ensures that the systems have been tested comprehensively, and have been optimized to operate at peak performance. – NDN Staffer