WINDHOEK, June 9 — The Nedbank Namibia Campus, which stands in the Windhoek central business district, on Freedom Plaza, on the corner of Rev. Michael Scott Street and Fidel Castro Street, was officially inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob on Tuesday, 31 May.
Built at an estimated cost of N$ 495 million, the Nedbank Campus now wears the crown of commercial real estate investments in Namibia, with its striking design, innovative working environment and a groundbreaking 6-star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, pending approval.
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Namibia, Dr. Hage G. Geingob, delivered the Keynote Address at the Nedbank Campus Inauguration event, where he emphasized on the promotion of green energies. “Since independence, we have demonstrated a consistent commitment towards the promotion of a greener, environmentally friendly world through the reduction of our carbon footprint. Whether through the promotion of Green energies or via the commitment to the call for Ocean-Based Climate Action, Namibia continues to demonstrate its commitment toward a low carbon, climate-resilient future. Thus, it is pleasing to take note that Nedbank Namibia is placing great importance towards ensuring that the Namibian banking sector plays a vital role in accelerating the local market’s transition towards a lower-carbon energy future,” the President said.
Nedbank Namibia’s Managing Director, Martha Murorua, in her welcoming address elaborated on how the new Nedbank Campus symbolizes a new chapter in the bank’s history, “Over the past couple of years, Nedbank employees were scattered across 6 different buildings in Windhoek which has created silos in the organization.
The investment into our campus building is not only good for our environment but offers better control and governance environment, better health, productivity and enables us to grow and develop our staff and encourage unity and excellent collaboration. Furthermore, this state-of-the-art building will help advance our digital strategy to heed to your call of improving financial inclusion,” Murorua said.
Official remarks on the day were also delivered by the Nedbank Africa Regions Managing Executive, Terence Sibiya, who reiterated the bank’s mission as a financial services provider. “Our mission as a bank is to partner with individuals, businesses, government, and society to manage their money better and make a positive impact in their lives, their businesses, and their communities. We see our purpose or our overarching reason we exist as using our financial expertise to do good for individuals, families, businesses, and society. We prioritised 9 of the 17 SDGs, where we believe we have the greatest ability to deliver meaningful impact through innovation in our banking products. These nine goals are being championed by nine group executives who are mandated to ensure that the percentage of our lending and investment towards sustainable development finance grows in a manner commensurate with the needs of our clients,” Sibiya mentioned.
The Nedbank Campus building design has achieved a 5-star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, which performed the rating on behalf of the Green Building Council of Namibia.
The design team then submitted the as-built documentation to the Green Building Council in April 2022. This is to obtain an as-built rating which is based on what was actually constructed as opposed to the design. If Nedbank obtains this rating, it will be the first new-built 6-star building in the country, and the only one in the Nedbank Group.
The green square mile
In June 2017, Nedbank Namibia acquired the land at Freedom Plaza, on the corner of Rev. Michael Scott Street and Fidel Castro Street in the Windhoek CBD, to build its new headquarters.
In September 2018 the conceptual design and budget for the building were approved, with a total of 6 253 design drawings being issued.
“We are extremely pleased to note that 310 direct and 930 indirect jobs were created during the 886 610.8-man hours which were spent on the construction of the Nedbank Campus, especially during a time when the construction industry was facing massive difficulties,” said Selma Kaulinge, Manager: Communications & PR at Nedbank Namibia
The work-space of the future
Made up of 10 floors, including the ground floor, and 5 basement parking floors, the Nedbank Campus will house approximately 500 Nedbank Staff, who were previously working from 4 different corporate locations.
The workspace design allows for an inclusive culture which encourages engagement, collaboration, and innovation. Staff can choose to work at their workstation or from the many other workspace areas around the building including, the first-floor pod area, designated hot desks, as well as quiet rooms located on each floor.
The Nedbank Campus has 27 meeting rooms, all named after Namibian Conservancies, which are each furnished with the top of range audio-visual and digital capabilities, offering a superior client and employee experience. Of these meeting rooms. 11 meeting rooms are situated in the first-floor client engagement area, while 16 are situated throughout the rest of the building.
When walking through the Nedbank Campus, one will see a carefully curated collection of Namibian artworks, with just under 100 original artworks created by Namibian artists including, Papa Shikongeni, Hage Mukwendje, Tony Figueira, as well as John Muafangejo.
The Nedbank Sky Garden is a key green feature of the Nedbank Campus. The space, which is filled with endemic and drought-resistant plants, is one of the building’s most unique features.
Since moving into the Nedbank Campus, staff, as well as guests, have enjoyed the breath-taking 180-degree views seen from the 7th floor of the building. The indoor-outdoor space can be used for a multitude of engagements, including having a bite to eat with colleagues, team meetings, and staff braais, as well as for hosting internal and external events.
Innovative efficiency
The building has energy efficient air-conditioning, 100% LED lighting and lighting control, and uses 45.5% less energy than a conventional building of similar size and function.
By re-using grey water, harvesting rainwater and introducing water-saving sanitary fittings, the building requires 45% less water from the municipal supply than a conventional building of similar size and function.
“Energy consumption is one of the most important aspects of the green rating system and requires intense focus on the quality of the indoor environment, including the amount of fresh air, external views, thermal comfort, and noise output level,” Kaulinge explained.
“The performance levels of energy, waste, and water are regularly displayed on the various screens around the building to foster awareness of the consumption levels to staff,” she added.
The Nedbank Campus has not only completely changed the Windhoek CBD skyline with its incredible design, but it actually also physically embodies Nedbank’s green aspirations of being… ‘A great place to work… A great place to bank… and A great place to invest.’ – Additional reporting by Nedbank Namibia.
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