Growthpoint Properties received three acknowledgements for excellence in innovation, green building and commercial office property development at this year’s South African Property Owners Association’s (SAPOA) Innovative Excellence in Property Development Awards.
The awards were presented last week in Cape Town, and applaud property professionals who undertake massive projects that result in globally competitive property developments.
Norbert Sasse, CEO of Growthpoint Properties, says these awards celebrate exceptional design quality, green building, originality and efficiency in the commercial, industrial, residential and other property spaces, and showcase some of the country’s most significant property achievements.
Growthpoint performed well in this year’s awards, and its newly-developed Growthpoint App scooped a commendation for its innovation in the property sector.
The development of No. 5 Silo at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, of which Growthpoint is the 50% co-owner, took the overall green award for its contribution to ongoing leadership of green building in the country, as well as winning the category for commercial office development.
Sasse says this is the fourth year running that Growthpoint has been acknowledged for its innovation by the awards. Last year the ground-breaking Greenovate Awards programmes took the first place in this category.
This is also the second successive year that Growthpoint has won the commercial office property development award. In 2016 its Ridgeview office development, which achieved Durban’s first 5-Star Green Star SA rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), won this group.
“These awards underscore Growthpoint’s ongoing commitment to provide space to thrive with innovative and sustainable property solutions. Receiving this award from SAPOA is a testament to the passion and commitment to excellence of all our people involved in the winning initiatives,” says Sasse.
“We are justifiably proud of what our teams have achieved, and we are also delighted to have our excellence in green building, commercial office development and innovation in the sector recognised by SAPOA.”
Taking the only commendation in the entire awards programme in 2017 for the fiercely-contested innovation category, Sasse says the Growthpoint App offers much more than your standard leasing app. It places its entire office property portfolio at the tip of anybody’s finger, and provides a valuable tool for brokers.
Also, Sasse says an exciting and unique feature - available to the public for the first time in South Africa - gives users the ability to access information on water and electricity savings on a building-to-building basis.
Users of the Growthpoint App can filter information by various criteria, including location, building size, green star rating or sector, enabling them to find exactly what they require. The application allows users to experience features such as video, as well as access marketing essentials including brochures and blueprints. Parking ratios and vacancy rates are also visible for each building.
Winning the esteemed overall green award, No. 5 Silo is the new multi-tenant commercial development at the V&A Waterfront, and recognising its industry leading and environmentally sustainable design, it was awarded a prestigious 6-Star Design Rating by the GBCSA.
No. 5 Silo forms part of the broader V&A Waterfront’s Silo District development, which also includes the reimagining of the historical old Grain Silo complex by internationally-renowned designer Thomas Heatherwick. When complete later this year, it will house the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA).
Sasse says the No. 5 Silo building draws on the rich industrial and marine history of the area to create a cutting-edge and sustainable office building for the discerning tenant. For its success as a leading office space, it also won the category for commercial development.
Growthpoint is a JSE-listed REIT and an international property company, it owns and manages a diversified portfolio of 533 properties, including 473 properties in South Africa, 59 properties in Australia through its investment in Australian Stock Exchange-listed Growthpoint Properties Australia, and a 50% interest in the properties of the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.
It also owns a 26.9% stake in the €1 billion property portfolio of London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market-listed Globalworth Real Estate Investment, the largest owner of office space in Romania.