Over the past decade, the density of office buildings has increased in a bid for ever-increasing efficiency. To keep energy costs low, tightly sealed buildings included windows that don’t open. But in the era of the Covid pandemic, sustainable buildings incorporate innovation that has a positive environmental influence on its location as well as on how the building breathes.
The Ridge, a new commercial building in the Portswood District of the V&A Waterfront has demonstrated "World Leadership", earning a 6 Green Star Office Design rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
'Living Breathing Building-organism'
Included in the Green Star innovation points awarded to the Ridge by the GBCSA assessors, the scorecard recognised the innovative systems that contribute towards a comfortable indoor climate for office workers. These have given the Ridge its reference as a 'Living Breathing Building-organism' so-dubbed by the design team. The building's cross-laminated timber façade plays a major role in the indoor comfort of all building occupants - with its functionally, natural material grabbing the attention of the green building assessors.
According to the certification, the Ridge exceeded the base entry scorecard level of 75 for a 6 Star Office design rating, by achieving a total 80 design points.
Further innovation points were given for its mixed-mode ventilation, using mainly fresh air and having openable windows. An unusual innovation credit was given for the highly creative use of plastic waste as ecobricks inside non-load bearing concrete floor slabs, to displace the use of conventional concrete or polystyrene ‘void formers’. This appears to have been a first for a South African commercial building and achieves various sustainability goals.
Lisa Reynolds, CEO at the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) says, “The Ridge represents the V&A’s commitments to world-class sustainability leadership as well as showcasing local built environment professional talent capable of delivering innovative sustainable design.
“Green buildings like The Ridge help to inspire a built environment in which both people and planet thrive”, she adds.
'Natural light and fresh air'
According to Vusi Nondo, Executive Head of Development at the V&A Waterfront, there is also much more to the Ridge than some environmental firsts, “The V&A Waterfront’s ethical development approach defines our master planning which focuses on sustainability and care for the people who will use the building. This approach is ‘Our Normal’, a vision to set the tone for sustainable green building, guiding our planning and development strategies.
“A vital part of our circular economy is the focus on people. This building creates an unparalleled internal environment with the highest level of natural light and fresh air, a virtual oasis in the city. Occupants and visitors can enjoy inspiring views, inner green spaces which include a groundbreaking ‘central street’ concept naturally ventilated with fresh air, breakaway zones, and an all-round environment conducive to productivity.
“The Ridge is the very opposite of conventional city buildings which are dominated by concrete and glass. Its pioneering timber façade and mixed-mode natural ventilation mechanical systems are firsts for South Africa”, he explains.
These passive design features include:
- A 'central street' from an air circulation perspective - meaning a large atrium beginning at ground level, which allows for upward air circulation out through special windows in the roof lights.
- A thermally activated building system (TABS) which uses water pipes embedded into concrete soffits (above where people work) to create large thermal ‘sinks’ that regulate temperatures inside the office spaces.
- Natural ventilation, as allowed by openable windows in the timber façade.
- Underfloor displacement ventilation, which allows the circulation of temperature-regulated air into the offices when the building is forced to use air conditioning (HVAC).
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Georgina Smit, Head of Technical at the GBCSA explains that a 6 star Green Star Design rating at the project design stage represents an intent to achieve a sustainability performance level that equates to world leadership, exceeding South African excellence (5 star) and industry best practice (4 star).
“Six-star ratings are unusual in SA and is not an easy achievement for a design rating. Only nine other offices have achieved this accolade to date, either through our Design or As Built rating, or both, since 2010. It involves a committed client, a dedicated professional team and an integrated design approach by all” she adds.
Mark Noble, Development Director at the V&A Waterfront and the project leader says: "We believe that this is one of the most unique green buildings in Africa, if not the world.
"This has been a fascinating journey for us, supported by Deloitte, who subscribe to sustainable and green building, and actively promote the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
"In a highly challenging year for the whole property industry with the pandemic, our getting this accolade required dedication and great skills from an outstanding professional team in reaching the practical completion stage in the face of lockdowns and extreme human safety restrictions”, he concludes.
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