+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 17

IMPACT 

Official publication of the Green 

Building Council of South Africa 

15 17 

Inside 

UPFRONT

IMPACT 

The official publication of GBCSA 

Editor 

Alexis Knipe 

alexis@greeneconomy.media 

Director 

Danielle Solomons 

dani@positive-impact.africa 

Professional Membership Partners 

Editorial Contributors 

Anne Schaeffer 

Chris Whyte 

David Baggs 

Direshni Naiker 

Melinda Hardisty 

Nicole Cameron 

Roxanne Dovey 

GBCSA Editorial Advisory 

Georgina Smit 

Jenni Lombard 

Jo Anderson 

Design and Layout 

Carla Lawrence, CDC Design 

Media Sales 

Gerard Jeffcote 

Glenda Kulp 

Tanya Duthie 

Vania Reyneke 

Joint Publishers 

Gordon Brown 

gordon@greeneconomy.media 

Danielle Solomons 

danielle@greeneconomy.media 

Co-Publisher: GEM 

Alexis Knipe 

Production Administrator 

Melanie Taylor 

Web Digital and Social Media 

Steven Mokopane 

MPeople Resourcing (Pty) Ltd 

t/a GreenEconomy.Media 

Reg no. 2005/003854/07 

Chief Executive Officer 

Lisa Reynolds 

Finance & Operations 

Manager 

Levinia Palmer 

Marketing Manager 

Christy Borman 

Consulting Engineers South Africa 

CALLING ALL THOUGHT LEADERS 

+Impact Magazine, the official publication of the GBCSA, presents thought leadership from local and international green building commentators and 

practitioners, and showcases the excellent work of GBCSA members. 

Are you a thought leader in your relevant field? GBCSA members are invited to submit stories about projects, design concepts, materials, research and 

anything else that promotes a healthy sustainable built environment. Submit a 100-word description of your content idea to: alexis@greeneconomy.media 

ADVERTISE WITH US 

For advertising and sponsored content contact Danielle Solomons 081 7800 233 

Advertising rates are discounted for GBCSA members and further discounts are available for booking multiple editions in 2022. 

TALK TO US Subcribe to newsletter | www.greeneconomy.media 

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any way or in any form without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The opinions expressed herein are not 

necessarily those of the GBCSA or the Publisher. All editorial and advertising contributions are accepted on the understanding that the contributor either owns or has obtained all necessary copyrights and 

permissions. GBCSA and the Publisher do not endorse any claims made in the publication by or on behalf of any organisations or products. Please address any concerns in this regard to the Publisher. 

POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 17 

3

2-4 Nov 2022 

Calling all Exhibitors. 

Make valuable connections 

with over 800 influential 

leaders, decision-makers, 

and built environment 

professionals. 

The exhibition village at the Green Building 

Convention is a vibrant space where all 

delegates meet throughout Convention to 

network and engage with the latest technology, 

green products, services, projects, and initiatives. 

Put your sustainability 

credentials on show. 

OPTION 1: 3M X 2M SPACE ONLY 

Member: ZAR 12 500 ex VAT 

Non-Member: ZAR 13 500 ex VAT 

OPTION 2: 3M X 3M SPACE ONLY 

Member: ZAR 17 000 ex VAT 

Non-Member: ZAR 18 500 ex VAT 

Century City Conference 

Centre, Cape Town 

& Virtually 

6 

7 

8 

10 

12 

20 

22 

28 

32 

36 

42 

44 

47 

48 

49 

Our Editorial Advisory Board 

EDITOR’S NOTE 

By Alexis Knipe 

Steibel Eltron 

MAKING AN IMPACT 

News and notes 

AN IMPROVED FUTURE 

Ikusasa is the new addition to the Oxford 

Parks vibrant precint in Johannesburg 

Big Red Eco Tanks 

AFRICA INSIDE 

A look at Nigeria’s first Green Star 

rated interiors 

INNER-CITY LIVING 

ABSA Tower Main has just been certified 

THE VALUE OF CERTIFYING 

AN INTERIOR FITOUT 

Places that protect people’s health 

and wellbeing through design 

THE INSIDE TRACK 

Exxaro’s The ConneXXion 

CARBON CONSTRUCTION 

The energy embodied within materials, 

technology and products is a key factor 

in a building’s carbon footprint 

DECARBONISING THE AFRICAN 

BUILT ENVIRONMENT 

A materials and certification perspective 

GREENING PRODUCTS 

Environmental claims and declarations 

GREEN GLOBE 

TECLA: and this little house was made 

of technology and clay 

GREEN PRODUCT CATALOGUE 2022 

50 African Hardwood 

52 Derbigum Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd 

54 Harvey Roofing Products 

CONTENTS 

BOOK YOUR STAND 

www.gbcsaconvention.org.za 


5

IMPACT 

EDITOR’S NOTE 

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD 

BOB VAN BEBBER 

Bob van Bebber, a senior director at Boogertman + Partners spearheads the conceptualisation 

and delivery of many of the practices’ large complex projects. From Soccer City, the main 

stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to large mixed-use precincts as well as the largest 

single tenanted corporate head office in the southern hemisphere for Discovery Health. 

He was recently recognised by the South African Professional Awards as the winner of the 

Professional of the Year: Architecture Class Award as well as the Overall Professional of the 

Year for 2019. Van Bebber’s passion extends into urban design, interior design and education. 

www.boogertmanandpartners.com 

GRAHAME CRUICKSHANKS 

Grahame Cruickshanks has worked as a professional architect, sustainability consultant and 

management consultant with 20 years of experience in the design, construction and property 

industry. Focusing much of his career on green buildings and an expert in his field, he has worked 

on a variety of Green Star and BREEAM certified projects and other building projects in South 

Africa, Singapore and the UK. Prior to joining Growthpoint Properties as the head of sustainability 

and utilities, Cruickshank’s previous roles included managing executive for market engagement 

at the GBCSA and manager at EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services. 

www.growthpoint.co.za 

JUTTA BERNS 

Jutta Berns is an industry leader and one of South Africa’s first internationally accredited 

green building professionals, establishing her company Ecocentric in 2007. She has degrees 

from the Universities of Bonn (Germany) and Cambridge (UK), and a diverse blue-chip client 

base. Berns specialises in sustainable and net-zero solutions for large property portfolios. 

She has several LEED Platinum and 6-Star Green Star projects in her portfolio, is a GBCSA 

faculty member, a Green Star Assessor and GBCSA TAG member, and winner of the Gauteng 

Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Award by the Women’s Property Network and 2019 winner of 

the Established Green Star Awards by the GBCSA. 

www.ecocentric.co.za 

MANFRED BRAUNE 

Braune currently holds the position of Director: Environmental Sustainability at the 

University of Cape Town (UCT), where he leads the strategy and implementation of 

environmental sustainability across all spheres of the university since early 2019. He has 

also served as a non-executive director of GBCSA in a voluntary role since August 2020. 

Braune’s background is as a professional engineer, having worked at WSP Group for over 

10 years as a consulting engineer, where he then started and led WSP’s green building 

business for three years and then worked for the GBCSA for 10 years. 

MARLOES REININK 

Marloes Reinink is owner of Solid Green Consulting. With an academic background in 

innovation and architecture, she has been working as a sustainable building consultant for 

more than 15 years in South Africa and Africa. She founded Solid Green in 2010, which is one 

of the leading sustainability consultancies in Africa and achieved its 100th green building 

certification in October 2020. Reinink’s passion is advocating for a greener built environment 

and she recently started GreenED, an online education platform for sustainability in the 

sector. Reinink is an ambassador for the International Living Future Institute; a Living Future 

accredited professional; and a facilitator of the SA Collaborative Network for a Living Future. 

www.solidgreen.co.za 

https://www.uct.ac.za/main/explore-uct/sustainability 

Welcome to the 17th issue of +Impact magazine. Our 

theme for this edition is sustainable materials and the 

interior space. 

With the dawning of post-Covid in everyone’s hopes 

and prayers, people have become more aware of their environments 

and are seeking places inside that protect their health and wellbeing 

through design that prevents indoor air pollution while being visually, 

thermally and acoustically comfortable (page 32). 

At the same time, the built sector worldwide has a major role to play 

in addressing climate change with buildings constituting 39% (almost 

half) of global carbon emissions. And highlighting its role, the World 

Green Building Council (WorldGBC) in 2018 launched the Net Zero 

Carbon Buildings by 2050 Commitment in line with the objectives of 

the Paris Agreement. 

South Africa’s grid has always been carbon intensive, and so reducing 

our built sector’s carbon’s emissions is best achieved by targeting 

operational energy consumption. But in addition, the focus of reducing 

emissions in the built sector should move to targeting embodied carbon. 

Embodied carbon results from producing, procuring and installing 

materials and components that make up a construction (page 42). 

David Baggs, CEO of Global GreenTag, tells us in his article on 

page 47 that carbon emissions released before the infrastructure begins 

to be used, previously known as embodied carbon, are now being called 

“upfront carbon” for clarity and unless addressed, will be responsible 

for half of the entire carbon footprint of new construction by 2050. 

The WorldGBC and GBCs around the world, including GBCSA, have 

endorsed the enhanced focus on tackling upfront carbon emissions at 

the same time as moving to eliminate net operational emissions by 2050. 

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool allows for the estimation of all the 

impacts, including carbon emissions for building materials from the raw 

material extraction phase, through manufacturing, packaging, transport 

etc. Summary LCA reports or Environmental Product Declarations 

(EPDs) are the starting point that allow various stakeholders to review 

how they can contribute to decarbonising the built environment. Do not 

miss Direshni Naiker’s article on the process of mininsing the impact 

of building products and materials (page 47). 

I leave you now to ponder the upfront and the inside – and while you 

do so, please delve into our Green Star properties showcase: Exarro’s, 

The ConneXXion (recently certified with a 4-Star Interiors rating) on 

page 36, Ikusasa (Oxford Parks) on page 12, Absa Towers (page 28) and 

the little house made out of technology and clay on page 48. 

Alexis Knipe 

Editor 

Inside Upfront 

6 POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 17 POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 17 

7

STIEBEL ELTRON 

IN HOT WATER: 

WHEN YOU NEED IT, 

HOW YOU NEED IT! 

The fully electronic DCE-X instant 

water heater provides hot water at the 

exact temperature you have set – every 

time. 4i technology guarantees that any 

factors which would change the outlet 

temperature are compensated for. This 

way you can enjoy a shower in comfort, 

even when someone is washing their 

hands at the adjacent washbasin. 

Due to the special haptic rotary selector, 

the appliance is very easy to operate. 

Settings and adjustments are intuitive 

and take very little time. The set water 

temperature, ECO level and current power 

consumption can be seen clearly and concisely 

on the illuminated multifunction display. Energy 

consumption, flow rate, time, status, and service 

display can be checked in the lower area. Features 

include: 

• Instantaneous water heater with full electronic 

control 

• 4i technology for first class DHW convenience: 

The right temperature, every time 

• For supplying several draw-off points with 

DHW 

• Easy operation via large backlit multifunction 

display 

• ECO mode for highly frugal operation 

• Energy and water consumption indicators for 

maximum transparency 

• Individually programmable temperature 

memory buttons 

Comprehensive comfort and safety functions, 

such as temperature limit, wellness shower 

program, automated bath filling and childproofing. 

010 001 8547 

www.stiebel-eltron.co.za 

COMPACT DCE-X PREMIUM 

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– A COMPACT APPLIANCE WITH 

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The DCE-X Premium compact instantaneous 

water heater, as the first in its class to feature 

4i technology, works so precisely that accurate 

temperature delivery is guaranteed at all times. 

Frequently used temperature settings can be 

stored with the aid of two memory keys. As 

water is heated only shortly prior to draw-off, 

energy efficiency is increased. 

Precise information at a glance. 

The illuminated multifunction display enables 

easy operation of the appliance. It also shows 

the set water temperature at all times. Precise 

information on the current power consumption, 

energy consumption, flow rate and time, as well 

as status and service indicators, can be accessed 

as required. 

Space is not an issue. 

Thanks to its compact design, the DCE-X 

Premium is suitable for the kitchen sink, 

washbasin, and even the shower. In commercial 

settings, it can be used in utility rooms or for 

supplying multiple hand washbasins in sanitary 

facilities. 

• Fully electronic compact instantaneous water 

heater with 4i technology 

• Maximum energy efficiency and accurate 

temperature delivery at all times thanks to 

fully electronic closed-loop control 

• Easy operation via a large, backlit 

multifunction display 

• Particularly energy efficient in ECO mode 

• High grade design 

• Two temperature memory keys 

• Permanently selectable temperature limit can 

be set to 43 °C, 50 °C or 55 °C 

EIL - ELECTRONICALLY 

CONTROLLED MINI 

INSTANTANEOUS 

WATER HEATER 

With closed-loop control, outlet 

temperature sensor and variable 

flow rate restriction. Accurate 

temperature delivery up to the 

maximum output. Including 

special aerator for perfect water 

flow pattern and integral flow 

meter for fitting in existing 

taps (M22/24 thread). Antiscalding 

protection for high 

inlet temperatures via automatic 

output adjustment. Suitable 

for oversink and undersink 

installation. 

Maintenance-free bare wire 

heating system, suitable for hard 

and soft water. Safety system with 

high pressure switch and electronic 

temperature monitoring. Maximum 

permissible inlet temperature 

55 °C, maximum permissible inlet 

temperature for reheating up to 

50 °C. 

• Can be operated with 

pressurised and nonpressurised 

taps 

• Accurate temperature delivery 

up to the maximum output 

• Special aerator for perfect 

flow pattern 

Internal temperature limit 

from 30 to 50 °C 

WPL 25 AC(S) INVERTER 

AIR | WATER HEAT 

PUMP WITH OUTPUT- 

DEPENDENT CONTROL 

Designed as a compact mono block 

appliance for outdoor installation. 

Can be used for heating, hot water 

8 POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 17 


and cooling in new builds and 

modernisation projects due to the 

high flow temperatures. 

Optimum noise reduction due to 

encapsulated refrigerant circuit and 

acoustically isolated compressor. The 

wide gaps between the evaporator 

fins create low air resistance and, 

in combination with the modulating 

fan, result in a low sound power level. 

The combined enhanced vapour 

injection/enhanced saturated vapour 

injection cools the scroll compressor 

at low outside temperatures, 

enabling a higher heating output/ 

flow temperature to be achieved. 

• Air-water heat pump installed 

outdoors for hot water, heating 

and cooling 

• With energy efficient inverter 

technology for high flow 

temperatures 

• Suitable for buildings set closely 

together thanks to low operating 

noise 

• Can be combined with a solar 

thermal system 

• High energy efficiency class A++ 

even at a flow temperature of 

>55 °C 

WWK 304 ZA IS A 

COMPACT AIR|WATER 

HEAT PUMP DESIGNED 

SPECIFICALLY 

FOR OUTDOOR 

INSTALLATION 

The heat pump unit and the 

cylinder made from steel, with 

a special enamel coating on 

the inside, and installed in one 

casing. The unit is supplying 

hot water to several draw-off 

points. Naturally, it can also 

be used for indoor installation. 

Attractive design, cylinder with 

high grade thermal insulation 

and outstanding efficiency/COP 

values. Very quiet operation 

thanks to sound-insulated 

compressor. 

• SABS tested, designed for the 

South African market 

• Suitable for outdoor 

installation (from -5°C up to 

42°C) 

• Hygienic Hot Water 

temperature of > 60 °C in 

efficient heat pump mode only 

• Maintenance-free impressed 

current anode (saves costs for 

anode checking/replacement 

otherwise required regularly) 

• Quiet compressor, soundisolated 

from the air flow 

• Heat content control via 

integral sensor 

• Rollbond safety condenser 

for maximum security and 

consistently high efficiency 

• Special connection for 

photovoltaic systems 

CENTRAL AIR 

VENTILATION UNIT LWZ 

280 WITH HEAT RECOVERY 

Create a pleasant indoor environment 

in the home with the exclusive LWZ 

280 ventilation unit. It’s extremely 

quiet operation makes the wall 

mounted LWZ 280 ventilation unit 

an excellent choice for apartments, 

detached houses and small 

commercial properties. All functions 

can be very conveniently operated 

with the FEB remote control which 

is available as an option. 

Ensuring the right air quality 

and maximum efficiency at all 

times: With the ventilation unit’s 

optimised heat exchanger, up to 

90 % of the thermal energy can be 

recovered from the extract air. In 

the summer months, the energy 

efficient cooling function of the 

LWZ 280 ensures a high level of 

comfort in the home. 

• Centralised ventilation unit for 

optimum air quality 

• High heat recovery level of up to 

93% 

• Quiet operation thanks to 

significantly reduced noise levels 

• Simple, intuitive operation 

directly at the appliance or as 

an option with the FEB remote 

control 

• New modern STIEBEL ELTRON 

design 

• Easy filter change 

STIEBEL ELTRON 

9

NEWS 

NEWS 

MAKING AN IMPACT 

GBCSA APPOINTMENT 

The GBCSA is pleased to announce 

that André Theys has been 

appointed deputy chairman of 

the board. Andre is the Executive 

Manager: Operations at the V&A 

Waterfront and has served on the 

board of the GBCSA since 2017. 

“André is a board stalwart 

and always raises his hand first 

when practical support for GBCSA is requested. He 

has demonstrated keen strategic insight and a strong 

commitment to the sustainability agenda, on the board 

and through his work,” says Lisa Reynolds, GBCSA CEO. 

With Theys in this important role, the GBCSA looks 

forward to making great green strides toward transforming 

the built environment for people and planet to thrive. 

TÉTRIS RESTRUCTURES 

Tétris Design and Build South Africa has formalised a new 

executive team to lead the growth of the global interior 

architecture firm in its Sub-Saharan African operations. 

Emma Luyt, founder of Tétris, has moved into a position on 

the global board and will now manage a hub that includes 

the Netherlands, UK, Brazil, Morocco and South Africa. 

Sarene Nel is the new Managing Director. 

The Tetris executive committee: Ryan O Donovan, Maggie Weber, Sarene Nel, Steven 

Fish, Mpho Mosotho and Emma Luyt. 

AIR QUALITY IN 2022 

EAPs REGISTRATION DEADLINE EXTENDED 

According to the World Health Organisation, air 

pollution is one of the biggest threats to human health 

next to climate change. In September 2021, the global 

organisation revised its air quality guidelines, reducing 

levels of key pollutants, warning that exceeding the new 

air quality guidelines is associated with “significant 

risk to health”. 

“We associate South Africa with beautiful, clear air, 

but the fact is that many of us are going to work every day 

and breathing in air that is unsafe. Building regulations 

are designed to minimum standards, but employers 

should be looking to maximise the air quality, not only 

because it is the right thing to do, but because of the 

very clear benefits that come with improved air quality,” 

says Edward Hector, MD at SFI Group. 

New research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of 

Public Health shows that air quality in an office can 

“have significant impacts on employees’ cognitive 

function, including response times and ability to focus, 

and it may also affect their productivity.” 

It’s not only those buildings close to refineries and 

other obvious pollutants that suffer from air quality 

challenges. South Africa is a hot country and Hector 

points out that bringing in large volumes of fresh 

air means having to cool it down to a more tolerable 

workplace temperature. 

“The more fresh air you bring in on a hot 32 degree 

day, the harder the air-conditioning system works to 

cool that air down to 21 degrees, and this has associated 

energy costs. When we shifted to green buildings the 

thinking was to minimise fresh air. It’s only now with 

Covid that the thinking has reversed, but there is a 

trade off when it comes to energy costs. The sensible 

route is to ensure the air that is already circulating 

in the building is as clean as possible,” he concludes. 

Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs) have been granted an extension to 8 August 2022 to register with the 

Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa. After the deadline, unregistered EAPs will not 

be permitted to hold primary responsibility for the planning, management, co-ordination or review of environmental 

impact assessments and environmental management programmes. 

SUSTAINABILITY GROWS IN EAST AFRICA 

The focus on sustainability in building design and 

construction is set to become sharper over the next 12 

months, according to leading East African architecture 

and engineering practice FBW Group. 

FBW is calling for more work to create the circular 

economy in Africa and says that the issue will have an 

increasing impact on building design and construction, not 

just regionally but globally. The Group believes a continuing 

focus on sustainable design and the increased use of locally 

sourced African materials is vital moving forward. 

The African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy 

Fund for Africa (SEFA) have approved a combined-equity 

investment of $20-million in the AfricaGoGreen Fund. It 

is a debt fund established to promote private investments 

in energy-efficient technologies and business models. 

The new investments come on top of a $11.5-million 

equity contribution approved by the Nordic Development 

Fund at the end of last year. 

It has also been reported that Rwanda is to receive a 

$12.5-million grant from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau 

(KfW), a German development agency, to support its Kigali 

Green City project. The sustainable urban development 

project will be built on land near the Rwandan capital. 

FBW is a major player in the region’s construction sector. 

It has operated in East Africa for more than 25 years, working 

on high-profile infrastructure projects enabled and driven 

by international investment. MD Paul Moores says: “When 

it comes to the circular economy, in construction that means 

a focus on more reliable, locally sourced products, created 

out of natural and traditional African materials. Apart from 

clay and stone products these could be bioplastics or natural 

fibre boards. 

“Added to that is the need to drive the industry towards 

recycling products on a larger scale, even including 

something as basic as using reclaimed products in concrete.” 

He believes the will is there to do better and adds: 

“Businesses want to do the right thing when it comes to 

the environment and the construction sector must rise to 

that challenge. 

“It means a continuing emphasis on sustainable design 

and construction strategies. The challenge begins during 

35TH COROBRIK STUDENT 

REGIONAL WINNER 

International School of Kigali in Rwanda. 

the design stage and the work needed to reduce embodied 

carbon in buildings.” 

FBW Group is committed to sustainability and ecological 

considerations in its building designs. It has gained a 

wealth of practical experience in the design and delivery 

of sustainable building solutions and is a member of the 

Kenyan Green Building Society, which is part of the World 

Green Building Council. 

It is also a champion of the EDGE green building 

certification system. The Kenyan government has declared 

that all affordable housing development projects under the 

nation’s “Big Four” agenda must meet the EDGE standard. 

FBW’s work to create a green campus for the International 

School of Kigali in Rwanda is an example of that sustainable 

approach – from its natural ventilation to the products 

used in construction. 

The project will use locally made, eco-friendly brickwork, 

fired through a low embodied carbon technique. 

A thesis that centres around how humanity has 

positioned itself with modern technology and how this 

manifests through the typology of the power station 

has seen Enrico Pescivolo from the University of the 

Witwatersrand declared a regional winner in the 2022 

Corobrik Student Architecture Awards. 

Entitled “Obsoles[s]ence: Recharting humanity’s 

relationship with technology through the adaptive reuse 

of the Kelvin Power Station”, Pescivolo’s thesis aims to transform the symbolism of the power station from “that of 

environmental destruction and the flawed modern technological attitude towards a symbol of innovation and recharted 

technological attitudes for the future, building off of the errors of the past”. This idea is reinforced dealing with 

decommissioned power stations, when considering their adaptive reuse as the end of an era of obsolete technology 

and attitudes birthing the beginning of a new. 



11

PROJECT 

AN IMPROVED 

FUTURE 

“Ikusasa”, meaning “the future” in Zulu, is an appropriate name for the new 

addition to Oxford Park’s vibrant precinct, located in Rosebank, Johannesburg. 

With registration for 6-Star Green Star Design and As-build Office v1.1 

certifications, along with registration for a Net Zero level 1 certification, 

the 7 500m² building is the new home of the Anglo American Global Shared 

Services space. 

WORDS Nicole Cameron 

Project nutshell 

Project dates: 12-month construction programme 

ended 15 February 2022 

Green Star rating: Registration for both Design and 

As-build Office v1.1 rating and 

registered for Net Level 1 rating 

Location: Oxford Parks precinct, Dunkeld, 

Rosebank 

Type of building: Office building consisting of four 

basement levels and four office 

buildings 

Project cost: Construction cost +/- R200-million 

12 


POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 17 13

PROJECT 

Proud to have delivered South Africa’s 

first GBCSA 4, 5, 6 Star & Net Zero 

Certified Buildings 

To explore the future of sustainable architecture, and 

to take a look back at our iconic history, visit our website 

www.glh.co.za 

With a 12-month construction programme 

ending 15 February 2022, the striking 

new building is the result of an 

incredible team effort. Developed by 

Intaprop, designed by GHL Architects (base building 

architecture), Paragon Interface (interior architecture 

and design) and built by Concor and professionally 

accredited by sustainability consultancy Solid Green, 

together with several other consultants and contractors. 

Concor contracts manager Martin Muller sums up 

the finished product by saying: “The entire project 

looks amazing and adds to the overall scheme of the 

Oxford Parks precinct.” Indeed, nestled into its position 

at 7 Parks Boulevard, the high-quality building serves to 

exemplify a node which embodies a modern, dynamic, 

high-street culture together with the connectivity of 

business, life and leisure. 

“At Anglo American, everything we do is driven by 

our purpose, which is to re-imagine mining to improve 

people’s lives. A core part of that is our contribution, on 

a day-to-day basis, to help usher in a low-carbon future. 

We are aiming to be carbon neutral by 2040, with an 

ambition to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 50% – also 

by 2040,” says Anton Uys, corporate services manager 

for the Anglo American Group in South Africa. 

Comprising of four basement floors and four 

office floors, the building has been designed with 

sustainability features throughout. “Elements such 

as solar and water harvesting, wet waste composting, 

recycling and a range of energy efficiency interventions 

have been incorporated,” says Uys. “In addition, we are 

applying the principles of a circular economy by using 

as many elements as possible from our old building 

and donating other furniture and fixtures to non-profit 

organisations in desperate need of these.” 

In terms of Green Star, three main requirements 

had to be met before the project commenced with 

demolition and construction: a Waste Management 

Plan (WMP), an Environmental Management Plan 

(EMP), and a Hazardous Waste Management Survey 

on existing buildings. To reduce waste to landfill 

during building operations, a waste recycling storage 

was provided in the basement, which accommodated 

paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and cans as well as 

metals. Great care was taken to ensure that all selected 

gaseous and fire suppression systems, refrigerants and 

thermal insulants used for the development had an 

Ozone Depleting Potential (OPD) of zero to eliminate 

any contributions to long-term damage to the earth’s 

stratospheric ozone layer. 

The interior of the building is based on 

the notion of “progressive minimalism” 

– the design advocates Anglo 

American’s commitment to progress 

and improvement; and minimalistic in 

that simple elements are used to create 

maximum effect. 

Grosskopff 

Lombart 

Huyberechts 

JOHANNESBURG 

La Roche, 54 The Valley Road, Parktown 

PHONE +27 (0)11 486 2770 

FAX +27 (0)11 486 0552 

WEB www.glh.co.za 

PRETORIA 

Office 1, 267b West Avenue, Centurion 

PHONE +27 (0)12 663 1918 

FAX +27 (0)11 486 0552 

PO Box 521933, Saxonwold, 2132 


15

GRAHAM BERMAN REFRIGERATION SERVICES (PTY) LTD 

PROUDLY INVOLVED IN IKUSASA, ANGLO AMERICAN GSS 

PROJECT 

Supply and installation of new refrigeration equipment: 

• Cold & Freezer rooms • Drop Temp areas 

• Keg rooms 

• Wine Cellars 

• Underbars 

• Fridges & Freezers 

• Blast Chillers 

• Blast Freezers 

• Ice Machines 

• Flower Rooms 

Service department offers servicing and maintenance of all commercial refrigeration: 

• We supply various profiles of door gaskets/door seals 

• Strip curtains 

• Glass and stainless steel shelving/racking for commercial refrigeration 

• Specialists in domestic application cold rooms & storage solutions 

• Maintenance contracts, supply and install air conditioning. 

Tel: 

011 791 7992 

Regent Lighting Solutions supplied lighting 

for the reception area of the Ikusasa building. 

Recessed lights were used in the ceiling as 

well as surface mounted between the wooden 

slats. The Linear 40 was used as there was 

limited space above the ceiling and was also 

installed on special mounting brackets on the 

glass façade to form a continuous L-shape 

with the ceiling-mounted lights. The lengths 

had to be exact as there was no tolerance on 

the glass façade. 

Email: 

info@gbrefrigeration.co.za 

Web: 

www.gbrefrigeration.co.za 

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and maintain quality BMS 

for HVAC, Energy 

management and 

monitoring. 

CONTACT: 

WAYNE ROWNTREE (MANAGING DIRECTOR) 

OFFICE: +27 (0)11 869 4585 

CELL: +27 (0)83 702 1127 

EMAIL: wayne@trendsa.co.za 

JOHANNESBURG CONTROL SOLUTIONS 

www.trendcontrols.com 

A MODEL FOR EFFICIENCY 

To minimise greenhouse gas emissions associated with 

operational energy consumption, an energy model of 

the building was generated during the design state, 

comparing the building to a SANS 10400 notional 

building model. This energy model has helped to 

inform the building design to ensure a high-performing 

building, both externally and internally. The building is 

equipped with solar panels with a capacity of 230kWp; 

with an annual energy production of 385 500kWh, 

which serves to reduce its reliance on energy produced 

from coal substantially, thus reducing the organisation’s 

carbon footprint. 

Inside the building, modelling enabled internal 

operative temperatures to be assessed, to ensure 

that they fell within the ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 

Acceptability Limits for at least 98% of occupied hours, 

thereby ensuring a high level of thermal comfort. 

Building Glazing Performance modelling was also 

carried out and performance values were agreed with 

the architect and mechanical engineer. In terms of 

reducing energy consumption inside, all individual 

or enclosed spaces are individually switched with 

occupancy sensors. The project also saves energy by 

providing office lighting that is not over-designed, 

with an average maintained illuminance level of no 

more than 400 lux. 

“The interiors were designed and constructed to 

give each user a soothing experience, with good flow 

and natural light used for user comfort,” said Muller, 

in terms of which sustainability features really stood 

out for him. Automated blinds perform an important 

role, along with environmental strategies which have 

been implemented to enhance the wellbeing of the 

building’s users such as ample fresh air, access to 

external views and plenty of natural daylight. 

Sub-metering of major energy consuming systems 

is in place, along with sub-metering of water usage. 


Water reduction has to be a key goal for every green 

building, and Ikusasa works towards this through 

the installation of water efficient fittings which limit 

occupant water usage. 

“The project will also target the Watercourse 

Pollution credit, which deals with stormwater runoff. 

It is important that a development like this tries 

to capture the stormwater and reuse it within the 

building or within the precinct. The system has also 

been designed so that minimal pollutants and trash are 

diverted to municipal stormwater channels,” explains 

Annelide Sherratt, Head of Department: Green Building 

Certifications, Solid Green Consulting. 

SHINING OUT FROM THE INSIDE 

Anthony Karam, associate at Paragon Interface, explains 

that from an interior design perspective, the desire to 

showcase Anglo American’s identity as “one brand, one 

culture, one shared purpose”, a sustainable company 

that focuses on its “people, communities, environment, 

safety and health, and social performance” to help 

improve people’s lives and the spaces around them, 

a variety of ideas are drawn into the space to depict 

these concepts. 

“Conceptually, the interior of the building is 

based on the notion of ‘progressive minimalism’ 

The design intent draws from 

Anglo American’s South African 

influences, and interweaves 

the brand’s rich history, mining 

landscapes and peoples. 

17

PROJECT 

Oxford Parks is a sustainable and 

cosmopolitan medium-density urban 

environment that brings 300 000sqm 

of development to the Dunkeld 

Precinct linking Illovo to Rosebank 

along Oxford Road. 

– progressive in that the design advocates Anglo 

American’s commitment to progress and improvement; 

and minimalistic in that simple elements are used to 

create maximum effect; not only in the design sense 

but towards a people-led space which encourages 

inclusivity and diversity, collaboration and innovative 

thinking,” says Karam. “As an atmospheric pallet, the 

materiality of the space ties in a rich combination of 

textures though ‘engineered and expressive detailing’ 

in an interplay of technical materials and natural 

elements. The lighter tones within design are infused 

and celebrated by a minimal yet impactful positive use 

of pops of colour which reflect Anglo Americans core 

brand colours.” 

Karam goes on to say that to create a meaningful space, 

the design intent draws from Anglo American’s South 

African influences, and interweaves the brand’s rich 

history, mining landscapes and peoples – authentically 

embodying a South African Anglo-American aesthetic 

in bold use of colour and design elements. Further, 

the design draws from the humane and responsive 

urban nature of the Oxford Parks precinct, bridging 

the outside and inside relationships by leveraging the 

use of indoor planting and materiality. 

Given the proven benefits of biophilia (the innate 

human instinct to connect with nature and other living 

beings) the Ikusasa building has an indoor horticultural 

maintenance plan that provides one plant unit for every 

50m² of regularly occupied space and specifies that at 

least 70% of the plants incorporated into the fitout are 

suited to indoor environments. 

FUTURE SMART 

“The interior spatial framework includes shared 

employee value propositions such as the restaurant, 

coffee shop and a diverse set of more work focused 

environments such as an innovation hub, showcases. 

The framework puts forward the concept of a ‘future 

smart workplace’, an idea which draws on contemporary 

workplace tools and technology to empower employees, 

providing them the opportunity to creatively work 

within a flexible and adaptable system according to 

their diverse and specific needs, towards enabling 

concentrated work, as well as facilitating agile 

and adaptive business, while strengthening social 

collaboration between colleagues,” says Karam. 

When it comes to the furniture fitout, all primary 

workspaces – with items including but not limited to 

the desk, workstation, restaurant/coffee shop counters, 

reception counter or similar furniture designed for a 

specific task – need to be compliant with ergonomic 

requirements which have been set out by a trained 

professional. The ergonomics professional also 

conducts an assessment for each user interacting 

with the workspace. Jason Mazaham of Perception 

Architects was the universal access consultant on 

the project, reviewing and commenting on access 

throughout the building to ensure inclusivity and access 

within and throughout the building. 

A sustainable building relies on a location that is 

within a short walking distance of public transport 

options. The Ikusasa building has two different modes 

of public transport stops within one kilometre, and 

cyclist facilities are available for those who choose to 

commute via bicycle between home and work. There 

are dedicated tenant parking spaces for transport 

options which are more efficient than cars, such as 

mopeds, scooters, motorbikes, carpooling and/or 

electric vehicles. 

“We are aware that we will not achieve our 

sustainability goals unless we take the necessary steps, 

and the design and how we approach our corporate 

office buildings, like the Ikusasa Building on Oxford 

Parks, is one such example of how we are living our 

purpose,” concludes Uys. 

Leon Fowler 083 377 - 4287 Ilze Lombard 079 902 - 3939 

Proudly involved with the 

Ikusasa (Anglo 

American) Building, 

Oxford Parks 

BASELINE PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

Baseline lead the Anglo American project team. 

Services included: Site Selection RFP, Tenant 

Representative and Project Management, FF&E 

Procurement and Relocation Coordination. 

C: +27 (0) 83 448 8164 | T: +27 (0)11 469 1307 

rod@baselinepm.co.za 

GRO2 CONSULTING 

Congratulations to Intaprop and 

their team for completion of this 

project within time and budget. 

Gro2 Consulting Quantity Surveyors are 

proud to be part of this development. 

T: +27 (0)12 667 0200 | info@gro2.co.za 


19

BIG RED ® 

SOUTH AFRICA’S 

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waste water treatment plants 

FEATURES & BENEFITS 

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• Flow-rates from 1kL/day-400kL/day 

• Domestic plants from 4 people to 12 people (garden cottages to 

large homes) 

• Commercial/industrial custom designed systems up to 2000 people 

• Manufactured using virgin LLDPE 

• 100% recyclable 

• Re-use every drop for irrigation, dust suppression, toilet flushing 

and many other applications 

• Treats combined grey and black “whole house” effluent 

• Eco Tanks is SABS ISO 9001 2017 accredited 

• Discharge parameter meets and exceed DWS general standards 

• Below ground, above ground, containerised for export 

• Biological (AR, MBBR and RAS) process 

• Ideal for remote estates, rural schools, clinics, hospital and urban 

developments 

• No municipal sewer connection available? No problem 

• Cost-effective and efficient and solar compatible 

• Access to sanitation is a right, not a luxury 

: MODULAR 

PACKAGE WASTE WATER 

TREATMENT PLANTS 

After many years of treating waste water with a combination of old school underground 

septic and conservancy tanks, clever plumbing and mechanical know how, the 

technical team behind the Big Red joint venture is proud to release the latest blend 

of technologies in waste water management for domestic and industrial use. 

Big Red is an all-in-one waste water treatment 

system, capable of treating a wide range of 

waste-water conditions, and turning black and 

grey water into recycled effluent for irrigation 

purposes. The development of this product was in 

response to the demand for a packaged solution, and 

was the result of combining all the parts and processes 

required in a successful treatment plant, into one ‘plug 

& play’ unit, which is now available to South Africans 

off-the-shelf and ready to install. 

The design team have created a modular design, 

which is scalable, making the waste water treatment 

plants available in a wide range of sizes. By simply 

connecting one’s domestic sewer pipe to the inlet, 

the black and grey water enters the custom-designed 

multi-chambered septic tank. Here, separation and 

break down of organic solids occur. Partially treated 

effluent gradually feeds into the bio-reactor, oxygen is 

introduced, followed by the aerobic digestion process. 

The treated effluent then enters the disinfection 

chamber, and goes through an in-line chlorinator, 

ready to be used as irrigation water. 

The durable system is manufactured using pure 

linear low-density polyethylene and is 100% recyclable. 

It can be installed below ground, above ground or 

containerised for export. This makes it ideal for remote 

estates, rural schools, clinics, hospitals, and urban 

environments. The product is also cost effective, 

efficient, and solar compatible, and offers flow rates 

from 1kl/day to 500kl/day. Domestic plants can cater 

for between four and 12 people, where commercial or 

industrial, custom-designed systems can cater for up 

to 2 000 people. 

Big Red 75 - Savuti 1 

Big Red HQ 

The systems can effectively treat a combination of 

grey and black “whole house” effluent. 

The Big Red system is South African Bureau of 

Standards- and Organization for Standardization 9001 

2017-accredited, and discharge parameters meet and 

exceed Department of Water and Sanitation general 

standards. This means that the treated effluent is 

discharged lawfully back into the environment. 

“We believe that Big Red is the future for modular 

waste water treatments,” says business director Clinton 

Havenga. “Every drop of water counts, and should be 

re-used for irrigation, dust suppression, toilet flushing 

etc. Access to sanitation is a right, not a luxury, and, as 

market leaders, we are striving to be creative and stay 

true to our brand. Join us on our journey,” he says.. 

WASTE 

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SCAN FOR MORE INFO 


Clinton Havenga 

Cell: +27 82 319 5185 

Clinton@aquao2.co.za 

www.ecotanks.co.za 

www.Aquao2.co.za 

21

INSIDE AFRICA 

A look at Nigeria’s 

first Green Star 

rated interiors 

Two office interiors projects in Nigeria recently became the 

first Green Star rated interiors projects on the continent 

outside South Africa. We investigate the processes 

involved, the contextual challenges and the sustainable 

office spaces that emerged. 

WORDS Melinda Hardisty 

AFRICA 

INSIDE 

Ecocentric 

Unilever’s playful pause 

areas provide staff with 

areas of respite. 


23

INSIDE AFRICA 

INSIDE AFRICA 

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa 

and is home to over 206-million people. In 

turn, Lagos is the country’s most populous 

city with over 14-million residents (some 

estimates have this number closer to 21-million). It 

is a coastal city, extending from the mainland onto 

a collection of islands and land reclaimed from the 

sea. It has a tropical climate with two distinct rainy 

seasons and average temperatures of 24°C to 33°C 

and an average annual relative humidity of 85%. Both 

temperature and humidity levels are expected to rise 

as the result of climate change. It is in this context that 

we find Africa’s first two Green Star rated interiors 

projects outside of South African borders. 

UNILEVER 


Project dates: August 2020 (certified) 

Green Star rating: 4-Star Green Star (Interiors v1) 

Location: Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria 

Type of building: Office Interior 

Project size: 1980m² GLA 

The Unilever offices in Ikeja, Lagos were the first 

offices to target a Green Star rating. Unilever, as a 

global brand, already had its Unilever Sustainable 

Living Plan (USLP) in place, guiding the sustainable 

standards and targets for all developments and 

operations, explains Praveen Sharma, programme 

manager at Unilever. “The driver to pursue a Green 

Star rating came from Unilever and also my passion 

as a project lead to do the right thing when it comes 

to building environmentally friendly workplaces,” 

he adds. 

Unilever was already housed in an existing office 

building and wanted to update two office floors and 

their reception area. DNA Interior Design, based in 

Durban, South Africa, was commissioned to design the 

Unilever’s new open plan 

offices are light and airy 

with pops of colour. 

new offices. DNA’s Julie Anderson describes the brief 

as being “to transform the existing outdated, visually 

cluttered, closed floor plan office into an open plan 

office interior that met Unilever’s global workplace 

standards and attained 4-Star Green Star accreditation”. 

ADAPTING FOR CONTEXT 

Ecocentric’s Jutta Berns, who was the sustainability 

consultant on both projects, explains that the first 

project targeting Green Star rating in a new context 

has to pave the way for others to follow. The team had 

to draw up a Local Context Report (LCR), using the 

proposed Unilever project as a case study in order to 

pursue certification. The report assesses the rating tool 

in the new context and proposes any changes to the 

criteria that may be required in a new setting. Berns 

highlights that the LCR development process allowed 

for multiple workshops and review sessions with the 

local Nigerian team, which helped to clarify the intent 

and the requirements to achieve the sustainable goals. 

Unilever’s old offices 

with partitioned offices 

and garish billboard 

style branding. 

Julie Anderson Ecocentric 

One of the biggest adjustments that needed to be 

made in this context was around materials and their 

ratings. In the South African context, materials ratings 

are heavily based on international standards like 

South Africa’s Green Tag. In Nigeria, it is difficult 

and expensive to source these products. The team 

developed a specialised ranking tool to be able to 

assess locally available materials and products in 

terms of sustainability. “Just because something is 

local does not mean it is sustainable,” adds Berns, so 

the tool assists with the assessment of environmental 

and life-cycle criteria without the requirement for 

international certification. The tool interrogates 

material sourcing, emissions, disclosure, end-of-life/ 

disposal plans, local industry support, knowledge 

transfer and material transparency to be able to rate 

a product’s environmental impact. Berns highlights 

that it was invaluable to have a client willing to invest 

the time and money into developing the framework 

required not only for their own project but for others 

to follow suit. 

OFFICES REIMAGINED 

The existing Unilever office plans were housed in 

a building that was over forty years old and had 

outdated cellular office arrangements. “A major 

interior transformation was required with the 

central focus being employee wellbeing and creating 

a healthy environment for occupants,” says DNA’s 

Anderson. Climatic and local needs were addressed 

when envisaging the fresh, bright, and crisp interior. 

Newly launched global brand illustrations added pops 

of artistic colour throughout and provided a clear 

linkage to Unilever’s brand identity. “Efficiency of 

space usage was also essential to create a new, agile 

work environment,” says Anderson. 

Almost 95% of paints, sealants and adhesives are 

low VOC. According to Anderson, this was one of 

the location specific project challenges as these 

products are hard to source in Nigeria, but credits 

the contractor’s local knowledge and experience with 

being able to source the right products. Another 

challenge was the tracking and recording of recycled 

materials as part of the project’s waste management 

strategy. Though recycling, especially of building 

materials, is extensive in Nigeria, it is largely informal, 

making it harder to monitor. 

Other sustainable building features include LED 

lighting, lighting and HVAC occupancy sensors, low 

flow plumbing fittings and improved fresh air rates. 

Energy and water is sub-metered, and CO 2 

and humidity 

sensors are linked to a visual display in reception, 

keeping occupants aware of how well the building is 

performing. Indoor plants help to purify the air and 

connect office staff to nature. 

Sharma expresses Unilever’s satisfaction with 

the end product, “The transformation improved the 

overall employee experience and their performance 

in the office.” He adds that staff working in the office 

especially appreciate the open plan layout, maximised 

natural light, vibrant interiors, improved indoor air 

quality, better control over thermal comfort, visible 

greenery and improved ergonomics in the office. 

The team developed a specialised 

ranking tool to be able to assess 

locally available materials and 

products in terms of sustainability. 

MASTERCARD 


Unilever’s bright meeting 

rooms incorporate 

colourful, fun brand art 

into the décor. 

Project dates: April 2021 (certified) 

Green Star rating: 4-Star Green Star (Interiors v1) 

Location: Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria 

Type of building: Office Interior 

Project size: 645m² GLA 

MasterCard’s Lagos office is also housed in an 

existing building and required an upgrade to update 

the aesthetics, functionality and environmental 

performance. The 645m² office plan needed to 

accommodate approximately 45 staff in a comfortable 

and functional space. As with Unilever, the Green Star 

certification requirement was part of MasterCard’s 

global sustainability strategy and the green 

requirements were built into the brief. 

Ecocentric 

MasterCard’s 

meeting rooms have 

natural light and 

outside views. 



25

INSIDE AFRICA 

NEW RELIABLE 

UNDERLAYMENTS 

MAKE A DIFFERENCE 

FLOORING 

MasterCard’s Breakout 

spaces are colourful, 

modern and clean 

in design. 

Swiss Bureau Interior Design, based in Dubai, 

were commissioned to create a contemporary, 

light, comfortable office space that would meet the 

operational requirements of a modern office and 

also the sustainability standards required for a 4-Star 

Green Star rating. This project was able to utilise the 

legwork already put in on the Unilever project in terms 

of the Local Context Report and the materials ranking 

tool. All the furniture, flooring, and assemblies had 

third party certifications, had recycled content or were 

manufactured in ISO14001 manufacturing facilities 

and easily met the rating tool requirements. 

Indoor plants help to purify the air and also, along 

with extensive external views, connect the occupants 

to the natural world, contributing to their physical 

and mental wellbeing. Blinds control internal glare. 

Sensors were installed to monitor Co 2 

levels within 

the offices and trigger fresh air intake when levels 

reached certain maximum levels. 

Just because something is local 

does not mean it is sustainable. 

A total 87% of construction waste was diverted from 

landfill and operational waste is sorted at source and 

recycled where applicable. All the usual energy and 

water saving devices are installed and a physical display 

in reception, detailing the fit-out’s performance in 

terms of water and energy consumption keeps 

occupants aware of their own impacts on the planet. 

Bicycle parking was not supplied as, in the context, 

this is not a common mode of transport. But car 

pool bays were provided, encouraging people to 

share transport. The location also assists in lowering 

occupants’ carbon footprints as it is close to many 

amenities. Video conferencing facilities reduce the 

need for travel for meetings, either abroad or locally. 

This is particularly important in a city with such a 

high population and a high dependence on road travel. 

BLAZING THE TRAIL IN LAGOS 

Berns and other team members highlight some of the 

main project challenges as being those relating to the 

unfamiliarity of the ratings tools and sustainability 

concepts in context. This was the first time most 

of the local consultants and contractors had had to 

engage with the stringent requirements. The remote 

management of the project with consultants scattered 

around the globe also didn’t aid with the initial vision 

casting and collaboration. 

The strict monitoring on site is also more difficult 

at a distance, but systems were put in place to be able 

to meet the various requirements. Sharma highlights 

the importance of “first projects” as trailblazers for 

change, “This was a great opportunity to inspire others 

to see that, even with all the social, economic and 

cultural challenges faced in new contexts, especially in 

Africa, it is very important and relevant that we embed 

sustainability in our workplaces.” In the end all the 

targets were achieved and the challenges experienced 

on these projects should be minimised in other projects 

following their lead in the rest of the continent. 

“Interiors projects are small and replicable,” says 

Berns, “lending themselves to quick knowledge transfer 

over a short period of time, making learned concepts 

and techniques easy to apply again on other projects.” 

Requirements should become better understood and 

easier with each project, enabling building performance 

to be pushed further, and for sustainable building 

practices to be prioritised in more African settings. 

Ecocentric 

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Photograph: American International school of Pretoria

PROJECT 

INNER-CITY 

LIVING 

Towers Main is the redevelopment of a thirty-storey 1973 building 

in inner-Johannesburg. The mixed-use development features nine 

office levels refurbished as office space for ABSA and 19 residential 

floors with affordable housing rental all with awe-inspiring views 

of the city. The vision behind the redevelopment was to create an 

inclusive neighbourhood in keeping with new urban trends. 

The redevelopment of Towers Main has extended 

the lifespan of this landmark building which is one 

of the ten tallest on the Johannesburg skyline. 



PROJECT 

PROJECT 

Absa Towers Main in Marshalltown was 

certified by GBCSA in February 2022 with 

a 5-Star Green Star rating – Interiors v1. The 

property developer included sustainability 

elements for ABSA as part of the base building delivery. 

Towers Main was developed for Divercity Urban 

Property Fund whose purpose is to renew and reenergise 

South Africa’s urban centres by developing 

unique inner-city precincts. 

The development took home a duo of awards at 

SAPOA’s 2021 Propery Development Awards for 

Innovative Excellence. Co-developed by Atterbury 

and Ithemba Property, Towers Main won the mixed-use 

category as well as the prestigious overall transformation 

award. The awards celebrate exceptional design quality 

and honour developments with positive impacts on 

our cities and towns. 

Atterbury has been a regular recipient of these 

accolades over its twenty-seven years of delivering 

excellence in property development, investment, and 

asset management in South Africa and internationally. 

Armond Boshoff, CEO of Atterbury South Africa, says: 

“Towers Main was designed to change lives for the 

better, and we are thrilled that SAPOA has recognised 

its transformational impacts. It has brought new life 

back into the Johannesburg CBD, enabling people 

to live closer to where they work and helping them 

save precious time and a fortune in transport costs. It 

contributes to addressing the city’s housing backlog 

and gives people all the amenities that they need and 

want to enjoy quality of life. Winning these awards from 

SAPOA is indeed a great honour. It is a testament to 

the exceptional quality of the team we have at Atterbury 

and the distinctly successful developments we deliver.” 

The new Absa premises were specifically designed to 

be Green Star SA rated by the GBCSA. In addition, the 

residential component of the building used sustainable 

materials where possible and employed sustainability 

enhancing interventions that limit energy and water 

use, and costs, for residents. 

Sustainable building features include new ducting 

and sensors that were installed to distribute the 

centrally provided fresh air. An air-cooled chiller 

located on the ground floor distributes water through 

a four-pipe system to the office area of the building. 

LED lighting is installed throughout the fitout, and 

It has brought new life back into the 

Johannesburg CBD, enabling people 

to live closer to where they work 

and helping them save precious time 

and a fortune in transport costs. 

all lights are operated using occupancy sensors that 

double as daylight harvesting switching. Hot water is 

provided by a heat pump that is circulated to the office 

WCs. As part of the base building, water efficient 

fittings were installed. Ceilings, doors, joinery, carpets 

and furniture were procured from environmentally 

preferable sources. Electronic office equipment is 

ENERGY STAR® rated. 

Over and above the base building design, ABSA 

included additional meters for electrical and water 

consumption. These are linked to the ABSA BMS 

system to allow the facilities management team to 

accurately track consumption patterns within the 

building and allow for early detection of anomalies. 

“We are constantly looking for ways to express who 

the new Absa is and what we stand for. We are taking 

an old building and giving it a new lease on life to 

benefit our colleagues and the broader community. 

It’s about finding new ways of getting things done by 

creating a vibrant space where we can live, work and 

play together,” said Wendy Cuthbert, head of Absa 

Corporate Real Estate Solutions. 

As part of a wider neighbourhood development 

initiative, a pedestrian-friendly walkway with street 

furniture, lighting and art was created from Absa 

It’s about finding new ways of getting 

things done by creating a vibrant 

space where we can live, work 

and play together. 

Towers Main all the way to Maboneng. Between Absa 

Tower Main and Maboneng is Jewel City, the former 

heart of the diamond and precious metals trade in 

Johannesburg. The Gautrain bus stop is directly next 

to the building, and the building is a short walk away 

from Gandhi Square with all shopping amenities. 



31

INTERIORS 

AWARDS 

THE VALUE OF CERTIFYING 

AN INTERIOR FITOUT 

We have all had to undergo changes to 

our daily life due to Covid-19. Some of 

the positive results of those changes 

illustrate that if we make changes in 

our way of working and living, we can 

yield great environmental impacts. 

ROCLA SANITATION AND IZANDLA 

ZIYAGEZANA TAKE SECOND PLACE 

IN THE IMESA/CESA AWARDS FOR COMMUNITY 

UPLIFTMENT AND JOB CREATION 

Rocla Sanitation partnered with Izandla Ziyagezana Trading to enter their Mkhondobased 

Community Cast Factory in the IMESA/CESA Excellence Awards 2021, in the 

Community Upliftment and Job Creation category. They were awarded second place for 

their Supply and Delivery of Waterborne Structures project within the rural Rustplaas 

Village in the Mkhondo Municipality, Mpumalanga. 

WORDS Roxanne Dovey 

We are starting to see a shift in the way 

of thinking as the new generation 

considers where to work, shop and play 

based on the indoor environment and 

sustainability commitments of the building owner or 

tenant. They are seeking places that are designed with 

mindful use of limited resources or eventual reuse 

which reduces waste and the need for remodels. 

More and more people are becoming aware of their 

surroundings and therefore are seeking places that 

protect their health and wellbeing through design that 

prevents indoor air pollution and is visually, thermally 

and acoustically comfortable to be in. Employees 

and business owners on the other hand want their 

employees, tenants or customers to be productive 

and healthy to ensure reduced sick days, longer rental 

agreements or continuous returns to their retail store. 

There is increased pressure for building owners 

or tenants to demonstrate how they are contributing 

positively towards society and they are becoming more 

conscious of the operational savings that benefit their 

investment and the environment. The latter may also 

assist with any sustainability reporting required. When 

the latter objectives are required to be met, we tend 

to look to the experts who have done the extensive 

training and have the knowledge of why, how, who 

and what we need to achieve those positive impacts 

associated to the objectives. 

Let’s take a quick high-level look at the why, what, 

who and how to achieve the sustainability objectives: 

WHY? 

This can be broken down into two parts: 

Why use a rating tool? The rating tool provides locally 

contextualised best practice standards that encourages 

the property industry to align with these standards. 

Why should the Interior fitout be rated? As with most 

things in life, consumers, employees, employers, etc 

want verification that you are qualified in what you do 

or want verification that your business is doing what it 

claims to be doing. Without certification, the property 

can say that they are green or sustainable, but how does 

one verify that? This is where accredited professionals 

(APs) come in, as we guide the project team to ensure 

that the standards are met and that these standards 

are then independently verified and rated through the 

certification body that is the GBCSA. 

WHAT? 

This section addresses what information is available and 

what we can use to assist with achieving the objectives 

and ensuring that a benchmark is set. The Green Star 

Interiors Rating tool which addresses fundamental 

principles associated to the health and wellbeing of 

the occupants through indoor environmental quality, 

comfort (thermal, light, visual, acoustic, ergonomics), 

emissions and addresses the operational efficiencies 

through resource management and conservation and 

material saving initiatives. It also addresses other 

principles such as knowledge transfer, connection to 

nature (indoor plants) and transport. 

WHO? 

The parties involved will be the client (tenant, 

developer, owner, etc), the relevant professional(s) from 

the interiors fitout team and the APs. GBCSA is the 

independent certification body. 

HOW? 

The Green Star AP who has specialised in the Green 

Star Interiors Tool works with the project team and 

client to determine the Green Star strategy to ensure 

that the fundamental principles are implemented and 

that an overall Green Star rating of either a 4, 5 or 6-Star 

is achieved. Once this is done, the AP will then submit 

all the required evidence and documentation to GBCSA 

who will then issue it to an independent auditor who 

will verify the achieved Green Star rating. 

*Roxanne Dovey is a Green Star Accredited Professional (AP) across all the tools offered 

by GBCSA, an assessor and a member of the GBCSA Academy. 

The Rocla Sanitation/ Izandla Ziyagezana 

collaboration emerged as a result of Izandla 

Ziyagezana’s support for Rocla Sanitation’s 

Thuthukisa Initiative of ‘taking the factory 

to the people by empowering communities to be 

manufacturers in their own right’. Izandla Ziyagezana 

has specialised in community manufacturing and 

erection of low flush dignified sanitation since 2006 

when the company was formed. 

Dumisani Simelane, Managing Director of Izandla 

Ziyagezana commented: “We are very proud to have 

been judged runner-up in the IMESA/CESA Awards. It 

is an acknowledgement of the importance of the work 

we are doing within rural communities. 

“The Rustplaas Project has so far created at least 23 

new jobs, and we thank the Mkhondo local municipality 

for supporting this initiative. Projects such as Rustplaas 

show how job creation can be achieved in its simplest 

form, through a transfer of skills on how to manufacture 

sanitation units of a good quality. The Rocla Sanitation 

Thuthukisa Initiative benefits both the local community 

and small businesses like my own,” said Simelane. 

The Rustplaas Project enabled the local community 

to collaborate with on-site casting and stripping of 238 

twin eco toilet top structures and pit structures in the 

2020-21 financial year, and a further 204 tops structures 

in the 2021-22 financial year. The Rustplaas community 

were also trained in the receiving and dispatching of 

casting kits and the associated materials from stores. 

Andre Labuschagne, Product Development Manager 

for Rocla Sanitation said, “We are very pleased to have 

been placed second with Izandla Ziyagezana in the 

prestigious IMESA/CESA Awards. This recognition 

for our Thuthukisa Initiative confirms our belief that 

many rural communities, through skills training, enjoy 

the benefits of healthier sanitation facilities as well as 

work opportunities. This has been proven through our 

collaboration with Izandla Ziyagezana, who, from day one, 

have believed that this kind of initiative is imperative to 

the wellness of people residing in rural areas. 

“We look forward to continuing our relationship 

with Izandla Ziyagezana, and will be collaborating 

with them on an 800-unit waterborne toilet project 

in Driefontein, Mkhondo shortly,” said Labuschagne. 

She added: “The communities that urgently require 

toilet units are often found in rural areas of the country. 

Many of these areas have no infrastructure. Meaning 

‘to share’, the Thuthukisa 

Initiative’s philosophy led 

to the development of the 

‘Community Cast’ toilet 

unit that can be simply 

manufactured by local 

community entrepreneurs 

or SMMEs and be ready 

for use within two weeks.” 

“We would like to see our 

collaboration with Rocla 

Sanitation grow; our aim is 

to roll-out the Thuthukisa 

Initiative countrywide,” 

commented Simelane. “There is so much added benefit 

for local communities. The goal is to provide healthenhancing 

sanitation units to the community through the 

wider impact of skills transfer to the community and to 

also help to fight poverty and unemployment.” 

The IMESA/CESA Excellence Awards is a biennial 

event and the awards took place in Cape Town on 

11 November 2021 alongside their 84th IMESA 

Conference. The IMESA/CESA Community Upliftment 

and Job Category focuses on projects demonstrating 

labour-intensive construction, skills development, 

community awareness and participation. 

Rocla is part of the ISG which also includes 

Technicrete. 

Malebusa Sebatane, Group Marketing and 

Communications Manager 

The IS Group 

Tel: 011 670 7600 

Cell: 078 803 9863 

Email: Malebusa.Sebatane@isgroup.co.za 



33

IT’S TIME TO GET BACK TO BUSINESS… FACE-TO-FACE 

7 - 9 JUNE 2022 

GALLAGHER CONVENTION CENTRE, 

JOHANNESBURG 

AFRICAN CONSTRUCTION 

EXPO REBRANDS TO THE BIG 5 

CONSTRUCT SOUTHERN AFRICA 

African Construction Expo, Southern Africa’s construction and built environment multiaward 

winning, flagship exhibition, has unveiled its refreshed and reworked identity. The 

event will run as The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa for its 2022 in-person edition from 

7 – 9 June, at its usual home, the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. 

INDUSTRY NEWS 

CONNECT WITH SOUTHERN AFRICA’S 

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 

The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa, previously African Construction Expo, is a significant 

contributor to the economic growth, recovery and transformation within Southern Africa’s 

construction industry with a special focus on facilitating buyer/seller face-to-face connections 

and showcasing the most innovative solutions for the region. 

Register for your FREE visitor pass to: 

CONNECT with over 8,500 

industry buyers and 

distributors 

Co-located with: 

DISCOVER the most 

innovative products and 

technologies available 

REGISTER FOR FREE NOW 

Simply scan the QR code with your phone’s camera app 

ENGAGE with public and 

private sector stakeholders 

over the most critical issues 

LEARN about the latest trends, 

best practice and upcoming 

construction projects 

According to the organisers, leading event 

company dmg events, the name update 

is reflective of the evolution of its place 

in a dynamic and transforming market 

and geography. Whilst a name change and rebrand 

is significant, the core foundation and vision of the 

event has not changed and the team is committed to 

ensuring that they provide a platform that not only 

unites the Southern African construction sector but 

demonstrates cutting-edge innovation, and provides 

a stage for knowledge and business opportunities for 

industry stakeholders. 

Timing of the event could not be better. A key 

component of South Africa’s Economic Reconstruction 

and Recovery Plan announced by President Cyril 

Ramaphosa in November 2021 is underpinned by 

‘aggressive infrastructure investment’, with a strong 

emphasis on localisation, job creation and streamlining 

of the regulatory framework. 

According to Devi Paulsen, Vice President of dmg 

events, “With a healthy pipeline of infrastructure 

projects on the cards in both Southern and South 

Africa, indicators point to a healthy rebound for one 

of the worst hit sectors by the pandemic. The decisions 

by governments to develop and invest in infrastructure 

provides a wealth of opportunities for established 

players and new market entrants.” 

“Our decision to rebrand to The Big 5 Construct 

Southern Africa allows the Southern African edition 

of this series to successfully align to the strengths of 

an iconic portfolio of global events, hosted in Dubai, 

Egypt, Saudi, Nigeria and Kenya, which has been 

running for over 42 years and collectively welcome 

over 100,000 participants annually.” 

With hundreds of global suppliers exhibiting 

their products and services, a number of thoughtleadership 

conferences, hours of networking, business 

matchmaking programmes and free-to-attend 

workshops and talks, The Big 5 Construct Southern 

Africa 2022 will play host to thousands of attendees from 

over 45 countries, all in a safe and secure environment. 

New for 2022, the exhibition will feature Green 

Construction products and services along with 

dedicated Green Construction Talks which will 

focus on the philosophy and processes that makes 

the creation and usage of the built environment to 

reduce, and ultimately eliminate, negative impacts on 

our climate and natural resources. 

The President’s Clean Energy and Infrastructure 

Fund has deployed just short of R2 billion of capital 

that supports 17 wind, solar and hydro energy projects. 

Inclusion of Green Construction allows The Big 5 

Construct Southern Africa to align with overarching 

industry objectives in improving our quality of life 

whilst preserving precious natural resources through 

the use of innovative, sustainable products and services. 

The event has also partnered with leading industry 

associations to provide free CPD-accredited workshops 

to equip industry professionals with tools and strategies 

to carry out their respective roles effectively. The 

interactive workshops and case studies, that will be 

examined by leading industry experts, will tackle 

advanced technology solutions, sustainable best 

practices, governance and regulation, new health and 

safety protocols and green construction solutions. 

The Big 5 Construct Southern Africa is free to 

attend and construction industry professionals are 

encouraged to pre-register to secure their place at 

www.thebig5constructsouthernafrica.com. For 

companies looking to grow their business in the 

region, there are various options available to exhibit 

or sponsor the event to suit any budget. For further 

information, please contact KennethMasvikeni@ 

dmgevents.com. 

www.thebig5constructsouthernafrica.com 


35

PROJECT 

Exxaro’s 

The ConneXXion 

THE 

INSIDE 

In 2020, Exxaro Resources’ head office, The ConneXXion, 

achieved a Six-Star Green Star As-Built rating from the 

GBCSA. More recently, it’s been awarded the SAPOA 

2021 winner in the categories of Corporate Office and 

Sustainability/Green, and SAPOA’s overall project title. 

To add to the accolades, Exxaro targeted a Green Star 

Interiors rating for their bespoke fit-out. 

WORDS Anne Schaeffer 

TRACK 


Project dates: The fit-out started 2018 and finished 2019. 

Base building started 2016 completed 2019 

Green Star rating: Base building: Green Star Office v1.1 Design; 

Green Star Office v1.1 As-Built; 

Fit-out: Green Star Interiors v1 

Location: Centurion, Gauteng 

Type of building: Office building 

Project cost: R600-million project 

36 



PROJECT 

PROJECT 

It was designed to be a sustainable building and it 

made absolute sense for Exxaro to take sustainability 

through into their office space and target the Green 

Star Interiors rating. 

For Exxaro, the move into The ConneXXion wasn’t 

solely about a new head office. It was the perfect 

opportunity to break the mould and adopt a brandnew, 

contemporary workplace model. Adele van Zyl, 

director at thinkspace, the design team on the project, 

says, “A thousand staff members in a five-storey 

structure means a complex work environment, so for 

us, the considerations around that were really huge. 

One of the key things was the approach: to promote 

collaboration, innovation and communication between 

Exxaro divisions, sectors which would otherwise have 

been quite isolated from each other. The whole idea 

in essence, is around activity-based working (ABW), 

creating an agile, flexible environment. ABW looks at 

how you create interiors which dispel the old-school 

way of very set environments in which to work – 

very much a modern philosophy about how people 

work.” Van Zyl adds, “One of today’s biggest, modern 

workspace considerations and theories, is that people 

the layout than that. They created eight different work 

settings for typical day activities to ensure a balance 

between collaboration and individual work spaces. 

Melissa Huntly, associate at thinkspace, unpacked 

each space as well as the team’s internal conceptual 

names based on activity-based working. On the drawing 

board, the furnishings and furbishings of each small 

to large hub were cleverly styled invitations and 

reflections of the various functions. The terminology 

for the zones describes the activity and/or where it is: 

The Jump Space – highly approachable work points 

that facilitate work for shorter periods; The Haven – 

a small shelter where employees can concentrate on 

work requiring intense focus; The Meeting Room – 

supports information sharing, and encourages ideation 

and interaction; The Cove – near to individual work 

points or common areas where people can assemble 

for a short period; The Landing Space – next to the 

meeting room, where employees can gather before and 

after a meeting; The Hive – a grouping of workstations 

where numerous people can harmoniously engage in 

collaborative and individual work; The Plaza – the 

vibrant part of the company where people can feel the 

The ConneXXion in Centurion, the new 

corporate head office for Exxaro Resources, 

was a major winner in the SAPOA Property 

Development Awards 2021 for Innovative 

Excellence. The project not only won in the categories 

of Corporate Office and Sustainability/Green, but also 

clinched the Overall project title. The base building, 

referred to as Lakeside Offices building, is one of only 

a handful of South African buildings to boast an Office 

As-Built 6-Star Green Star rating from the GBCSA, the 

country’s highest level of sustainability accreditation. 

It is also the first building in South Africa to achieve 

Silver Level WELL certification for Core and Shell 

by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). 

Exxaro’s The ConneXXion forms part of the second 

phase of Growthpoint’s Lakeside development, and 

having achieved both Design and As-built Green Star 

Office ratings for the base building, Exxaro followed 

in targeting the Green Star Interiors rating for their 

bespoke fit-out. 

A thousand staff members in a 

five-storey structure means a 

complex work environment, so 

for us, the considerations around 

that were really huge. 

Louwna Joubert and Yovka Raytcheva-Schaap, 

both Green Star interiors accredited professionals, 

were Zutari Environmentally Sustainable Designs’ 

consultancy team on the project. They explained, 

“Exxaro is the single tenant in the building, the fit-out 

is fully integrated with the base building and, as such, 

the fit-out benefits from the high-performing energy 

and water efficient systems and equipment installed 

as part of the base building.” 

The design concept is around activity-based working (ABW), creating an agile, flexible environment. ABW looks at how you create interiors which dispel the oldschool 

way of very set environments in which to work – very much a modern philosophy about how people work. 

tend to work with people and spark conversations in 

the common areas like the coffee shop, the lunch spot, 

and more – it’s that idea behind the formation of the 

agile workspace thinking.” 

But breaking down barriers needs buy-in from 

everybody: “You don’t want to create interiors in a 

way that impedes the company’s existing processes and 

flow, so it had to be built hand in hand with the Group 

itself.” thinkspace dug deep into Exxaro’s traditional 

working model to ensure they, as designers, fully 

understood the workflow of each department, so the 

design – and concept of an agile environment – didn’t 

interrupt, but enhanced the flow. 

As one of their design decisions to encourage that 

easy flow between departments and people, thinkspace 

devised eight well-considered concept areas. So, although 

staff are constantly crossing paths and meeting in the 

common areas – with the accompanying constant flow 

of information – there’s more strategic thinking behind 

pulse of the organisation; and The Workshop – the 

ideal setting for people to work together to generate 

new ideas and drive their work forward. 

Acoustics are always a challenge in any open plan 

situation. Whether it was the little semi-private pods 

or bigger more communal spaces, a range of coloured 

fabric panels over acoustic materials both looks good, 

and performs well. 

Exxaro consists of four key sectors, namely water, 

energy, agriculture and coal, each with their own brand 

colours. thinkspace used those colours but, says Huntly, 

“We explored the nuances of those colours to create an 

environment which was quite varied and more subtle. 

Sometimes we shifted from that, so instead of having 

the entire area colour-blocked green (agriculture), we’d 

bring in some of the blues, if it was near a water area.” 

Just as the approach was to blur or remove boundaries 

between divisions, departments and people, so too, 

colours suggested, rather than demarcated. “There’s 



39

PROJECT 

PROJECT 

Exxaro consists of four key sectors, 

namely water, energy, agriculture 

and coal, each with their own 

brand colours. thinkspace explored 

the nuances of those colours to 

create an environment which was 

quite varied and more subtle. 

enhances the air quality, by the conversion of CO2 

to oxygen. 

As part of the accreditation process, all occupants and 

visitors have access to energy and water consumption 

data by means of a display screen installed in the 

public area of the building – this offers an insight 

into the sustainable operation of the building: “The 

intent is that everybody can learn from it and apply the 

principles in their personal life at home,” says Joubert. 

“Very important too, is that there is a collaborative 

relationship between the building owner and the 

single tenant, and this was formally put in place with a 

‘green lease’ where both parties commit to manage and 

operate the building along environmentally sustainable 

principles while realising mutual benefit.” 

It may not be directly related to the interiors, but 

transport has a multifaceted impact. Raytcheva- 

Schaap points out the building’s prime location, and 

the knock-on effect it has. “Perfectly placed across 

from the Centurion Gautrain station, it’s ideal for 

low-impact staff transport – with plenty of other 

public transport options in its vicinity also – this 

allows for easily accessible meetings with clients. It 

also feeds into the mobility which Exxaro encourages: 

every staff member has a laptop – no more desktops 

– and the building is equipped with state-of-the-art 

bandwidth and internet capacity. This results in less 

travel and more mobility, within and outside of the 

building. The activity based working interiors within 

The ConneXXion provide staff with a wide range 

of options to accommodate their specific working 

needs, and achieve that connected, collaborative hub 

envisioned by Exxaro. 


a white, grey marble and timber background to the 

interiors – a mutual base to everything – and it’s all 

light and bright. The colours are highlighted against 

that backdrop,” says Huntly. 

Each floor has its own colour, and each of the four 

corners of every floor features the colours, textures and 

imagery of one of the pillars: water, energy, agriculture 

and coal. For some of the wall coverings, the team chose 

appropriate wood types and textures to reflect that 

particular zone, as well as hanging high-level imagery 

which related to one of the four pillars. 

When it came to furniture, Huntly described a 

strong emphasis on organic shaping as a tribute to the 

building: “The building has these interesting shapes, 

curves and intersections, and we aimed to mimic that.” 

All furniture had third party certification and the 

interior materials were all from a sustainable selection. 

Little doubt, there’s a more relaxed feeling to this 

interior: “It leans more towards a – for want of a 

better word – hospitality vibe than a corporate or 

clinical one; more as if you’re in your lounge than 

at the office. That tends to loosen tongues, invite 

more open conversation with fellow employees, and 

encourage collaboration.” The big beautiful couches 

are testimony to the philosophy of being able to work 

from anywhere in comfort. 

The building’s sustainability credentials to achieve a 

6-Star Green Star As-Built rating contributed towards 

the building’s WELL rating: “WELL is all about the 

indoor environment quality and how occupants 

Just as the approach was to blur 

or remove boundaries between 

divisions, departments and people, 

so too, colours suggested, 

rather than demarcated. 

experience the building. For that reason, it was critical 

to ensure the mechanical services were designed and 

constructed with that extra level of performance, to 

ensure a continued supply of fresh air – with rates 

higher than required – and that the air is appropriately 

filtered,” says Raytcheva-Schaap. 

Joubert adds, “All the finishes installed throughout 

the fit-out are toxin-free with low or no VOC emissions, 

these include the paint applications, adhesives and 

sealants used within the installation and all carpets 

in office areas.” 

Plants, too, play a significant role in the interiors. 

“Just as the superb, largely green views from the 

building, contribute towards wellness, so too the 

interior plants. Exxaro installed considerably more, 

perhaps even double, the number that the rating 

requires. It feeds into the value of biophilic design, 

where occupant wellness is enhanced by connection 

with nature,” says Joubert. In addition, of course, it 

Proudly involved with 

Exxaro: The ConneXXion 

BIDVEST EXECUFLORA 

Bidvest Execuflora are the proud installers and 

maintainers of this spectacular 38m 2 curved vertical 

garden at the EXXARO reception 

C: +27 (0)82 465 2245 | jay@execuflora.co.za 



41

MATERIALS 

MATERIALS 

CARBON CONSTRUCTION 

A significant amount of energy is 

trapped within the materials used in the 

creation of our buildings. The energy 

embodied within materials, products 

and technologies is a key factor in 

the carbon footprint of buildings due 

to their direct link to sourcing of raw 

materials, manufacture procurement 

and construction. 

WHAT IS EMBODIED CARBON? 

Embodied carbon considers all the greenhouse gasses 

associated with the entire lifecycle of a material 

or product. It includes extraction, manufacture, 

transportation, installation, maintenance and endof-life 

carbon associated with each building material 

and/or component over the lifecycle of the building. 

WHY DOES IT MATTER? 

Historically, reducing the building sector’s carbon 

emissions has always targeted operational carbon. 

This has been appropriate in South Africa where our 

grid is so carbon intensive. But when grids become 

cleaner (as they have largely done in Europe), the focus 

of reducing emissions in the built sector moves to 

embodied carbon. 

While operational carbon is produced during the 

day-to-day activities of running and using a building, 

Above: Embodied carbon (yellow) and operational carbon (blue) across the key lifecycle stages of a building. 

Below: Terminology used in this report cross-referenced to terms and lifecycle stages defined in EN15978. 

embodied carbon results from producing, procuring 

and installing materials and components that make up a 

structure, as well as encompassing the end-of-life stages 

of a building (ie demolition, removal and repurposing 

of materials). For the industry to make headway with 

understanding the overall carbon impact of the built 

sector, whole life carbon must be assessed. 

Due to the lifespan of buildings (typically 60 years), 

materials that are being specified into new buildings 

now need to shift towards lower embodied carbon 

materials to support the required shift towards a low 

carbon built sector. 

HOW IS IT CALCUATED? 

Embodied carbon is measured using a lifecycle analysis 

and is categorised into carbon associated with the 

various stages of a building. 

WGBC 

CLF-Policy-Primer-1 WGBC Bringing embodied carbon upfront 

Upfront embodied carbon: this relates to embodied 

carbon from material selection to practical completion 

and includes A1-A3 as well as A4 and A5. 

A1-A3: Manufacture, transport and installation of 

construction materials that relate to the extraction 

of raw materials and the manufacturing of materials 

to factory gate. 

A1: Raw material extraction and processing, 

processing of secondary material input (eg 

recycling processes) 

A2: Transport to the manufacturer 

A3: Manufacturing to factory gate 

Module A1, A2 and A3 may be declared as one 

aggregated module A1-A3. All stages include the 

provision of all materials, products and energy, as 

well as waste processing up to the end-of-waste state 

or disposal of final residues during the product stage. 

The assessment takes only the building and its parts 

into account, but typically not furniture or appliances. 

A4: Transport to the building site 

A5: Installation into the building 

Stages A4 and A5 include all impacts and aspects 

related to any losses during this construction process 

stage (ie production, transport and waste processing and 

disposal of the lost products and materials). Stages A4 

and A5 would typically be applied to reused materials. 

Embodied carbon over the lifecycle: embodied carbon 

associated with the selection and replacement of materials 

during the lifespan of the building and relates to B1-B5. 

End-of-life embodied carbon: embodied carbon 

associated with disassembly, transportation away from 

site and waste process of materials and relates to C1-C4. 

Whole life carbon: includes all the above stages 

of embodied carbon and addresses all stages of a 

structure’s life (cradle to grave). 

Beyond life embodied carbon: embodied carbon 

associated with the reuse, recycling and recovery of 

materials and relates to D, this is an additional section 

that can be included in whole life carbon assessment. 

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? 

• Build and contribute to local data. Local data on 

carbon in materials is limited, but it is important 

in driving good life carbon assessments 

• Demand information from suppliers. One of the 

factors limiting the implementation of sustainability 

is the difficulty that professionals find in locating 

products with bona fide preferential environmental 

and health features. 

• Look for and specify low carbon materials. Get 

to know what is out there regarding low carbon 

materials, products and systems available. This 

information is accessible locally through several 

eco-standard product certifications. 

• Don’t forget about traditional materials. 

Materials such as rammed earth, thatch and timber 

have a lower embodied carbon and although not 

always commercially viable can be used and adapted 

in a beautifully modern way. 

• Design for flexibility. In this context, it means 

designing for a variety of space uses in the hope that 

the building does not need to be refurbished too often. 

• Design for disassembly (DfD) and reuse. All 

sectors of the built environment need to design, 

manufacturer and incorporate materials, products 

and technology in ways that facilitate DfD, or at the 

very least do not hinder it. Only in this way can we 

be assured that once we have created a resource, 

that it is not lost and can enter the cradle-to-cradle 

recycling loops and not need to be replaced with 

virgin resources at end of first or subsequent use. 

• Design for reuse. If it’s not reusable or recyclable 

to a high value, it’s not sustainable. This design 

approach drives design re-thinking throughout the 

project, requiring the design team to think “up” 

from the construction of building elements to the 

whole building. (Walker Morison, 2007) 

• Buy recycled. An important initiative to ensure 

that the carbon footprint of materials is minimised 

is to ensure that products being purchased and 

specified already contain recycled content. 

• Material minimisation. Advancements in 

technology such as 3D printing allow the 

development of materials that take advantage of 

their structural integrity while eliminating the 

mass of materials required. 

• Renewable inputs. The use of renewably sourced 

products has a major impact on reducing overall 

environmental and carbon impacts. Renewable 

materials can still be sourced in ecologically 

unsustainable ways, so care must be exercised that 

resources are sourced sustainably. 

COMPLETING THE SOLUTION 

The initiatives discussed above have a critically important 

role in promoting sustainability up to a point. If we reduce 

our demands on nature’s systems and living resources, there 

is no doubt that regeneration will occur to some extent. 

The key question is: can nature replenish herself 

in the context of explosive consumption, ongoing 

population growth and the inexorable growth of cities 

where impacts are concentrated and populations 

insulated from their impacts? 

If we are to solve the looming global warming crisis, 

we need all the tools in our armoury to be fully primed 

and must be ready to actively implement. 

FURTHER READING 

Above: The WorldGBC’s report on embodied carbon. 

Below: GBCSA’s guide to developing buildings in South Africa. 

DOWNLOAD 

GUIDES BY 

CLICKING ON 

PICTURES 



43

MATERIALS 

MATERIALS 

DECARBONISING THE AFRICAN 

BUILT ENVIRONMENT 

A materials and certification perspective 

The built sector globally and within 

Africa has a vital role to play in 

responding to the current climate 

emergency given that buildings are 

currently responsible for 39% of global 

carbon emissions. Decarbonising the 

sector is one of the most cost-effective 

ways to mitigate the worst effects of 

climate breakdown. 

what defines a green building for new buildings. A 

key focus of this revision is to set clear goals around 

decarbonising the upfront carbon emissions of certified 

buildings with a 2050 goal of net-zero carbon buildings 

both from upfront and operational emissions points 

of view. 

The obvious question to ask is, “How likely is the 

industry going to be able to achieve the objective of 

reducing upfront carbon emissions to the goal level of 

net zero?” given that material processing and building 

operations make up a significant chunk (about 95%) of 

these emissions and for the industry to even make a 

dent, substantial change and innovation will be needed 

in a generally highly risk averse industry. 

Decarbonisation from the material and embodied 

carbon perspective means taking on unparalleled 

innovation challenges and changes in processes and 

supply chain decision-making. One of the major 

questions this creates is on what basis does one 

makes the decisions needed to drive change in the 

correct direction without generating unintentional 

consequences eg increasing other chemical pollutants 

or water consumption. 

WORDS David Baggs, CEO, Global GreenTag 

In 2018, in line with the ambitions of the Paris 

Agreement and to accelerate the built environment 

sector towards a 1.5ºC pathway, the World Green 

Building Council (WorldGBC) launched the Net 

Zero Carbon Buildings by 2050 Commitment. 

Embodied carbon contributes around 11% of global 

carbon emissions. Carbon emissions released before 

the infrastructure begins to be used, previously known 

as embodied carbon are increasingly being called 

“upfront carbon” for clarity and unless addressed, will 

be responsible for half of the entire carbon footprint of 

new construction between now and 2050. This growth 

threatens to consume a large part of the remaining 

global carbon budget if left unchecked. 

The WorldGBC as well as numerous country-based 

GBCs including South Africa have endorsed the 

enhanced focus on tackling upfront carbon emissions 

at the same time as moving to eliminate net operational 

emissions by 2050. 

GBCSA uses its Green Star framework to support 

a common understanding of what a green building is 

within the South African property sector, as well as 

Green Building Councils throughout Africa including 

Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, 

Tanzania and Zimbabwe to achieve locally relevant 

context conditions within other African countries. 

GBCSA has embarked on an industry collaborative 

process of updating the Green Star framework and 

GBCSA uses its Green Star 

framework to support a common 

understanding of what a green 

building is within the South African 

property sector, as well as Green 

Building Councils throughout Africa. 

One tool that can enable both innovation and 

responsible supply chain decision-making is the study 

of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA as a tool allows 

for the estimation of all the impacts, including carbon 

emissions for building materials from the raw material 

extraction phase, through manufacturing, packaging, 

transport etc through to fate of the product at the end 

of its initial “life”. 

The analysis involved in LCA can be used internally 

by product manufacturers to identify hotspots in 

impacts including carbon emissions within the supply 

chain and inform decisions on how to reduce the 

emission intensity of any specific hotspots of concern. 

LCA studies generate data that quantifies impacts 

across a wide range of indicators and when used as a 

carbon hot-spotting tool, supports decision-making 

to incorporate innovative low carbon ingredients or 

processes and assists, where information is available, 

in choosing lower carbon alternatives. In totality, 

all of these components together are described as 

“upfront carbon” in the GBC Australias new Green 

Star “Buildings” rating tool. Decarbonising buildings 

requires low carbon materials and both manufacturers 

and indeed projects need to start the process of 

decarbonising supply chains with assistance from LCA. 

LCA generates volumes of complex “inventory” data 

to develop the final set of indicators that include the 

total upfront carbon emissions data. Much of this LCA 

inventory data is highly confidential and will never be 

released even to the client involved because it often 

involves the direct provision of classified information 

from third party suppliers under non-disclosure 

agreements. So, the ability to communicate the results 

of the LCA depends on summarised “rolled-up” and 

de-identified data published in standardised formats 

and mandatory minimum content according to various 

international standards. 

PRODUCT DECLARATIONS 

The WorldGBC, GBCSA and building materials 

industry internationally has adopted EN15804 +A2: 

Sustainability of construction works – Environmental 

Product Declarations – Core rules for the product category 

of construction products as the accepted standard to 

publish these summary LCA reports or “EPDs” under 

to maximise potential comparability of products from 

different manufacturers and LCA providers. 

EPDs are the starting point that allow various 

stakeholders to review and discuss how they can 

contribute to decarbonising the built environment. 

They are in effect the “language” via which 

manufacturers communicate to the rest of the industry 

the environmental and carbon profile of their products 

and the tool via which architects, designers, engineers, 

builders and indeed their project LCA consultants 

can drive the decarbonisation process by preferred 

low carbon product and materials selection based 

on the data within EPDs, not just the provision of an 

EPD. “One of our local challenges around LCAs and 

accurately assessing upfront embodied carbon is the 

lack of local and contextually developed databases for 

materials and their embodied carbon impact,” explains 

Georgina Smit, GBCSA Head of Technical. 



45

MATERIALS 

THE PROCESS OF 

GREENING PRODUCTS 

The phenomenon of greenwashing appears to be growing, more so, since the 

demand for environmentally preferable products is on the rise. Therein lies the 

urgent need for consistent assurance of the environmental, health and ethical 

supply chain performance of materials and products. 

WORDS Direshni Naiker 

MATERIALS 

The building tool, which is under consideration, could 

be step one in the ratchetting up the decarbonisation 

process by Green Star between now and 2050. 

One approach being considered, from a calculation 

point of view in Green Star, is an “upfront carbon 

emissions calculator” to enable a project team to 

calculate their embodied carbon impacts from key and 

generic products and materials used in the building’s 

construction. It aims to be a simple calculator for 

those not doing a whole-of-project LCA study and is 

measured in kgCO2e. 

An alternative approach would require a project 

to capture LCA data from various sources including 

preferably product specific EPDs but also less preferred 

generic or industry average data based EPDs and 

compares the building and its specified products and 

materials against a reference building modelled by the 

project team using nominated benchmark materials. 

This is a much more complex process and necessitates 

the use of EPDs from manufacturers to allow design 

teams to select upfront carbon emissions preferred 

Decarbonisation from the material 

and embodied carbon perspective 

mean taking on unparalleled 

innovation challenges and 

changes in processes and 

supply chain decision-making. 

materials. Hence it is this specific credit that is driving 

the major increase in demand by typically the larger 

projects for EPDs from manufacturers and suppliers. 

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET 

The GBCSA Green Star new tool development task 

force is evaluating how this process can be made to be 

“user-friendly”, accessible to a wide scale of projects 

sizes and typologies. The South African market has 

taken some early steps in the direction of understanding 

the environmental impacts of products and materials, 

namely 3rd party eco-label certification programmes. 

But now the built environment industry needs to be 

further incentivised and supported with appropriate 

information to make the best decisions and to get to 

our goals. 

“Projects are increasingly reaching out to the GBCSA 

on guidance about whole life carbon vision – in other 

words, extending their focus beyond the operational 

energy consumption to include the upfront embodied 

carbon associated with the bricks and mortar of 

the building. This is why the GBCSA is delighted 

that upfront embodied carbon is a prerequisite for 

consideration in the new framework and we are also 

developing criteria to aid projects in declaring a net 

zero carbon status with regard to upfront embodied 

carbon. These are two exciting developments that we 

hope will support this exploratory learning curve that 

the industry is embarking on,” says Smit. 

As alluded by a recent Australian industry report, 

embodied carbon will be responsible for over 80% of 

Australia’s built environment emissions by 2050 if steps 

are not taken by everyone involved. Similar impacts 

are likely for South Africa. 

Looking at the growing uptake in the use of 

Green Star within Africa, there is no doubt that the 

building industry at large can unlock the potential to 

decarbonise the built environment by adopting policy 

to suit local conditions and potentially increase the 

use of Green Star® and encouraging the use of tools 

such as LCA and EPDs for decision-making across all 

spheres of the industry. The dire consequences of not 

getting rapid control of and dramatically reducing the 

industry’s carbon footprint locally and globally, do not 

bear thinking about. 

The development of sustainability focused 

product standards is one such way to 

scientifically assess the environmental and 

other performance of materials and products. 

These standards define the product category specific 

criteria against which the product is evaluated. 

An international best-practice framework for 

environmental declarations is ISO14020/4-Type 1 

environmental labelling. 

Type 1 is a voluntary, multiple criteria based, 

third-party programme that awards a license that 

authorises the use of labels on products indicating 

overall environmental preferability of a product 

within a particular product category based on 

lifecycle considerations. 

Eco-label certification programmes that conform to 

ISO14024-Type 1 or third-party declarations are the 

gold standard for environmental labels. Type 1 ecolabels 

develop product category specifications that 

define specific criteria such as the following: 

• Material content and efficiency 

• Functional purpose fitness 

• Hazardous materials 

• Water consumption and efficiency 

• Energy consumption and efficiency 

• Water and air emissions 

• Waste management and minimisation 

• Environmental legislation and guidelines 

The above product-specific criteria in Type-1 ecolabels 

may also consider human health and ethical 

employment issues as well so they in effect focus more 

broadly on the entirety of sustainability issues. 

Further to the above environmental productspecific 

criteria, certain eco-labels strive to be 

inclusively sustainable by including socio-economic 

imperatives in the criteria specifications. This broader 

perspective approach is aligned with the United 

Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and aims to 

ultimately facilitate the transition to a healthy people, 

planet and products paradigm where both nature and 

people thrive. 

Furthermore, the World Green Building Council 

has identified three major global trends that feed into 

the need for increased robustness in product claims: 

1. Carbon net zero by 2050 (relating to operational 

and upfront carbon emissions) 

2. Circular economy and healthy biodiversity 

3. Healthy and ethical buildings and supply chains 

Each of these have significant implications for 

products and manufacturers, especially those looking 

not just for domestic markets but export also. 

NATIONAL PRESENCE 

There is an increasing appetite for third-party verified 

environmental claims and declarations. Particularly 

in the built environment as an increasing number 

of professionals such as architects, designers and 

specifiers become more and more educated on 

the inclusive benefit, environmentally compliant 

products have overall, especially with the growth and 

development of Green Building rating systems such 

as the Green Building Council of South Africa’s Green 

Star® rating tool. 

In South Africa, research indicates an emerging 

eco-labelling certification sector that is still in its 

relative infancy and highlights the importance of due 

diligence when choosing an appropriate eco-label for 

your product. Factors for consideration include: 

• Expanse of market reach and appeal ie international 

vs national footprint and applicability 

• Degree of demonstration to international bestpractice 

framework and assessment standards 

• ISO14024-Type 1 eco-label alignment 

• Assessor qualifications 

• Inclusive socio-economic criteria eg equality, health 

and safety, etc 

• Exhibit options for comparative analysis of products 

within the same functional performance category 

• Strong sales and marketing leverage support 

Choose wisely, as the benefits of having a certified 

environmentally preferable product has far reaching 

impacts that incrementally compound to effect 

significant tangible changes in the way products and 

sales are made. 



47

GREEN GLOBE 

FUTURE 

HOUSE TECLA 

TECLA, the peak of advanced research 

between matter and technology, is a 

3D-printed global habitat. The project 

represents an unprecedented perspective 

for buildings and new settlements, in 

which the value of local raw materials 

is amplified by digital design. 

The house was printed in Massa Lombarda, Italy. 

Mario Cucinella Architects and World’s 

Advanced Saving Project (WASP) 

completed TECLA (technology and clay) 

– the first eco-sustainable, new circular 

housing model 3D printed entirely from local raw earth. 

TECLA responds to the need for sustainable homes 

at Km0. The double-dome solution makes it possible 

to cover the roles of structure, roof and external 

cladding, making the house high-performance on 

all aspects. The result is a highly flexible envelope 

designed to be resilient to any climate and energy 

efficient in a way that traditional housing models 

are not. 

Since 2012, WASP has been developing viable 

construction processes based on the principles of 

circular economy and digital fabrication. On the 

market since 2021, WASP produces 3D-printed 

houses in the most sustainable way. Crane WASP is 

the world’s first modular and multilevel 3D printer 

designed to collaboratively build singular and even 

more extensive architectural works. 


WATCH VIDEO: TECLA can be synthesised in 

200 hours of printing, 7 000 machine codes, 

350 layers of 12mm, 150km of extrusion, 

60 cubic metres of natural materials for an 

average consumption of less than 6kW. 


WATCH VIDEO: The printer consists of a main 

base on which the different types of cranes that 

expand the printing area are added. The basic 

module offers a print volume of 6.60 metres in 

diameter and 3 metres in height. It would be able 

to extrude conventional concrete, bio-sourced 

concrete and natural pulp. 

GREEN 

PRODUCT 

CATALOGUE 2022 

TECLA in the daytime and at night. 

The Crane WASP modulates as needed. 



49

40 years of locally manufactured 

sustainable waterproofing systems 

As market leading manufacturers of bitumen based 

products since 1981, Derbigum® Manufacturing, 

has become synonymous in the industry with high 

quality torch-on waterproofing products and has 

developed many specifications to best suit the 

changing environmental and energy needs of 

buildings. The products and systems supplied reflect 

our commitment to sustainable developments and 

we pride ourselves on our selection of raw materials 

contributing to an immediate and long term lower 

environmental impact. The life expectancy of our 

products is much higher than the standard, so 

you can rest assured your asset is protected for 

many decades. In addition, our systems have been 

engineered to require less maintenance resulting in 

a cost-effective solution to the end user over time. 

Our systems are generally installed by Approved 

Derbigum® Contractors and all our warranty options 

are locally insured for easy recourse should there 

ever be any issue on site, however we are proud to 

state we have a no claims history against our policy. 

Flat roof solution using Derbigum® Special 

Polyester (SP), Insulation and Delta® -Terraxx 

Lowering the carbon foot print of your building 

can be easily achieved by designing your roof 

to accommodate insulation boards and crushed 

stone for a lower internal temperature. This 

specification includes the option to 

design/facilitate bulk water 

storage. Understanding 

the different 

torch-on membrane 

warranties and 

lifecycle performance 

will help you better 

manage your ongoing 

maintenance costs. 

Horticultural specification using Delta® - 

Terraxx and Derbigum® Civils Grade 

For irrigated extensive roof gardens which require 

no water storage for the vegetation, our Delta® – 

Terraxx drainage and protection membrane is the 

perfect solution when partnered 

with our dual layer of Derbigum® 

CG torch-ons. We specifically 

manufacture a solution for 

horticultural applications 

that has an anti-root 

chemical to prevent 

damage from roots 

to laps, and the high 

drainage capacity of 

Delta – Terraxx® means 

there is no ponding of water 

on the roof. 

Horticultural specification using Delta® - 

Floraxx Top and Derbigum® Civils Grade 

Intensive roof garden landscaping which benefits 

from water storage can utilise our Delta® – Floraxx 

Top drainage and protection membrane which 

can store 7 litres per square meter of water and 

comes with a high quality, non-clogging filtration 

membrane. When used with our dual layer of 

Derbigum® CG torch-ons it provides a sustainable 

long term solution for roof gardens and planters. 

Exclusivly sold at Waterproofing centres 

nationwide 

www.derbigum.co.za 

www.waterproofingcentre.co.za 

If you would like a solution specific to your project, 

please get in touch today: assist@derbigum.co.za

ROOFING/WASTE 

HARVEY EcoTile ® 

A DIVISION OF 

The green roof tile 

Welcome to the future of roofi ng – a technological breakthrough from 

Harvey Roofi ng Products: the Harvey EcoTile ® . 

Harvey EcoTile ® is a mineral composite roof tile. By utilising 98% 

waste material, Harvey EcoTile ® is 100% recyclable yet provides 

superior functional benefi ts to other roofi ng options. 

Harvey EcoTile’s ® technological design advantage ensures an 

interlocking, lightweight tile that is low on maintenance, weatherproof 

and virtually unbreakable in normal use. 

Your building’s roof is one of its most important elements in function, 

aesthetics, surface area and investment. Increase its functional 

performance and green credentials with one innovative product – 

Harvey EcoTile ® . 

Stylish Double Roman 

design combines 

functional advantages with 

classic aesthetics. 

Non-porous, non-brittle 

finish ensures low water 

absorption and light 

weight in all weather 

conditions. 

Advanced engineering 

provides interlocking 

system for weather 

proofing and superior 

strength. 

GOING GREEN: 

HOW HARVEY ECOTILE® 

IS TRANSFORMING ROOFING 

In pursuit of sustainable, revolutionary roofing, Harvey Roofing Products has 

developed the Harvey EcoTile®, a sustainably produced mineral composite roof 

tile with superior functional benefits and enviable green credentials. 

A 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 

Harvey Roofing sources waste materials from local 

community projects, providing support to these 

initiatives and creating opportunities for gainful 

employment. 

building’s green credentials are determined 

by a variety of factors such as water efficiency, 

energy efficiency, environmentally-friendly 

materials, waste reduction, lowering carbon 

emissions and sustainable development and growth. 

Roofing materials are some of the least 

environmentally-friendly components of construction. 

In South Africa, where roofing materials are primarily 

steel and concrete, it scores poorly in the sustainability 

index. It is well known that concrete production is one 

of the world’s top polluters, causing 8% of global CO 2 

emissions and is a significant water waster. 

WASTE MATERIAL 

Harvey EcoTile® is manufactured from mineral 

waste products and waste polymer from recycling 

initiatives. Instead of contributing to water, land, and 

air pollution, EcoTile® removes these waste materials 

from the environment for productive use. Its blend of 

70% mineral (silica) and 28% polymer ensures that for 

each tile, the equivalent of 3.8 two-litre milk bottles 

are removed from the environment. 

100% RECYCLABLE 

Each Harvey EcoTile® is manufactured from 100% 

recyclable waste material. 

GREEN IS NOT ENOUGH 

Having excellent green credentials is only one part of 

a product’s success. Harvey EcoTile® is engineered for 

superior functional performance in its intended use. 

The lightweight roof tiles are precision engineered with 

an interlocking design to eliminate gaps, making the 

completed roof 100% weatherproof. It withstands galeforce 

wind, UV rays, rain, hail and dust and is virtually 

unbreakable once installed. Future maintenance is also 

minimised as all roof elements (such as ridge caps) 

provide a precision fit for a maintenance-free seal. 

Gone are the days of unsightly crumbling concrete 

ridges and hips. 

Harvey EcoTile® is taking roofing into the future. 

A greener future. 

Harvey EcoTile® is trademark registered and patent 

pending. 

Lightweight 

Solar Compatible 

Low Maintenance 

Paintable 

Durable 

SANS 10400-T 

Weatherproof 

Waste Material 

Attractive Easy to Install Re-roofing 

100% Recyclable Waterless Community Projects 

WATERLESS PRODUCT 

A standard concrete roof tile mix consists of 11.42% 

water addition, thus for every square metre of roof, 

5.4 litres of clean drinking water is used. In addition, 

concrete needs to remain moist during curing which 

requires yet more water. The Harvey EcoTile® product 

requires no water; in fact, we extract moisture from 

the mineral to manufacture the product. It is also the 

ideal roof tile for water harvesting as it absorbs less 

than 0.36% of its weight in water (compared to 6-10% 

for concrete tiles). 

#roofing #harveyecotile® #recycledmaterials 

Harvey Roofing Products 

Albie Jordaan 

Phone: 011 741 5600 

Email: albie.jordaan@macroofing.co.za 

A DIVISION OF 

Tel: +27 11 741 5600 

www.harveyroofingproducts.co.za 


55

Green Building Council South Africa is 

leading the way in respect to sustainability 

in the property and construction industry. 

Stay connected and in the ‘know’ on news 

and projects through GBCSA’s +Impact 

Magazine! 

+IMPACT MAGAZINE FREQUENCY 

Issue 18: June 2022 

Issue 19: September 2022 

Issue 20: November 2022 

Issue 21: January 2023 

To plan your marketing campaign, please contact us on 

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Have a look at the official +Impact Magazine website:

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