Growthpoint Properties has completed its R600-million development of Exxaro’s leading edge new head office in Pretoria, opposite the Centurion Gautrain Station.
Growthpoint’s highly skilled development and workspace design team created an innovative green building, integrating P-grade aesthetics and finishes and high-performance workspace.
Exxaro, one of the largest and foremost empowered South African-based diversified resources companies, commenced its long lease over all the new building’s 18,500sqm of gross lettable area on 1 May 2019, after six weeks of early occupation. Over a three-month period, Exxaro will relocate all its operations to the new building, which can accommodate up to 1,000 staff members.
Exxaro’s new corporate headquarters consolidate its current offices in Pretoria and Joburg into a single thriving workspace, at a convenient midpoint in a superbly accessible location. The signature building comprises five storeys of offices atop four levels of structured basement parking.
Paul Kollenberg, Growthpoint’s Head of Asset Management: Offices, points out, We are happy to include the new Exxaro’s head office in our portfolio. The building is in tune with top commercial buildings in the world’s most prominent urban centres. It reflects the quality, efficient, high-performance workplaces that are becoming the core of the Growthpoint’s office portfolio.
The two-year development of Exxaro’s headquarters broke ground in February 2017 to become the second phase of Growthpoint’s redevelopment of the prime Lakeside site on West Street, Centurion.
A major challenge in the building’s construction is the site’s dolomitic bedrock. Over 100 boreholes were drilled to create a three-dimensional model of the bedrock. High-lying dolomite pinnacles were blasted and drilled down, upper layers of soil were compacted and a steel-reinforced concrete ‘raft’ foundation, complete with sensor monitoring, was laid.
Rudolf Pienaar, Growthpoint’s Chief Development and Investment Officer, says, With excellent site information and expertise, Growthpoint’s development team overcame a massive challenge, to take advantage of a prime commercial site for Exxaro that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.
As a prominent feature of the development, organic dolomite was chosen to inspire several building design elements. Its forms are subtly expressed in acoustic wall panels, bollards and other thoughtful features. The building’s innovative safe foundations are brought to life with a special glass covered manhole, which provides a view underground to a dolomitic pinnacle beneath the site’s parking area periphery.
This is just one of many ways that this singular building tells its story, creates touchpoints, and encourages users to engage with it, says Growthpoint Development Manager, Michiel Gerber.
In line with both Exxaro’s and Growthpoint’s high environmental standards, the development team’s efforts surpassed its targets to achieve a 5-Star Green Star SA Design certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa. This will be confirmed with a As-Built rating application, once the building is fully functioning.
Exxaro’s new energy-efficient building will foster a healthy, energising work environment and high productivity levels in a cost-effective setting. Green measures include a performance glazed façade, zoned lighting, energy-efficient building services and systems, water-efficient fixtures, rainwater harvesting, water-wise landscaping, low VOC interior finishes, abundant fresh air and natural light, as well as a hydro panel that generates water from air. It has dedicated parking for more fuel-efficient vehicles, such as hybrids, electric cars and scooters, as well as secure bicycle racks.
While the building is owned by Growthpoint, it has been tailored to Exxaro’s specific requirements. The building creates a variety of experiences throughout, all custom designed to support Exxaro’s business goals, ethos, values and vision.
The curvaceous building is skirted with generous terraces and connects to the outdoors with pleasant external views, balconies and a roof terrace.
Arrival at the building is through a welcoming triple-volume entrance and reception, which open onto an airy atrium that soars upwards at the core of five floors of efficient, light-filled workspace. It includes a level dedicated to meeting, interacting, engaging and collaborating, and features a restaurant and canteen with a kitchen, a state-of-the-art auditorium, and a coffee shop.
Even its bathrooms are innovative. Widely used in places like Western Europe, the waterless urinal for females is relatively new to South African offices and is being piloted by Growthpoint in Exxaro’s new headquarters. Also, an innovative idea for an on-site nutrient recovery urinal by the winner of the Greenovate Engineering Award in 2017, Craig Peter Flanagan who represented UCT, has been implemented by Growthpoint at the building.
Growthpoint Properties is the largest South African primary listed REIT. It creates value for its stakeholders with innovative and sustainable property solutions that provide space to thrive. It has established itself as South Africa’s leader in developing and providing signature green corporate headquarters tailored to the exacting requirements of leading local and multi-national businesses. It is the listed property company that owns the most significant number of green-certified buildings in South Africa, providing quality spaces that work best for its clients.
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Released by:
Growthpoint Properties Limited
Paul Kollenberg, Head of Asset Management: Office
Tel: +27 (0) 11 944 6234
www.growthpoint.co.za
www.linkedin.com/company/growthpoint-properties-ltd
www.youtube.com/GrowthpointBroadcast
For more information, or to book an interview, please contact Mahlatse Bojanyane on 011 783 0700 or on 083 453 6668 or email [email protected].