"We are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to put our environmental commitment into action and reducing the operating costs for our tenants with meaningful, quantifiable results," Norbert Sasse, CEO of Growthpoint Properties, comments.
"Our green buildings, energy efficiency initiatives and sustainable energy generation contribute positively to the environment. They also create places where businesses and communities can enjoy the benefits of quality, healthy, energy-efficient environments in which to work, shop and relax."
Growthpoint's environmental strategy also benefits from the latest in green leadership globally. Rudolf Pienaar, Growthpoint's office divisional director, was recently appointed to the World Green Building Council's board of directors. Pienaar is also deputy chairman of the GBCSA.
"With the shared insight that comes from the World GBC, through the GBCSA, we can integrate the latest global perspectives on sustainability strategies into our local property industry," says Pienaar. "That is exactly what we are doing in Growthpoint's own portfolio."
Werner van Antwerpen, head of Growthpoint's specialised sustainability division, says Growthpoint currently owns or co-owns the largest portfolio of Green Star SA certified buildings of any company in South Africa, with 23 buildings rated so far. "Our goal is to have over 50 Growthpoint buildings certified by the end of our 2016 financial year, on 30 June 2016."
Growthpoint already has 28 of its standing office buildings in the process of being certified. Van Antwerpen says this process will take approximately eight months from start to finish. "Achieving certifications for our green buildings highlights the quality of our portfolio and increases the marketability of our properties."
In addition to building a leading portfolio of eco-friendly buildings, Growthpoint is also taking pressure off South Africa's electricity grid with alternative energy by generating solar power at more and more of its buildings across the country. Growthpoint has conducted several investigations to identify which of its buildings are suitable for solar power electricity generation. Extensive design and analysis has been done on various buildings.
Solar capacity already installed totals 1,215kWp and is generated at its properties including Lincoln on the Lake in Umhlanga, InfoTech in Pretoria, Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg and Bayside Mall in Cape Town.
Solar installations approved and currently under way at Growthpoint's buildings will add a further 4,827.5kWp to the total. These include installations at the V&A Waterfront, 33 Bree and De Waterkant, Airport Industria, and The Constantia Village in Cape Town; Northgate in Johannesburg; and, Kolonnade and Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria. Much attention is also being given to get building shareholders also on board.
"Once these projects are complete, our solar rooftop generation capacity will be one of the largest in the country at over 6MWp. To put this into perspective, the RustMo1Project solar farm project in Rustenburg currently has a capacity of 7MWp," Van Antwerpen explains.
"These efforts with solar energy alone will contribute greatly to neutralising our direct carbon emissions," says van Antwerpen. "Our commitment to green building, however, doesn't stop here and we look forward to making an even greater impact on the environment in the future."
