Nedbank Namibia has been awarded six stars by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). The new headquarters of the Namibian subsidiary of South African bank Nedbank has been awarded the Green Building label for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
On 21 February 2023, Nedbank Namibia’s head office became the first building in Namibia to be certified as a green building. The building is certified by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), a non-profit organisation that promotes green building and sustainability in the property and construction sectors.
The new Nedbank Namibia headquarters built by Namibia Construction in collaboration with Emcon Consulting now boasts a six-star rating from the GBCSA. “The six-star rating represents the companies’ commitment to best practice in design and construction methods that create comfortable and sustainable spaces,” says Nedbank Namibia. The building was delivered in 2022.
Energy efficiency of the building
The energy efficiency of the building was enhanced by the installation of 100% LED lighting. Low-flow fixtures were installed to save water. “The exterior views and abundant natural light have reduced the reliance on artificial lighting during the day, while creating a more inspiring environment for employees and customers,” says Nedbank Namibia. Motion-sensing lights were also installed, as well as solar photovoltaic panels combined with low volatile organic compound materials to reduce the building’s emissions by 90%.
Nedbank Namibia Head Office©Nedbank Namibia
At the Nedbank Namibia headquarters, double-glazed etched glass windows have also been integrated into the facades, improving internal thermal comfort and reducing noise pollution, while reducing the energy load required for cooling, which is the main energy consumer in a building of this nature.
The GBCSA has three tools for awarding green building certification. The Green Star tool awards points in nine categories, namely, project management, indoor environmental quality, energy type, mobility, water consumption, on-site GHG emissions, technologies used, socio-economic impact of the project, etc. The second tool, “Edge” (Excellence in Design for Great Efficiencies) sets a minimum reduction of 20% in energy, water and embodied energy consumption. And the ‘EWP’ (Energy Water Performance) tool assesses the performance of an entire office building. Using these tools, the organisation has certified hundreds of buildings since 2009. This certification is valid for a period of 3 years.
Inès Magoum
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