NEWSWORTHY
WOOLWORTHS STORE RECEIVES SA’ S FIRST 5-STAR RETAIL TENANT GREEN BUILDING RATING
The Woolworths Palmyra store in Cape Town has become the first retail outlet in SA to achieve a 5-star rating certified by the GBCSA, using the Green Star SA- Existing Building Performance Custom Tenant rating tool. Since opening its doors in 2010, the food market store has always been ground-breaking when it comes to advanced green building features. The Palmyra store set the benchmark within the Woolworths property portfolio, meeting the requirements for a platinum rating of the Woolworths SA Real Estate Division’ s green assessment programme- an internal rating system audited by Ernst & Young. Now, also ratified by the GBCSA, the Woolworths Palmyra store stands as SA’ s greenest retail tenant environment. It has a long list of environmentally friendly features including automated doors that help maintain the interior temperature, reclaimed heat from the refrigeration system and air conditioning that is used for under-floor heating, harvested rainwater that is used to flush the toilets, a CO2 refrigeration system, skylights that optimise natural light and fully automated lighting that guarantees no energy is wasted on lighting when natural light is available. The rating tool is a measure of the store’ s environmental performance over a period of 12 months in operation, and is valid for three years before it expires.
NEW MOSO PRODUCT RANGE OPENS NEW MARKETS FOR BAMBOO
The new MOSO ® Bamboo N-finity range is suitable for use in interior, façade and other outdoor applications. The structural bamboo beams are relatively light and still meet the necessary structural requirements to be used in( semi) structural applications. A special vacuum-pressure impregnation process makes the material very durable and suitable for outdoor applications. A patented hook connection enables a maximum length of 5,800mm. MOSO ® already completed the first reference project in the past year: Bamboo N-finity is used as for the support beams for the roof of the BMW solar carport in South Africa.
Technical Benefits MOSO ® Bamboo N-finity reaches the highest durability class according to EU standard EN350 with a special vacuum-pressure impregnation process( complying with BPR). The beams can be manufactured in different sizes and are available with a maximum dimension of 5,800mm x 120mm x 200mm or 5,800 x 200 x 120mm. The exceptional length is achieved with a patented hook connection between single bamboo strips.
The material, which is supplied profiled in the final dimensions for outdoor applications, is tested for mechanical and static properties following EN408( bending, tension, compression, shear).
The test results show that MOSO ® Bamboo N-finity is highly suitable for application as a structural beam. The Brinell hardness is ≥ 4kg / mm ² according to EN1534 and the material has a density of approx. 700kg / m 3. With these mechanical and static properties the low-maintenance beams are ideal for use as load-bearing elements. MOSO ® Bamboo N-finity will turn grey over time when exposed to outdoor conditions, giving it a beautiful, natural look. apaige @ moso-bamboo. co. za www. moso. eu
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