sustainability and occupant health and comfort were largely driven by the client . In 2019 SANBS established a “ Greening Task Team ” to set up an interactive dashboard to increase awareness of environmental sustainability issues at every level of the company . The team highlighted areas of focus to mitigate environmental impact across operations .
Carports in the staff parking area support a PV array which supplies between 60 % and 65 % of the building ’ s electricity requirements . Natural light is channelled into most of the usable spaces through the rooflights over lightwells , as well as glazing on external walls , reducing the requirement for electrical lighting during the day . Where this is not feasible , like in the laboratories where consistent and bright light is required , energy saving fittings have been installed throughout .
Air-conditioning in laboratory settings can be challenging due to critical temperature and pressure settings in different spaces . This drove the requirement to subdivide the laboratories with glass walls . In the other areas of the building , natural ventilation is utilised wherever possible , with the remaining functions being grouped to be able to supply conditioned air in the most efficient way .
Harvested rainwater supplies all the ablution facilities , water saving fixtures reduce the usage as well . Another important part of sustainability is the health and comfort of a building ’ s occupants . Natural light and fresh air , both in abundance in this building , are extremely important for the
comfort of building occupants . Biophilic design , which recognises humans ’ innate need to connect with nature , is becoming an increasingly popular concept in relation to ‘ green ’ design . In this building , the physical and visual links between inside and outside , including several planted atrium spaces internally , facilitate that connection between office or laboratory occupants and the natural world outside .
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