SA SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY GARNERS INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM
San Sereno , an Auria Senior Living community in Bryanston has taken top honours alongside four of its international counterparts as one of five winners of the Argentum 2020 Senior Living by Design Awards .
Based in the USA , Argentum is America ’ s leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed , residentcentered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve .
The annual Senior Living by Design Awards recognise architects , design firms and senior living providers who create quality senior living communities in innovative ways . Of the five winners of the Senior Living by Design Awards ( 2020 ), San Sereno was the only entry from outside the United States .
The award is a strong validation for the pioneering work that San Sereno ’ s developer and operator , Auria Senior Living , is doing in the senior living space in South Africa . The company aims to change what is on offer in the South African senior living space – setting a new standard with respect to the living environments themselves as well as what it means to grow older . “ Our vision was to establish a new gold standard for senior living in South Africa , brought about by our dismay over the institutional and depressing environments created by conventional ‘ retirement villages ’ in South Africa ,” says Auria founder and CEO , Barry Kaganson . “ Our aim with San Sereno was to provide a new , contemporary and luxurious approach to senior living design that was practical , yet aesthetically pleasing . We wanted to have a positive impact on residents ’ lives through their daily experience of using and moving through the new spaces , and to ensure that they could enjoy their best quality of life . Every single day .”
San Sereno was acquired in 2017 and extensively renovated to create the beautiful residence that it is today for over 350 residents . “ The facility we acquired was completed in the early 1990s and was in dire need of an upgrade . We wanted to transform the existing aged building into a world class , contemporary community which provides a luxurious and enticing living environment for residents , accommodates impaired movement and mobility , and provides all the necessary amenities within the rapidly changing senior living environment ,” says Kaganson .
SANEDI REMINDS BUILDING OWNERS TO HAVE BUILDINGS RATED FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Building owners have two years to comply with new building energy performance regulations , which require a formal assessment of their building energy consumption . On 8 December 2020 , the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy ( DMRE ) gazetted ‘ Regulations for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings ’. As an agency of the Department , the South African National Energy Development Institute ( SANEDI ) has been tasked with developing , hosting and maintaining a national Building Energy Performance Certificate Register in terms of these regulations .
“ SANEDI wants to help ensure compliance with the new regulations , so that building owners are not unnecessarily penalised . Many people may not have heard about the new regulations , so we are determined to inform the public of what they entail ,” explains SANEDI ’ s Barry Bredenkamp , General Manager Energy Efficiency & Corporate Communications . “ Ultimately , it must be highlighted that the responsibility lies with building owners to ensure that they are compliant with the regulations .”
What do the new regulations mean ? Certain classes of buildings need to have their energy performance assessed by a South African National Accreditation System ( SANAS ) accredited inspection body , who will then issue an Energy Performance Certificate ( EPC ), rating the building from A – G for energy efficiency . “ To be compliant , the EPC must be displayed at the building entrance , and a D-rating would typically indicate basic compliance with the Energy Efficiency component of the national building regulations . This first assessment will form the benchmark for the building and give the owner an idea of what needs to be done to improve the rating in the future . Everyone should aim for an A-rating in the longer term ,” says Bredenkamp . EPCs need to be renewed every five years , giving building owners the opportunity to improve their energy performance .
Which buildings need to comply , by when ? The current regulations apply to four different classes of buildings defined in the national Building Standard namely ; entertainment and public assembly facilities , theatrical and indoor sports facilities , places of instruction and offices with a nett floor area of at least 2,000m 2 in the private sector , and 1,000m 2 for buildings owned , operated or occupied by an organ of the state . The buildings must be compliant by 8 December 2022 . www . sanedi . org . za
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