THE GREEN BUILDING
THE GREEN BUILDING Karl Bremer Hospital , Bellville
CLIENT Western Cape Government , Dept . of Transport & Public Works
ARCHITECT Jacobs Parker Architects
QUANTITY SURVEYOR LWA Quantity Surveyors
COMMISSIONING AGENT Zutari
CIVIL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEER BSP Consulting Engineers
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Element Consulting Engineers H / O
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Bosch Projects with input from Spoormaker & Partners
FIRE & WET SERVICES Bosch Projects with input from Zutari
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSULTANT AGAMA Energy
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Earthworks Landscape Architects
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT Ecosense
HEALTH & SAFETY AGENT Frontline SHEQ
MAIN CONTRACTOR Aveng Grinaker-LTA
PHOTOGRAPHY Adam Letch
The Western Cape Government has a mandate to drive environmental and socio-economic sustainability , through the delivery of infrastructure projects . The design and construction of new buildings is therefore an opportunity to deliver real , material and meaningful benefit to the communities that these buildings serve . This mandate was the driving force behind the design and construction of the new 5-star Greenstar rated office and training facility on the Karl Bremer hospital campus in Bellville , Cape Town .
The Department of Transport & Public Works required a facility which merges various administrative offices and training facilities into a single new building . This included office accommodation , conferencing , meeting , research and other support facilities . The building was to be located on the Karl Bremer Hospital campus , situated 20 minutes from the Cape Town CBD .
The larger Karl Bremer site currently houses a hospital ( established in 1956 ), various offices in prefabricated structures , a lecture hall , workshops and other support facilities . The new Green Building consolidates several functions from various other locations into a new , purpose-built facility measuring approximately 8,000m 2 .
The portion of land earmarked for development was the southern edge of the site , which borders Frans Conradie Drive . Locating the building away from the hospital ’ s primary entrance ensures easy access and operational independence from the larger campus . Situating the building in this location also allows for future expansion , reduces the disturbance of greenfield areas , allows for optimum building orientation , creates an appropriately scaled edge to the street , and allows the maximum volume of stormwater to be collected , as it is the lowest part of the site .
The design concept proposed two wings : The taller , southern wing relates to the scale of the busy Frans Conradie Drive , and creates an identifiable landmark along an otherwise nondescript street . The north wing is lower , in order to create a pedestrian scaled entrance and to allow natural daylight to penetrate the taller , southern wing . Between these two masses , lies the central atrium space , which houses the primary
506 The Green Building