The result is that all internal spaces have visual connections to the outside , which greatly enhances the feeling of spaciousness and transparency . This creates a more people-centred environment , offering opportunities to pause and appreciate the surrounding context . Internal finishes comprise of a restrained palette of neutral colours , with darker tones to accentuate key elements . This results in clean , uncluttered spaces in which the building always recedes and allows the external views to be appreciated .
The Green Building ’ s materiality was guided by contextual and pragmatic considerations . Aside from acknowledging the existing buildings on the campus , the use of red facebrick also minimises the maintenance requirement over the lifespan of the building , and contributes to the building ’ s refined and tactile quality . Facebrick is also a labour intensive construction material . This allowed employment , skills training and apprenticeship programmes to be implemented during the construction of the building , in line with the Department ’ s EPWP mandate . These training programmes resulted in recognised qualifications for participants and will unlock further employment opportunities beyond the construction of this individual project .
The result of these considerations is a building designed around standard construction methods , which facilitated the use of semi-skilled labour , and reduced dependency on highly specialised service providers . The quality of the project was in no way compromised , and the Department , professional team and contractor are justifiably proud of this achievement . Building materials were sourced from local suppliers where possible . This yielded two significant benefits : a reduced embodied energy for the project , as well as substantial support for the local economy .
This holistic strategy led to this being the first building in Africa to achieve a socio-economic impact certification as part of its 5-star GreenStar rating . This demonstrates that the design and construction of the project not only addressed environmental sustainability , but also successfully and rigorously addressed issues of socioeconomic sustainability .
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