PROJECT
59
By
Mofenyi Maimela, wet services engineer at WSP
WSP Africa was entrusted to design its new offices in Knightsbridge Office Park, situated in the redevelopment of Bryanston. The design was to comply with latest regulations and contribute to a 4-Star Green Star GBCSA-rated park.
Knightsbridge Office Park is a multi-tenant office park that was divided into three phases of design and construction. WSP Africa is privileged to be a tenant for one of the three buildings in Phase 1.
WSP is a global business providing consulting in the engineering and built environment and this state-ofthe-art office park would be the base for WSP’ s Africa operations. Emira appointed WSP’ s multidisciplinary team for the project feasibility, strategic planning, concept development, detailed design, and construction monitoring for the 30 000m 2 green office park.
The architects and landscape architects( Boogertman + Partners and The Gardeners, respectively), exercised their aesthetic muscle to bring a modern look with a South African taste.
DESIGN CRITERIA Although not as glamourous as other building services, wet services forms an intricate part of the office environment. As South Africa barrels down to an increasingly water-scarce region, WSP was to ensure that minimal water is wasted. Moreover, where it was achievable, WSP had to design systems that would capture rain and groundwater to be re-used. Emira shared the same sentiments and together with WSP Sustainability Consultants, looked for ways to not only save water but also use it as efficiently as possible.
The wet services system comprises the internal plumbing and drainage system for the office ablutions of all three buildings and HVAC condensate drainage. Emira required a three-day storage capacity for the potable water that would serve Phase 1 offices from a domestic storage plant. Furthermore, Emira required no hot water in ablutions; instead, as a compromise, to provide a cyclist facility with showers, to serve the entire office park’ s tenants.
WATER HARVESTING Although WSP explored the possibility of water harvesting with Emira, the difficulty was to introduce a separate plant. In addition, there would be a double piping system, which would have been difficult to co-ordinate, especially with the waste and soil water separation. Moreover, latest regulations stipulate that an environmental impact assessment( EIA) would be required, as well as approval from council for these systems. As a viable compromise, the team settled for a rainwater harvesting system that would serve the park’ s irrigation. The landscaper would then use plant life that was already on the park or bring in indigenous plants that require little water.
Although the majority of the concrete slabs were constructed, there was no dedicated plant room for the rainwater harvesting plant.
Some of the installation of the cold water plant.
All photos by WSP
Continued on page 61 >>
www. plumbingafrica. co. za August 2018 Volume 24 I Number 6