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YOUNG ENGINEERS IN ASHRAE LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER TECHNICAL TOURS
Before the great lockdown , when going to the office was the norm , before zoom calls and designing in your PJ ’ s , ASHRAE SA YEA hosted an event that showed engineers and members around Discovery ’ s new global headquarters in the heart of Sandton , Gauteng .
This iconic office complex , completed in November 2017 and with a gross leasable area of 87 000m ², boasts a 5-Star Green Rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa and was updated to a 6-Star rating in April 2020 .
Some of the key points the Council highlighted were rigorous environmental and waste management processes during construction , the building ’ s ‘ green roof ’ ( partially covered in vegetation ), CO₂ based demand control of fresh air , and the harvesting of grey and rain water for irrigation and flushing of water closets and urinals .
The building boasts a staff restaurant , restaurants , dry cleaner , hair and beauty salon , Woolworths , a running track , car wash , coffee shops , vehicle servicing , phone repairs , and license services among others .
The building is a fantastic example of how design can incorporate the unique identity of a business and its key
VISI
The prior tour , slowed down by the global pandemic , was facilitated at the iconic Discovery head office in Sandton , Gauteng .
values . Rarely do we a see a development that seamlessly blends stunning architecture , energy efficiency and lifestyle design so well .
When approaching the building from the street one can ’ t help but stare at the sweeping curves that shimmer in the afternoon sun . The event was well attended by 16 enthused members and they were invited to tour the mechanical plant , which also houses the state-of the art building management system ( BMS ), as well as the office roof plant and the secondary chilled water plant , which integrates free cooling by means of cooling towers , for their in-house data centre .
The ASHRAE SA YEA looks forward to hosting similar events in future and would like to thank Discovery for hosting us on the day . Should you wish to join the SA Chapter YEA technical tours , please direct queries to the ASHRAE South Africa Chapter .
ASHRAE
The ASHRAE SA YEA team that visited the site for a technical tour .
The Young Engineers in ASHRAE committee is chaired by Byron Coetzer . If you want to get involved with the committee or membership please contact : yeachair @ ashraesa . org RACA
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