News
ROSEBANK’S LINK
ACHIEVES DOUBLE GREEN
STAR RATING
The Link in Rosebank, the first South African office for
international shared workspace technology company
WeWork of the US, has achieved a four Green Star ‘design’ and a
five Green Star ‘as built’ rating from the Green Building Council of
South Africa (GBCSA).
The building was designed by Paragon Architects, with
Paragon Interface carrying out the interior fit-out, for developer
Redefine Properties. “The entire team is very proud of our ‘as
built’ rating. This was only possible through close collaboration
with WBHO, the contractor and WSP, the green building
consultant.
The ‘design’ versus ‘as built’ scores reflect how much hard
work and dedication everyone put into the project in order to
achieve a score beyond the client’s expectations,” Paragon
Architects senior Project Architectural Technologist Warren
Wesson says.
“A Green Star rating is no longer perceived as an extra cost,
but as a significant investment. It has become the new norm,”
Wesson points out. The track record of the Green Star rating
system, developed originally by the Green Building Council of
Australia, has already seen developers reap significant benefits in
terms of operational costs and general end-user experience.
“The wellbeing of staff has become a top priority for tenants.
Studies show that the healthier the environment, the more
productive staff can be,” Wesson highlights. The Link was
designed so as to afford a 360° view of the surrounding urban
Key Green Star initiatives at The Link in Rosebank
1. Indoor environmental quality (ventilation rates,
management of volatile organic compounds, daylight
glare control)
2. Energy (greenhouse gas emissions, lighting power
densities)
3. Management (building tuning, commissioning, waste
management)
4. Transport (fuel-efficient bays, cyclist facilities, mass
transportation for commuters)
BusinessTech
The Link, located in Rosebank.
area, while maintaining a high degree of natural light for a
comfortable internal environment.
The difference between the two ratings for The Link is
that ‘design’ is the target, a clear strategy for all professionals
to adhere to while ‘as built’ is the final audited result of those
planned strategies at the end of the project. The Link was
awarded a four Green Star ‘design’ rating in the early construction
phase, which met the client’s brief. However, additional
innovation points were achieved through passive building
techniques and environmental considerations. This meant that
the project was ultimately awarded a five Green Star ‘as built’
rating.
It was always the intent of the project team to ensure that
the building met the maximum Green Star requirements as far
as they could within their allowable budgets, Wesson points out.
Green Star strategies are extremely complex, and sometimes
have very little to do with the actual architectural building
aesthetics. “It is more about how the building is managed during
construction, ensuring correct building material specifications and
also co-ordinating efficient MEP disciplines such as water, waste,
mechanical and electrical,” Wesson concludes. RACA
www.hvacronline.co.za RACA Journal I August 2020 5