The visitor centre of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), received an Honourable Mention for Architecture from the Pretoria Institute for Architecture (PIA).
The award specifically mentioned a “pavilion showcasing current sustainable thinking”.
As the energy consultant on the project and also responsible for the implementation of cutting-edge green energy technology into the building, this can be described as a typical project showcasing all four core competencies of our business:
- design & implementation of energy strategies,
- commercial solar thermal systems,
- commercial solar photovoltaic systems and
- training.
First step taken was to write an energy strategy which assisted the DBSA in reducing their energy demand and consumption to less than 46% of SANS 204 (current best practice).
We integrated numerous sustainable energy strategies into the project and provided consulting on the general environmental design.
The building is the absolutely pinnacle of sustainable design and South Africa´s first CO2 and energy neutral building.
