Multidisciplinary engineering consultancy WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has achieved the first Green Star rating in Namibia for FNB Namibia Holdings’ Parkside building.
Located in Freedom Square, Windhoek, the Parkside building achieved a 4-Star Green Star rating and with its innovative, environment-friendly design, and sustainableoperational energy management, the building sets a benchmark for building sustainably in the country for the future.
The construction of the building started in August 2013, with the building’s practical completion achieved in October 2015.
WSP says the building was awarded its 4-Star Green Star Office South Africa-Namibia ‘Design’ rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in 2014.Since its completion and being fully operational, the project is now aiming towards an ‘As Built’ rating by demonstrating that the sustainability initiatives designed into the building are installed and operating to their full efficiency potential.
“As market leading sustainability consultants, WSP’s Green by Design team has been involved with this project from conceptualisation through every phase of design and construction. “There are a variety of innovative and sustainable factors evident in the morphology of the building that have all contributed to this building receiving its Green Star rating.
“We are also confident that the building will receive its ‘As Built’ rating, as the initial energy modelling has already shown a 40% reduction in operational energy, compared with a building constructed according to minimum building regulations,”
says WSP sustainability consultant Greg Rice, adding that this saving amounts to an estimated 1-million kilowatt per hour reduction per year in operational energy.