Contents ARCHITECTURE 2
Facebook Prineville Data Center by Sheehan Partners
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Groupe Scolaire Normandie-Niemen by Gaetan Le Penhuel Architectes
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Architectural vision rewarded
BUILDING 7
Green buildings on the rise in Persian Gulf states
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Vodacom’s innovation site wins green star award
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Construction confidence hits three-year high
DECOR 10 Gorgeous Prefab Westcliff Pavilion Home Boasts a Floating Stone Wall 13 Middelburg mall features thoughtful architecture PROPERTY 14 Bryanston office space demand surges 15 Demand For Paarl Commercial And Industrial Property 16 Growthpoint bid for Fountainhead heading for finance board
Vol. 1 - October 30th, 2012
ARCHITECTURE: OREGON
Facebook Prineville Data Center by Sheehan Partners When Facebook users post photos or status updates, data seemingly drifts into the “cloud,” which is not exactly an ethereal place, but rather a complex data center housing racks of servers using as much energy as a small town. Defying this energy-draining typology, the Facebook Prineville Data Center in central Oregon has achieved LEED Gold status through advanced technologies, including an innovative mechanical equipment penthouse and evaporative cooling system, all while keeping data flowing and providing pleasant workspaces. Due to security requirements, data centers are typically fortress-like. For Facebook, a company that prides itself on openness, the architects created a prominent building that harmonizes with its high desert landscape. The permeable yet secure perimeter is clad in warm-toned precast concrete panels, corrugated steel and layered glazing. “People spaces,” including conference rooms and workspaces, open onto an interior courtyard. In fact, every employee enjoys views and natural light from at least two directions.
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The facility expends zero energy towards mechanical cooling. Computer equipment rooms and the mechanical penthouse together function as an occupied air handler. Fan walls pull in dry desert air from outside, and then misters inject moisture and drop the temperature several degrees to keep servers functioning properly. The Facebook Prineville Data Center is a little cloud-like, after all. To reach the status as one of the world’s most energy efficient data centers, not to mention rigorous LEED Gold requirements, the designers of the Facebook Prineville Data Center had to rethink every part of a data center’s building, mechanical, electrical, and computing systems and remove everything that didn’t directly benefit efficiency. The remaining system elements had to operate in concert, from processors to fan walls to evaporative misters to damper controls. Power usage was cut at every opportunity, resulting in a building that runs 38% more efficiently than other state-of-the-art data centers yet cost 24% less to construct. A data center’s efficiency is determined by its power usage effectiveness ratio (PUE), which measures the total energy consumption divided by the consumption for the computer equipment. An ideal ratio is 1.0, and the EPA-defined industry state-of-the-art rating is 1.5. Based on the results of preliminary tests, the Prineville facility has achieved a near-perfect score of 1.07 PUE. In addition to the impressive statistics documenting the energy efficiency of the Facebook Prineville Data Center, other sustainable features include the incorporation of low-VOC materials, solar panel arrays, and a rainwater storage tank within the interior courtyard that satisfies irrigation needs and supplies water for toilets. http://www.archdaily.com/285237/facebook-prineville-data-center-sheehan-partners/ Page 3
ARCHITECTURE: FRANCE
Groupe Scolaire Normandie-Niemen by Gaetan Le Penhuel Architectes The area is characterized by an urban typology of periphery of the city center marked by the presence of vast estate of dwellings. The project is a real element of animation and redevelopment within the district.
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Creating a shared square nearby the school complex, the multi purpose hall and the gymnasium leads to a transition space between the public road and the buildings, generating a meeting space for parents and residents. These local facilities give impetus to the development of the district and, therefore, must assert itself as quality contemporary buildings. The square from the Martin Luther King Avenue is structured to distribute all programs: multipurpose hall, gymnasium, kindergarten, elementary school, recreation center. The hill just extend to encompass the hall. A planted patio separates the entrances to the two schools and visually connects the square to the slope of the neighboring parcels. It seemed important to maintain transparen-
cy to the extensive green space, strong elements of the site. Each entity has its own clean operation, and is completely independent from the rest with its outdoor spaces and gardens. The varied views and atmospheres we offer for different programs contribute to strengthen the sense of evolution within the same site. It is for us to create a project in harmony with the landscape quality of the site, while affirming the public aim of the building, which also must respond to a trouble�free operation. http://www.archdaily.com/283998/groupe-scolaire-normandieniemen-gaetan-le-penhuel-architectes/
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ARCHITECTURE: SOUTH AFRICA
Architectural vision rewarded During the month of September, Cape Town played host to the Architecture ZA 2012 Biennial Festival, culminating in the 2011- 2012 CorobrikSAIA-SA Institute of Architect’s Awards of Excellence and Merit. The festival theme of “Rescripting Architecture” was aimed at practising architects, as well as students who attended the Annual Student Congress. Event topics ranged from adding value towards building real communities, to the improvement of the poor and disadvantaged, as well as that of creating more sustainable urban environments. In addressing the audience, outgoing SAIA president Fanuel Motsepe said: “Good architects have the sensibility to design spaces that advance lifestyles, while being sensitive to the environment and mindful of promoting healthy social values.” In his view, architecture in SA is cementing its confidence as a global role player. Motsepe said that local architecture had clearly matured, confidently and convincingly, out of the years of isolation. Works of architecture are presented by the various regional institutes affiliated to SAIA, while the Corobrik-SAIA Awards of Merit are bestowed to encourage and recognise good design or a significant contribution in the field of architecture . Two of the eight awards went to residential project designs, namely Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects (SAOTA) for a new house built in Hermanus, and Mellet & Human Architects who received an award of excellence for Page 6
a new residence built in Groenkloof, Pretoria. SAOTA received the excellence award for the joint design by Stefan Antoni and Richard Townsend for the design of a family beach house built on a vacant site at Voelklip in Hermanus. The judges said: “This holiday home is an architectural marvel in the design ingenuity applied — it befits the idiom ‘god is in the detail’ by the assemblage sensitivity and crisp clarity of construction that is carried throughout the entire structure.” A part from the sheer quality of how the different spaces are interrelated, one of the most successful aspects of this building is its relationship to the outdoors, they said. The awards evening also saw the welcoming of incoming SAIA president Sindile Ngonyama, who is based at the regional office of East London, who expressed his gratitude for being honoured in this role of upholding standards in SA’s world of architecture. In his address he emphasised the institute’s role in promoting and maintaining the architectural environment, and in preserving the country’s cultural heritage for future generations. The incoming SAIA vice-president is Nina Saunders, from the KwaZulu-Natal regional office. http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/property/2012/09/28/capenews-architectural-vision-rewarded
BUILDING: MIDDLE EAST
Green buildings on the rise in Persian Gulf states With massive steel Sidra trees sprouting from the base of the building and a 9-meter (yard) high sculpture of a spider in the lobby protecting a sack of grey and white eggs, Qatar National Convention Center is hard to ignore. Green buildings would seem an oddity in this tiny Gulf nation, which has plenty of oil and gas and, according to the International Energy Agency, the highest per capita emissions in the world, closely followed by Gulf neighbors Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But attitudes about energy use are changing across the Gulf. There is a growing recognition that the once seemingly limitless fossil fuels will someday run out and that these countries need to chart a more sustainable path. Buildings are a logical place to start. They consume up to 70 percent of energy in parts of the Gulf, compared to 40 percent worldwide, due to the preponderance of glass skyscrapers and brutally hot conditions from Dubai to the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to Thom Bohlen, chief technical officer for the Middle East Centre for Sustainable Development.
Solar panels are seen on the roof of the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha, Qatar. From the sustainably logged wood used in its construction to the 3,500 square meters of solar panels on the roof, the building designed by Japanese architect Arata Isozaki is considered one of the most environmentally sound convention centers in the world.
shopping malls and is building an eco-friendly mosque in 2013. In Saudi Arabia, authorities have applied for LEED certification for the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, which will be home to the country’s stock exchange. The nation’s first LEED-certified project, the 26-building campus of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, opened in 2009 and recycles all its wastewater, uses 27 percent less energy than a typical campus and was built with 20 percent recycled content. Most of these green buildings rely on 21st century solutions to reduce their footprint - high tech operating systems that ration electricity and power, additional insulation and thicker glass to reduce heat coming into the building and designs that orient the structure to limit the sun exposure. The challenge now, experts say, is going beyond a handful of high profile projects and applying green building practices to the bulk of Gulf construction - such as low-rise office towers or residential housing projects.
When it comes to buildings in the works that are trying to earn LEED status, the Middle East is among the leaders. It has 1,348 LEED-registered buildings, which surpasses all but Asia and the United States.
To do that, governments in the region will have to make green building codes compulsory most are now voluntary and provide greater incentives for developers to build or retrofit more sustainably.
Dubai in the UAE is home to one of the region’s first green
http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20121025000630 Page 7
BUILDING: SOUTH AFRICA
Vodacom’s innovation site wins green star award JSE-listed Vodacom’s Vodafone Site Solution Innovation Centre on Wednesday evening received the Green Building Council of South Africa’s (GBCSA’s) Highest Scoring Green Star Project 2008 to 2012 award. The six-star Green Star SA-rated building, based at the group’s head office, in Midrand, received the accolade owing to its water, energy and emissions efficiency. The R24-million centre houses a team of engineers investigating methods of reducing the telecommunication group’s carbon footprint, in line with its aim of reducing its carbon emissions by 5% a year until 2014. The team was also responsible for implementing additional cost efficiencies through the adoption of sustainable practices organisation, the company said in a statement. “We all have a responsibility towards ensuring the sustainability of our communities, country and planet. The Innovation Centre, and what it aims to achieve, is a critical component of that philosophy,” said Vodacom chief officer of corporate affairs Maya Makanjee. GBCSA CEO Brian Wilkinson noted that the project – the first that has reached this level in South Africa – dealt with sustainability in every respect to minimise the impact of the building on the environment. Page 8
The telecommunications group was also considering options for achieving further benefits beyond cutting operating costs and carbon dioxide emissions from its network and was, for instance, piloting a solar base station that also provided green power to the local community. Parent group Vodafone has been rolling out a number of green innovations, including a more efficient hybrid generator called the ‘power cube’ and the use of slim-line solar film as an alternative to solar panels for base stations in urban areas with limited space. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/vodacoms-innovationsite-wins-green-star-award-2012-10-25
BUILDING: SOUTH AFRICA
Construction confidence hits three-year high The recovery in the construction sector gained momentum in the third quarter with confidence rising to its highest level in three years. The FNB/Bureau for Economic Research (BER) construction confidence index improved by four index points to 42 in the quarter. This indicates that 42 percent of respondents were satisfied with prevailing business conditions compared with 38 percent in the previous quarter and the cyclical low of 21 in the first and third quarters of last year. FNB/BER said conditions in the civil construction sector had improved significantly over the past few quarters and this was likely to continue as construction work increased. The number of people employed by construction companies had also increased in response to the rising activity levels, it said.
effect on the government’s planned infrastructure development programme because this programme had to do with raising finances and funding infrastructure. The sustained rise in activity had provided construction firms with some additional room to increase tendering prices while competition for work also eased slightly during the third quarter. However, FNB/BER said profitability came under renewed pressure despite the increase in activity and more relaxed competitive environment. Bruggemans said input prices were rising faster than tendering prices, which had continued to squeeze profit margins during the third quarter. FNB/BER said the improvement in activity levels had led to some constraints, particularly a shortage of skilled labour, which was a concern for a number of firms. Although construction activity had consistently improved over the past two years, the growth in activity ratcheted up more significantly over the last six months, FNB/BER said.
However, the pace of the recovery depended on the public sector’s ability to realise spending on their capital expenditure budgets, which in some spheres of the government remained a problem.
This higher growth came from a number of sources, including provincial spending on capital projects, which was dominated by road and water infrastructure projects, and continued capital outlays by Eskom on the Medupi, Kusile and Ingula power stations, with construction activity also supported by ongoing capital expenditure by Transnet.
FNB chief economist Cees Bruggemans said that the recent downgrading of South Africa’s credit rating would have an
http://www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/construction-confidence-hits-three-year-high-1.1404519#.UIlb12lrYsw Page 9
DECOR: JOHANNESBURG
Gorgeous Prefab Westcliff Pavilion Home Boasts a Floating Stone Wall South African architecture has deep roots in using natural materials and climate-smart design roots that GASS Architects both draw upon and advance with this gorgeous prefab Westcliff Pavilion outside of Johannesburg. The verdant site is reached by a long and narrow driveway that traverses numerous other properties, so it was imperative to minimize the overall disturbance both to the site and to the neighbors - which is why the cottage is framed in steel. http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-prefab-westcliff-pavilion-home-boasts-a-floating-stone-wall-in-south-africa/
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DECOR: MIDDELBURG
Middelburg mall features thoughtful architecture Designed by MDS Architecture for developers Flanagan & Gerard and the Moolman Group, the design concept of Middelburg Mall suggests mining and farming elements that are typical of the area. The Mall offers 43 000 m2 of GLA on a single level and has potential for further expansion. It offers 94 shops that are anchored by retail giants Checkers, Woolworths, Edgars, Pick n Pay and Game. Over half a million shoppers visited Middelburg Mall within the first three weeks of opening - a convincing indicator of the potential ongoing success of the mall. The front entrances of the mall feature exposed steel and structural concrete. From the outside, the off-shutter concrete frames the exposed trusses, creating an eye-catching portico. Rotating glass doors serve to minimise draught and dust penetration whilst keeping the entrances light-filled.
The mall features five promotional courts. Volume is a distinctive feature of the courts, as are the themed mosaic floor tiling designs inspired by Nguni cowhides. The flooring includes a combination of polished concrete and full-bodied porcelain tiles.
The finish on the exterior walls includes different types of brickwork and stone cladding. Red facebrick, plastered bricks and exposed stock bricks were all used with exposed roof sheeting and wall cladding to further evoke elements of a typical mining house.
Oversized chandeliers break down the scale of the large skylights, adding to the warm and homely feel whilst also drawing attention to the promotional areas. Directional signage on old-fashioned street lamps creates further interest in the walkways.
Pathways in front of the mall leading towards the entrances were specifically designed to enhance the traffic flow. Planted hedges were chosen instead of barriers to lead shoppers towards their destinations, creating balance and colour by the use of natural materials. Eye-catching sculptures have been used to good effect outside the entrances and in the interior of the building, adding a playful element. Inside, high-level clerestory windows have been used throughout to naturally light the malls and the feature courts. At night, these clerestory windows give the effect of a lantern viewed from afar.
Middelburg Mall was completed in less than two years, despite the roof collapsing in January 2011 due to a freak storm. “The final product is a testimony to the teamwork and calibre of the professional team,� The design of Middelburg Mall includes planning for expansion of up to over 60 000 m2 to accommodate future growing shopper and retailer demand. http://www.eprop.co.za/news/item/14352-middelburg-mallfeatures-thoughtful-architecture.html
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PROPERTY: JOHANNESBURG Barrow is also involved in the office development across the road – Culross on Main. It will bring to the local market a further 7 000 square metres of rentable office space. “At Culross on Main, we have recently let the first building to Thebe Exhibitions,” says Paul Barrow, director of Barrow Properties. “We also concluded a lease with Software AG for a 2 500m² building to be occupied in July next year. The first building currently being constructed, of approximately 1 000m², will be occupied by year-end.
Bryanston office space demand surges Johannesburg’s affluent suburb of Bryanston is experiencing an upsurge in the number of businesses moving to the area, resulting in an increase in office developments currently under construction. These are adding to numerous existing office buildings along Main Road and William Nicol. This stretch of Bryanston is rapidly becoming Africa’s own Silicon Valley, due to the many leading technology and communications companies operating in the vicinity. Microsoft, Dimension Data, Internet Solutions, Software AG, Google SA, amongst others, are all based in the immediate area, while other large corporates include Tiger Brands, Nestle, GlaxoSmithKline, Ogilvy and Synovate. Barrow Properties, in a joint venture with the Enigma Group, is behind the office development Corner Main, situated directly opposite the Dimension Data Campus. “Corner Main has attracted a healthy level of interest from the market and was recently sold to a single buyer indicating that there is strong demand for larger office space in the area,” says Enigma’s development manager, Lawrence Azar.
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“The remaining three buildings of 1000 to 1300 m² are still available to let with occupation from early 2013. All the buildings in Culross on Main offer two levels of office space and one basement level. A ratio of five bays per 100m² of office space has been provided for. One of the key features is the rooftop terraces, which have been incorporated to take advantage of the great views to the north. In order to address anticipated traffic congestion the intersection at Culross Road has been upgraded.” The architects have included numerous energy-saving features in both the Corner Main and Culross on Main buildings, such as strategically located grey-tinted windows, which prevent excessive heat gain in summer while reducing heat loss in winter, LED lighting, abundant natural light through large, glazed glass frontages, naturally ventilated basements and an eco-friendly heat pump for water heating. “These features amount to significant cost savings for occupiers in the long run,” Barrow points out. Bryanston’s popularity for office developments can be attributed to its close proximity to the N1, several main roads and the Sandton CBD. The suburb also offers a self-contained lifestyle with a wide range of amenities such as malls, schools, entertainment and restaurants within short distances of one another, with the Nicolway shopping centre being the most recent addition to the landscape. http://www.sacommercialpropnews.co.za/property-types/commercial-property-offices/5329-bryanston-office-space-demandsurges.html
PROPERTY: PAARL
Demand For Paarl Commercial And Industrial Property Paarl is not only the largest town in the Boland, but the second largest commercial centre in the Western Cape. Its central location, just off the N1, about a half an hour’s drive from the city and close to other Boland towns make it an attractive option for commercial and industrial businesses says Seeff Winelands managing director, Pierre Germishuys. Rates in the town are significantly lower than in the city and other towns, he says. In Franschhoek for example, commercial rental rates range between R150 and R250/sqm compared to between R30/sqm for industrial property and R110/sqm for office space in Paarl. This represents better value for businesses looking to cut and contain costs. This affordability, he says is translating into increased demand, both for rental and investment in commercial and industrial space. Investors are finding good value and are currently looking to yield between 9% and 10% annually on rental returns. The picturesque setting at the foot of the Drakenstein Mountains makes for an inspiring environment in which to live and work and there is a stable labour pool in the town. The economy is largely driven by businesses that serve the more than 50 wine farms, from manufacturing to consulting, but other businesses are growing, he says. The town’s 11-km long Main Road is lined with working vineyards and beautifully restored Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian buildings, most of which now operate as
businesses, from retail to services and consulting. The KWV building is popular and Seeff has placed several new tenants in the building at rental rates of between R80/sqm and R110sqm. Sales to investors include two adjacent buildings at 42 Main Road that was bought for R6,5 million. Both buildings have been restored and further building is planned. Seeff has already secured tenants at rental rates of between R100/sqm and R110/sqm. Commercial properties in the centre of the town currently sell from around R1,595 million for a historic semi on a 393sqm plot to R3,784 million for a corner-building in Main Road that offers an ideal shop front setting says agent, Piet Uys. A 628sqm building on a plot of 780sqm with a secured yard that would suit a business such as a hardware store with display areas is on offer for R4,75 million. A vacant plot on Main Road that comprises two industrial corner stands, about 626sqm in extent is priced at around R1,4 million. http://www.cbn.co.za/dailynews/6533.html
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PROPERTY: SOUTH AFRICA
Growthpoint bid for Fountainhead heading for finance board REDEFINE last week night responded to Growthpoint’s counterbid by saying its offer for Fountainhead Property Trust “remains on the table, unchanged”. Expectation of a bidding war sent Fountainhead’s share up 4% to R8.43 on Wednesday. But Redefine said after the market closed that its share swap offer remains unaltered at three Hyprop units and 62.5 Redefine units for every 100 Fountainhead units. Last Tuesday, Growthpoint trumped Redefine’s bid by offering 35 of its units for every 100 Fountainhead units held. Redefine’s share price fell 3.86% to R9.22 yesterday, reducing its offer to about R7.90 per Fountainhead unit while Growthpoint gained 0.4%, taking its offer to about R8.66 per Fountainhead unit. Analysts said on Wednesday that the tussle between Growthpoint and Redefine for Fountainhead’s R10bn portfolio of shopping centres would steer the Financial Services Board and the industry into “unchartered territories”. Grindrod Asset Management’s chief investment officer, Ian Anderson, said Growthpoint’s proposal would have to be referred to the Financial Services Board, which would have
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to determine what it thought was a fair outcome, given that acquisitions usually covered both the management company and the fund. “It would be interesting to see whether or not the Financial Services Board would like to set a precedent that would allow the acquisitions of funds which bypassed management companies,” he said. Should Growthpoint’s offer be allowed to go through, the Financial Services Board may well insist on some form of compensation for Redefine’s acquisition of the management company in order to discourage this type of transaction in the future, he said. Catalyst Fund Managers MD Andre Stadler said Catalyst had always been unhappy with Redefine’s offer, and while Growthpoint’s offer was a “step in the right direction”, Fountainhead’s portfolio was worth more. The Financial Services Board would have to decide whose interests it had to protect — those of the management company or the unit holders, Mr Stadler said. The “untested” situation had opened a “very healthy debate”, which could change the thinking on the board’s mandate. “There are a number of regulatory and commercial issues to be finalised before Fountainhead Property Trust Management can revert to unit holders in relation to the relative merits of the proposals,” Fountainhead’s management company said on Wednesday. http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/property/2012/10/25/growthpoint-bid-for-fountainhead-heading-for-finance-board
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