Owned by Lazercor Developments, this desirably situated and innovative office space comprises two buildings on the project site which are part of the same development sharing a common address, a single entrance and common parking areas, whilst being connected to each other through ground floor walkways.

Michelle Ludwig of PJ Carew Consulting, the green consultant for Cecilia Square, explains that Cecilia Square managed to achieve a 55% reduction in energy and a 70% reduction in water consumption by adopting simple measures such as harvesting rain water runoff and using energy efficient lighting.

“Concrete usage was minimized through the use of coffered slabs between the floor levels.  Coffered slabs contain empty pockets, rather than a solid slab of concrete.  These not only minimize concrete use but also have excellent thermal capabilities – meaning that the building limits the amount of heating and air conditioning required to maintain an ambient indoor temperature.”

“Cecilia Square is all about keeping it simple and indicates how much can be achieved through small measures - reaching for the low hanging fruit as it may be and not chasing after eco-gadgets,” says Ludwig.  “The goal was to build Cecilia Square within a conventional buildings budget and all choices and decisions made kept this in mind – not much more was spent on this 4 Star Green Star SA rated green building than would have been spent on a traditional building.”

GBCSA ratings continue to climb

The awarding of Cecilia Square’s Green Star SA certification brings the number of certifications awarded by the GBCSA to 31 and a first for the Western Cape Boland town of Paarl - another milestone signaling the increasing “spread” of green building into South Africa.

The number of Green Star SA certifications has doubled every year since 2009 year-on-year and the Council’s goal is to reach a total of 60 certifications by the end of 2013.

“The GBCSA wish to congratulate the owners, developers and technical team that collaborated on Cecilia Square, says Manfred Braune, Technical Executive for the GBCSA.  “This building is innovative and unique in its split design and we are very excited to see developments such as these aiming for, and achieving, their Green Star SA status.”