Breathing green
Awarded 6-star Green Star Design, The Ridge is 1 of only 9 other offices to achieve this to date. Its progressive design elements raise the bar on new developments across Africa. With energy performance and natural ventilation fully integrated – this is a building which literally breathes on its own.
📍Location
Cape Town, South Africa
🏢Building Details
4-storey, 3 basement levels for parking
1st building in South Africa to employ CLT structure
Completed in 2020; rented by Deloitte
👷🏾♀️Contractor
Eben Meyburgh, Group CEO @ GVK-Siya Zama
✍️Architects & Engineers
Claire D’Adorante, Director @ Paragon Interface
Sean Mahoney, Project Lead Architect @ Studio MAS
Tessa Brunette, Associate & Cape Town Office Leader @ Arup; previously Architect @ ArchStation
🌱Sustainability
CLT structure reduces overall CO2 footprint by 60 tonnes
Building operates in 2 modes: conventional sealed air condition or passive naturally ventilated mode – BMS traffic-light system advises when to open windows
Thermally activated building system (TABS) in floor slabs regulates temperature by heating and cooling building mass through embedded water pipes: potential to naturally ventilate 80% of year
Roof harvests solar photovoltaic power with placement of PV panels = building generates 25% of its energy
🥦 Wellbeing
Zigzag-shaped façade allows occupants to enjoy maximum natural light while minimising heat gain
Internal atrium conceptualised as a street, facilitating staff movement and informal connections
Interior plantscaping and planted balconies, encouraging employees to sit less at desks
Tea and coffee hubs interspersed throughout the building allowing staff to decompress and interact
Intelligent lighting with smart controls emulates body’s circadian rhythm by changing tone throughout the day
🎈Bonus feature
12,000 ‘ecobricks’ are used within its structure: one of the very first buildings to do so. These ecobricks are made from plastic waste-filled PET 2l bottles, in other words, upcycled Coca Cola bottles dumped in Cape Town. This has saved approximately 24,000 litres of concrete, whilst removing 9,000 tonnes of non-biodegradable plastic pollution. Big win-win.
🔗 Check it out https://www.waterfront.co.za/projects/the-ridge/
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