DEA Building, One Year On

A review of the Department of Environmental Affairs building in Pretoria, South Africa, one year after completion suggests that performance of the building is in line, or better than the sustainability targets set for the building in the PPP agreement. The review indicates current performance includes:

• Energy consumption of 89kW/m2/annum, including parking and tenant lighting
• Renewable energy generation of  21,8% of the building’s energy needs
• Water efficiency measures and the rainwater harvesting system resulting in 41% less water than conventional buildings

Further information on the DEA building can be found at:

Earthworks article
Sustainablebuiltenvironments article

DEA Building: Highest Rated Building 2012/2013

The Green Building Council (GBCSA) has awarded the Department of Environment DEA's new building in Pretoria the Highest Rated Building 2012/2013. The building achieved 81 points and is currently in construction.

Gauge was the Sustainability Technical Adviser to DEA on the project and was responsible for the drafting the sustainability specifications that formed the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement. This legal agreement included stringent sustainability criteria which has been reflected in the design and recognized by the GBCSA.  A previous post outlines aspects of the sustainability specification process.