30 Baker Street gets gold star for sustainability

[SBGroup]

Our head office at 30 Baker Street in Johannesburg, South Africa, won a gold prize for energy efficiency at the Eco-Logic Glamorously Green Gala Awards recently, enhancing our reputation for sustainable business practices on the continent.

The awards give recognition to individuals, organisations, products and services that make a real and measurable difference in creating a more sustainable world to live in.

The building was designed and constructed according to international best practice in sustainability, energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprint. Completed in 2013, it comprises 650 000 sqft in area and accommodates about 4 500 employees. It is one of a handful of buildings in South Africa to have achieved a five-star Green Star rating.

The building has a number of innovative technologies which reduce consumption and diversify its energy mix. It houses a gas-powered, tri-generation plant which has a production capacity of 1MW which is roughly 30% of the building's electrical demand, significantly reducing the demand on the municipal energy grid.

The waste heat from the plant provides approximately 0.8MW of energy for the building's heating and cooling requirements. The tri-generation plant is only the second of its kind in South Africa. The estimated energy saving from this plant alone is approximately 1 889MWh, which amounts to annual savings of about $812 500 (R11.7 million), and a carbon dioxide reduction of 11 434 tons a year.

Other innovative technologies include triple-glazed glass façades which cover more than 65% of the vertical external surfaces of the building, ensuring optimal use of natural light, and a remotely activated window blind system linked to a rooftop weather station for sunlight tracking. The blinds can be retracted into the framing system to enable maximum natural light on cloudy days, thereby reducing the need for artificial light.

A Digitally Addressable Lighting Interface (Dali) system was installed for 99.26% of the usable area, allowing light fittings to be efficiently operated according to need, and facilitates the efficient switching of lights depending on the occupancy, as well as dimming or brightening as the amount of natural light in the building varies.

About 50% of the air conditioning systems in the building are energy efficient evaporative cooling systems, and to reduced water dependency, the balance is made up of air-cooled systems.

The Eco-Logic Award cements Standard Bank's reputation for sustainable design and energy efficient facilities across its operations. Our vision for energy efficiency and sustainability extends to involvement in energy sector financing across the continent to help clients meet increasing demand. Our headquarters at 30 Baker Street are testament to the commitment that we really do live our vision, not only in our investments, but also in the facilities in which we conduct our business.

Visit our sustainability website to find out more about our renewable energy efforts.