+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 15

RESIDENTIAL
The strategic decision to take the lead in
presenting sustainable lifestyle options
to the residential market was driven by
the clear benefits available to clients, says
Matthew Whalley, green innovation manager at Balwin.
Sustainability is a core part of the company’s DNA, with
green buildings forming a natural element of a vision
that extends from environmental concerns through to
social sustainability and beyond.
“Rather than just adding renewable energy to an
inefficient building, our goal is to optimise building
performance and then apply offsets,” Whalley explains.
“Energy efficient lighting and appliances, water-efficient
fittings, on-site solar power, food gardens as well as
water harvesting and waste water treatments are just
some of the sustainable features that we are proud
to have included in recent developments,” he says.
“Not forgetting green bonds, which have saved clients
over R100-million.”
While Whalley affirms that a green lifestyle is
now highly desirable for clients, some challenges
still exist in terms of getting stakeholders on board,
mainly pertaining to perceived costs. “This is where
we see a great opportunity to educate the market
comprehensively on the benefits of a green offering,
and next year our goal is to aggressively reduce clients’
monthly expenses through additional water and energysaving
features.”
To me, the most important thing is
what legacy you leave in life. I want
to be known as a property developer
who left something on this earth
and made it a better place.
Steve Brookes, CEO of Balwin Properties
CUTTING-EDGE LIVING
SUSTAINABLE SNAPSHOTS:
THREE BALWIN DEVELOPMENTS
Fynbos Lifestyle Centre
Situated within The Fynbos Lifestyle estate in Sandown,
Cape Town, this single-storey community centre
project offers a plethora of amenities such as a gym,
laundromat, offices and a spa as well as a Montessori
Crèche. The traditional rustic farmhouse design, rooted
in nature, peacefulness and simplicity belies a building
that has implemented world-leading internal building
service and architectural sustainability initiatives that
contribute to the sustainability of the entire estate.
Some of these features include:
• Sub-metering of major energy consuming systems,
as gathering information is key to understanding
and managing building systems and to assess
opportunities for energy savings.
• Minimisation of greenhouse gas emissions
associated with operational energy consumption
is reduced. An energy model of the building
was generated, and in the design stages of the
building, compared to a notional building model.
The building design showed an improvement of
100% (net-zero operating emissions base building)
over a SANS 10400 notional building.
• Provision has been made to ensure all individual
or enclosed spaces are individually switched. This
offers greater flexibility for light switching, making
it easy to light only occupied areas. The building’s
peak electrical demand is actively reduced using
a photovoltaic system.
• A direct visual connection to the external
environment is provided for 80% of the community
centre occupied area. A high level of
thermal comfort is ensured by addressing the
internal operative temperatures through modelling
and ensuring they are within the ASHRAE
Standard 55-2004 Acceptability Limits for at least
98% of occupied hours.
A bold entrance to
Fynbos Lifestyle
Estate, with a symbolic
biophilia welcoming
residents and visitors.
POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 15
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