+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 22

PROJECT
PROJECT
PROJECT NUTSHELL
Location: Lusaka, Zambia
Green Star rating: 5-Star Green Star – Office Design v1.1
Type of building: Office
Project dates: Certified November 2022
Project size: 3 820m 2 total gross floor area
A
new building is rising in Lusaka, and it’s not
the usual type of glitzy office block one usually
finds here. It’s a relatively small building with
two wings, each consisting of three floors and
a shared lower-ground parking level. Regardless of size,
its influence has already been exerted and may transform
the face of green building design in Zambia.
First Capital Bank’s FCB new-fangled head office is
the first in the country to receive a Green Star rating
from GBCSA. According to Patience Mutale, chief
transformation officer, it flows from the company’s desire
to make a difference in the environment by influencing
the future of construction.
The initial plan wasn’t the construction of a green-rated
building, but when the new CEO, Edward Marks, stepped
in a couple of years back, things changed. “As we evolved
over the past 10 years more information around being
environmentally friendly started coming through,” says
Mutale. “With the new management, he believed we can
also play a role in this space and contribute to improving
the environment that we operate in.”
The rest is history.
The original design was drawn up by Paul Munnik, from
Paul Munnik Architects in Botswana, and it was also he
who made the necessary adjustments. “What we have tried
to do is build a cost-effective, simple building with good
passive design principles. In Lusaka, the tendency is to go
for flash – buildings that have an impact, that are striking,
and have features like full-glass façades. Features that, I
believe, are not particularly environmentally friendly and
are just there for the sake of image, rather than dealing
with practical elements.”
Kagiso Sebetso from Time Projects, describes Munnik’s
continued involvement as invaluable. “We worked with
him for decades in Botswana as well, and he has always
aimed for a green design. If some of his buildings were to
get rated, they would come close, because sustainability
is always at the core of his design. It’s a great advantage
because we didn’t have to start from scratch.”
Munnik wanted to maintain the same look and feel to
the building, as the one he designed for FCB in Botswana.
“We generally try to work and design towards a green
star accreditation in any event, so we really didn’t have to
make too many changes to our original design,” Munnik
says. “My primary concern is the passive energy aspect of
a design, so orientation, treatment of façades on various
orientations, looking very carefully at west façades and how
to deal with them – eliminate heat gain while maintaining
natural light quality.”
One of the biggest adjustments to the design was the
addition of solar panels to reach a 5-Star Green Star rating.
“There wasn’t an initial requirement for photovoltaic (PV)
panels, so the roof design was changed to accommodate
the panels at a sensible orientation, without affecting the
look and feel of the building.” The initial double-pitched
roof was changed to a mono-pitched one to house the
92kWp PV system with an estimated annual production
of 156MWh.
Along with this, the fresh air system had to be upgraded
to accommodate an increased occupancy. The design
attempts to strengthen the occupants’ relationship with the
outdoors, by allowing them to open windows rather than
switching on the aircon. “It’s about creating a moderated
environment that is comfortable for everybody. It’s about
balancing temperatures and creating a comfortable
environment, that people can individually adjust and
modulate.” For this reason, Munnik chose not to design a
completely controlled environment, he designed one where
the use of natural ventilation is encouraged.
Air quality is further enhanced using low VOC materials
across the board. To bring down the energy consumption of
the building, lighting zoning is applied to both open-plan
and individual offices, and the lighting density is lower
than typical levels.
The building is conveniently situated on the edge of the
city, near commercial amenities and residential buildings,
and is being constructed on a site previously used as a
parking lot. Along with this, the trees on the parameter
of the site could be preserved. “The majority of those
trees are well cultivated, and although the building is still
under construction, it gives the building a presence of
You get the sense that this is a building
where you would really feel welcome.
To maximise daylight and minimise heat gain, a series
of vertical and horizontal elements were designed to
create shading on the glass-glazed façades.
establishment and also offer shading” says Munnik. In the
end, the landscape amounts to less than one percent of
the site, meaning less water will be used for irrigation.
Non-potable water will also be used for landscaping
purposes, and inside flow rates are managed with water
efficient fittings. To supplement municipal water, rainwater
will be harvested and treated.
Sebetso says the contractors, designer and the clients
have committed to a building tuning contract, which
includes regular inspections of the respective services and
to provide consistent reports to monitor the efficiency of
the respective services. Munnik echoes this sentiment,
“I am there at least once a month, and the council is very
involved. More so than I have experienced in Botswana
and South Africa, which I think is very positive. There’s
an education process there as well.”
Everyone is talking about the use of fly ash. (Fly ash
is a byproduct of coal-fired electric generating plants.)
“I don’t think anybody has used fly ash in concrete in
Zambia ever before,” Munnik shares. “They thought we
had rocks in our head when we said we wanted concrete
mixed with as much fly ash in it as we can possibly get!”
Awareness and curiosity among their
new neighbours is growing, holding
them accountable for their actions.
Firsts like this are challenging, but FCB believes it helps
to usher in change through the value chain, says Mutale.
“Today, somebody did not know about fly ash, the next
day somebody will see it as a new economic opportunity,
and then it starts to expand.”
A lot of care is taken during the construction phase
to ensure that the bulk earth work or whatever earth is
excavated, is either re-used on the construction or at
another site. The target is to divert at least 70% of the waste
from landfill, and according to Sebetso, they get regular
proof: “Every month or so we get pictures of what the guys
are actually doing with the material or with the waste and
how they are re-using it.” The design also provides facilities
where clients can store waste from recycling.
“I think when people experience the building, or just
The new head office for First Capital Bank is the first in
Zambia to have a 5-Star Green Star rating with GBCSA.
A lot of care was taken during the construction phase to
ensure that the bulk earth work was re-used on the site.
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POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 22
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