NEWSWORTHY
WATERFALL ESTATE WINS PROPERTY AWARD
CONCOR BUILDINGS SECURES PHASE 1 OF OXFORD PARKS
Concor Buildings has secured the contract for the construction of Phase 1 of Oxford Parks . Situated at 199 Oxford Road , the entire Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this prestigious project will comprise four buildings totalling approximately 34,000m 2 and will include the new Johannesburg head office for BPSA .
Rui Santos , managing director of Concor Buildings , says that the current contract includes the construction of three basement levels and BPSA ’ s six office levels as part of Phase 1 .
Work has begun on site , and he says Concor Buildings , formerly Murray & Roberts Buildings , is proud to be associated with this project which has been selected as a pilot project for the Green Building Council of South Africa ( GBCSA ), to create a green precinct rating tool for public environment projects . Significantly , all buildings within the Oxford Parks Precinct will be designed to a minimum standard of 4 Star Green Rating in terms of the GBCSA standards .
Concor Buildings has an established track record of delivering quality fast track projects , and contractual completion is set for November 2018 . www . concor . co . za
ORGANIC WASTE COULD PROVIDE FUTURE BUILDING MATERIALS
Cities could tackle the global problem of rising levels of waste and depleted resources by using organic waste , such as bananas , potatoes and maize as building materials , an Arup report predicts .
Globally the construction industry is one of the largest users of raw materials ; in the UK alone it accounts for 60 % of all raw materials consumed . Capturing organic waste streams from cities and the countryside could provide the industry with lower-cost , lower-CO2 building materials such as bricks , insulation and partition boards . The report envisages a completely circular system with building waste fed back into the biological cycle at the end of its service life with nutrients returned to the soil .
Over 40 million tonnes of dried organic waste from agriculture and forestry was produced in Europe in 2014 alone and the amount is growing year on year . A kilo of waste incinerated for energy recovery has a value of approximately 0.85 Euros but the same material used for interior cladding could sell for up to six Euros per kilo .
The report also points to advances in the development of alternative organic materials , including mushroom bricks grown in five days and waste potatoes used as insulation and acoustic absorbers . Arup has created the SolarLeaf , the first façade system in the world cultivating micro-algae to generate heat and biomass and BioBuild , the first self-supporting façade panel made out of bio-composite materials .
Innovative manufacturing processes are a significant enabler , with 3D printing of biopolymers becoming increasingly widespread .
The report , The Urban Bio-Loop : Growing , Making and Regenerating is available to download .
Waterfall Management Company has been awarded the International Best Mixed-use Development 2017 / 2018 for the Waterfall development at the International Property Awards . This is the first time in the history of the Awards that a South African company has won the Best International Mixeduse Development award . Willie Vos , CEO of Waterfall Management Company ( pictured below ), said , “ After winning Best Mixed-use Development in South Africa and Africa for four years running , we are thrilled that Waterfall has finally been recognised for the world-class city it truly is . The significance of being awarded International Best Mixeduse Development 2017 / 2018 , is that property professionals worldwide will now take note of South Africa ’ s ability to build world-class developments , even during a time of major political uncertainty in the country . Careful planning over a number of years and a lot of dedication from various role players working together as a team , have made this achievement possible ” he continued . Waterfall Management Company is the Property and Asset Management Company of the Waterfall land . Since 2004 , Waterfall Management Company has been working with developers and investors to create the largest mixed-use development in Africa . By its anticipated completion in 2027 , the current estimated developed value is approximately R100 billion . www . waterfall . co . za
News Watch 11