Menlyn Maine Residences’ rooftop pool is one of the main attractions in the Pretoria apartment block.

Green city living

Adding to Pretoria’s fast-growing green credentials is Menlyn Maine Residences, a vibrant development in the heart of what’s been dubbed as South Africa’s first “green precinct” in the city’s eastern suburbs. From the green lawns in front of the impressive twin buildings that make up the Menlyn Maine apartments – a 17-storey and a low-rise, 4-storey – it’s difficult to picture the leafy suburb that once existed here. “In 2007, we bought 108 houses spanning 16ha and [dismantled them],” explains development manager at Menlyn Maine Investment Holdings, Jurgens van Huyssteen. “What was previously used only for residential purposes has been redeveloped and reclassified to include commercial land.”

Indeed, what you see now is completely different to the sleepy neighbourhood that stood here 17 years ago. The upmarket 310 000m2, mixed-use precinct – much like a mini green city – has become a very cosmopolitan area with high appeal. The 583 apartments comprise a choice of studios, one-, two- or three-bedroomed units, or penthouses with panoramic views of Pretoria.

Dotted with sculptures and water features, a massive 4 000m² park surrounds the development, complemented by eateries, a sunset bar, rooftop swimming pool, private meeting rooms, secure parking and a 24-hour biometric security system. As well as these amenities, residents are encouraged to explore the entire Menlyn Maine precinct, which offers shops, restaurants, public open spaces and entertainment at the nearby SunBet Arena.

“The idea behind Menlyn Maine Residences was to place it in a precinct where residents could live, work and play,” says Van Huyssteen. “The development combines office, residential, retail and entertainment areas, while densifying the previously low-density residential suburb.” What makes it so attractive for residents is that everything is within easy walking distance and their sense of safety is enhanced by living in a community.

Keeping the environment top of mind

All the open spaces are beautifully landscaped – and every detail of the buildings speaks to the environment, from paint types to cement or building materials choices. “This project has been meticulously designed and developed to comply with GBCSA’s certification requirements for the 4-Star Green Star Multi Unit Residential V1 Design rating,” asserts Van Huyssteen.

The fact that this was a brownfield development (not built on virgin land) makes the achievement that much more significant. “Developing such a large residential building on a brownfield site comes with various challenges, not the least of which was getting services, such as water, sewerage and electricity, to the building,” he says.

There were other challenges, too. Because of the long project timeline, many members of the professional team changed during the course of the project. Senior sustainable building consultant at Solid Green Consulting, Zendré Compion, began work on Menlyn Maine Residences, but then handed over to her colleague Ranjita Pillai.

“The timeline on a residential project in design and sometimes construction is not the same as a conventional office building,” Compion says. “This meant that there were some changes on the professional team during the project, which affected continuity on the building-rating side.”

The level of complexity of the building project and size of the team also posed some issues. And then the pandemic struck in 2020, affecting both Phase 1 and 2. “COVID had an impact on the project, its timeline and the development of Phase 2, and ultimately the building programme,” she shares.

Thankfully, through the hard work of the professional team, careful planning and cooperation with local authorities, the development went ahead with great success. “I am proud to have worked on this project,” states Compion. “Menlyn Maine has stuck to its goal to rate all its buildings. This was the first residential project in the precinct and the design timeline was not straightforward.”

Pillai concurs. “I am thrilled by the 4-Star Green Star rating this project was awarded by GBCSA,” she says. “This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to sustainability and excellence in green building design. It’s testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who have consistently strived to integrate innovative and eco-friendly practices into our project.”

Sound sustainability principles

From a sustainability perspective, the most important aspect to consider is the site’s ecological footprint. “We minimised this footprint by using a site already situated within a municipally approved urban edge and by redeveloping a previously occupied site,” explains Pillai.

The project’s green features include rainwater harvesting – used to flush toilets and irrigate the gardens – and waterless urinals. “The interior finishes that have been chosen in the apartments and common areas, such as the choice of paint, minimise volatile organic compounds,” says Pillai. In addition, all thermal insulants have an ozone-depletion potential of zero to eliminate any contributions to long-term damage to the Earth’s stratospheric ozone layer.

To reduce waste, recycling forms part of the overall development. A dedicated storage space with easy access is provided to facilitate the recycling and collection of office waste.

In terms of light pollution, the outdoor illumination has been designed in such a way that no lights shine directly up into the night sky.

Energy saving is also top of mind. “Sub-metering of major energy-consuming systems is in place,” Pillai says. “Gathering information is key to managing building systems and to assess opportunities for energy savings.”

Another sustainable feature is that greenhouse gas emissions associated with operational energy consumption have been reduced by 69%. This was achieved through an energy-modelling system.
Similarly, water use is measured via sub-metering: “Each apartment is installed with its own sub-meter to facilitate the ongoing management of water consumption,” says Pillai. Moreover, potable water consumption for landscape irrigation has been reduced through the use of water-wise landscaping and efficient irrigation systems. The development has been designed to minimise stormwater run-off to natural watercourses, such as rivers, through measures included in the precinct-wide design and construction.

In terms of embodied energy, the project has reduced the absolute quantity of portland cement by 30% during construction. “This led to a significant reduction of the embodied energy and resource depletion normally associated with concrete,” comments Pillai.

In addition, all the steel used in the project has a post-consumer recycled content of at least 90%. “Throughout the construction phase, we used materials that were extracted, harvested and manufactured within close proximity of the site – reducing the economic and environmental harm of transportation,” she says.

The green feature Van Huyssteen says he is most proud of is the expansive park located on top of the building basement. “Here residents can relax and unwind on the lush green lawn in the shade of a tree, all within the safe and secure setting of the Menlyn Maine Residences environment.”

Setting the standard

By all accounts, the project has been a success – in the first phase of the development, which is now complete, all the apartments have been sold. The GBCSA 4-Star Green Star rating is the cherry on top.
“Phase 2 is currently under development and envisaged to be completed in the fourth quarter [of 2024],” says Van Huyssteen. “We have sold 75% of the units in the second phase, with limited unit types still available. Occupancy averages at around 80% due to a number of units being leased in the short- and long-term leasing market.”

He says the biggest lesson learnt during this project is that there is a huge demand for this type of affordable communal living. “There is a definite market for multi-unit residential apartments in South Africa, given the correct location, proximity to amenities and correct pricing.”

And the feedback from residents – as well as the fact that the apartments are selling so well – speaks for itself. “Densification is imperative to drive economic development,” Huyssteen concludes, “and the market and other role players seem to understand this more and more. The best measure of positive feedback of what we are doing is unquestionably sales responsiveness, and in that regard, the feedback from the market has been overwhelmingly positive.”