In 2020, the Premier Foods development located in Equites Lords View Industrial Park achieved a 4-Star Industrial As-Built Green Star certification as well as Net Zero Carbon certification. This was made possible by the 690kWp PV system on Premier Foods’ roof where the energy generated is shared between Premier Foods and the neighbouring Lords View Spec warehouse. This was the first project in the Equites portfolio to be recognised for its green credentials but by no means the last.
To date, the property fund has achieved two final EDGE advanced certifications, two preliminary EDGE certifications and a further three developments targeting EDGE certification. All of their projects are being certified by Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI).
Ecolution Consulting is performing the roles of EDGE expert and auditor on all of Equites’ EDGE projects. The EDGE expert owns and manages the certification process and is the direct link to Equites and the project team in collating all required information for assessment. The EDGE auditor is then responsible for auditing all information submitted by the EDGE expert, undertaking site audits and testing and recommending the project for certification to the certifying body, in this case, GBCI.
The two logistics properties located in Lords View Industrial Park, Premier Foods and Lords View Spec, have received final EDGE certification, both achieving EDGE advanced certification (energy savings exceed 40%). The energy and water measures targeted for these two projects were:
- Reduced window-to-wall ratios
- Energy-saving light bulbs throughout internal and external areas
- Occupancy sensors in bathrooms
- Shared rooftop solar photovoltaics
- Dual flush water closets
- Water-efficient urinals
- Low-flow kitchen and bathroom taps
An industrial-type building inherently uses fewer materials than a standard brick-and-mortar building thus leading to reduced embodied energy.
The projects both achieved greater than 50% savings in embodied energy of the construction materials. This was possible by using light-weight roof construction materials, a combination of steel profile cladding and precast concrete panels for the external walls, and mostly finished concrete floors within the building.
The projects that have received EDGE preliminary certificates are Altron and Digistics, both located in Equites’ Meadowview Industrial Park. The energy and water measures being targeted for these two projects are:
• Reduced window-to-wall ratios
• Reflective paint for the roofs
• Low-E coated glass
• VRV cooling system
• Energy-saving light bulbs throughout the building
• Shared rooftop solar photovoltaics
• Reduced flush volumes for water closets
• Water-efficient urinals
• Low-flow kitchen and bathroom taps
Within each of Equites’ industrial parks, namely Lords View, Meadowview, Witfontein and Philippi, at least one of the logistics facilities has or plans to have rooftop solar PV sized sufficiently to generate enough power for that specific building and a neighbouring warehouse building.
An industrial-type building inherently uses fewer materials than a standard brick-and-mortar building thus leading to reduced embodied energy. The main challenge with a warehouse is ensuring the water and energy operational consumption is reduced by implementing efficient fittings and interventions. Ecolution Consulting has assisted Equites in developing a base-spec for all new developments in the portfolio such that, if adhered to, the building would be eligible for EGDE certification. Due to the short construction timeframe of an industrial building, the design specs must meet the EDGE thresholds before ground has even been broken.
These baseline specs will be applied to all new Equites developments so that EDGE certification can be rolled out with ease and the developments can be recognised for their cutting-edge designs and technologies as soon as possible. The EDGE certification will assist in attracting and retaining quality tenants as well as offering lower operating costs to these tenants.
