PROJECTS

BP Head OfficeThe new R115-million regional headquarters of BP Southern Africa opened in Cape Town’s

V&A Waterfront recently. The award-winning building has been praised as apioneering achievement in eco-friendly architecture for its focus on the environment

and energy conservation in both design and features

BP HEAD OFFICEV & A Waterfront, Cape Town

EmployerVictoria & Alfred Waterfront (Pty) Ltd

ClientBP Southern Africa

ArchitectsKrugerRoos Architects in associationJoshua Conrad Architects

Development Consultant, SpacePlanning and Interior DesignAlex Robertson Associates – Architects

Environmental ArchitectsGreen by Design

Quantity SurveyorLetchmiah Daya Varachhia

Consulting Engineers:Structural & Civil (JV)LC ConsultingOrrie Welby-SolomonPD Naidoo & Associates

FaçadeLC Consulting

ElectricalSolutionStation

Mechanical (JV)Basil Nair & AssociatesSpoormaker & Partners

Plumbing & Drainage ConsultantsBenatar Consulting

TrafficHHO Africa

Fire Protection ConsultantBramley & Associates

Landscape ArchitectsOvP Associates

Main ContractorGrinaker-LTA Building Cape

PhotographyFiona Barclay-Keating

in the old converted Stuttafords depart-ment store to await the construction of anew building on the Old Power Station siteon Cape Town’s foreshore. The proposeddevelopment fell through. Perhaps this wasa blessing in disguise as by the time thenext initiative to find a new home was setin motion BP had developed a newapproach to what they wanted from theiroffices, where it should be and how itshould be built.

BP Brand PositionBP internationally has been on a journey ofchange to build a company that sets thehighest environmental, social and ethicalstandards. BP’s Helios brand position‘beyond petroleum’ emphasising fourbrand values ‘innovation, progressive, per-formance and green’ is recognised in theindustry as a significant departure fromtraditional industry values.

Given BP’s emphasis on sustainabilitytheir approach, when commissioning newoffices, was simply that their offices wouldhave an impact on the environment, so itfollows that if they make them and usethem in a more sustainable way that impactwill be minimised.

n 1997, BP moved from the Revel Foxdesigned BP tower block in ThibaultSquare into temporary accommodationI The Development

In May 2002, BP appointed Alex RobertsonAssociates – Architects to assist with theselection of a new site and to develop abrief for the building and, later, to act asdevelopment consultant, space plannerand interior designer. The site selection wasto take into account BP’s commitment toremain in the Central City and to contributeto urban renewal and meet the criteria ofgood access to public transport, shoppingamenities, a good micro-climate – aspectand views and to reflect the BP Culture andits Core Values by incorporating HigherGround Leadership and Health Safety andEnvironment Principles.

After evaluating some 27 sites submittedby developers, only two were in line withthe selection criteria. Another two siteswere identified and the Portswood site inthe V&A Waterfront was finally chosen.

A development agreement was then en-tered into with the V & Waterfront Properties(Pty) Ltd (V&AW). As developer the V&AWwould appoint the professional team that wasto be selected jointly by BP and the V&AW.

The BriefThe brief called for a low-rise campus typesustainable building set in a greenenvironment with inspirational open-planoffice space.

36 ARCHITECT & BUILDER August/September 2005 BP HEAD OFFICE

The building had to clearly demonstrateresource efficiency and express‘Green Architecture’

Architects & Urban Designers, KrugerRoosArchitects & Urban Designers, MunnikVisser Architects, and VIVID Architects.

KrugerRoos Architects & Urban Design-ers won the competition with specialistenvironmental contribution by Green byDesign Architects. (featured in Architect &Builder July/August 2003)

Consultant TeamTo comply with BEE targets KrugerRoosArchitects and Urban Designers enteredinto association with Joshua Conrad Archi-tects. The consultant team was selectedfor their specific knowledge and experiencewith the sustainability aspects of the projectand in line with BP’s and the V&A Water-front’s Targeted Procurement Policy, BlackEconomic Empowerment and Participationof Affirmable Business Enterprises policies.

Site Development PlanThe winning scheme satisfied the Develop-ment framework Plan for Portswood Ridgeand was sympathetic to the historical con-text, particularly the Victorian villas. Due toslave grave findings during excavations inthe area an Archaeological watching briefhad to be adhered to.

Having selected the KrugerRoos designbased on its urban considerations, earlyenvironmental investigations indicatedoptimum efficiency was to be gained froma true north/south orientation. This devi-ation from the Portswood Ridge orthogonalalignment did not find support.

However, further development in thefaçade and building services designsrevealed that the orientation was not thatcritical, and that the façade treatmentwould be adjusted to suit the orientation.Hence the scheme that was taken todesign development was a scheme thatwas aligned with the Portswood Ridge

Ventilation stacks at the building’s outeredge allow the double-glazed windowsto be deeply recessed, reducing solarheat gain in summer but allowing sunpenetration to office space in winter

38 ARCHITECT & BUILDER August/September 2005 BP HEAD OFFICE

Arup (Pty) Ltd were appointed to writethe Resource Efficient Design (RED) brief.It covers issues related to resource useand associated environmental and socio-economic benchmarking of design.

The CompetitionFinding an architect who would have notonly have a very strong sense of designbut, in particular, an understanding of whatis sustainable architecture and the environ-mental impact a building has on its site,was seen as pivotal to the success of theproject. 11 local practices were appro-ached and on the basis of a questionnaireand interview a short-list of 6 firms wereinvited to participate in an architecturalideas competition.

The practices were Dennis Fabian Ber-man Hackner in association with Van DerMerwe Miszewski, dhk Architects, GAPP

Platform, satisfied BP’s request for a broadfootprint and consisted of 3 wingsconnected in T formation.

The BuildingA low-rise 3 storey campus-style buildingwas developed. The building clearly had todemonstrate resource efficiency and ex-press ‘Green Architecture’.

The environmental performance of anybuilding is largely determined by the designof its envelope. The T-shaped building isorientated at a 45-degree angle to the northwith the main entrance on the southeastcorner. Elevations are modulated throughadjusting each façade to its orientation bymeans of a kit of parts.

Ventilation stacks at the building’s outeredge allow the double-glazed windows tobe deeply recessed, reducing solar heatgain in summer but allowing sun pene-tration to office space in winter. Lightshelves in the recesses shade windowsaccording to the season and reflect lightinto the deep plan. Balconies and theposition of the solid terracotta wall panelcomplete the façade-ordering devices. Thehollow external envelope allows the buildingto continue and expand the façade prece-dent of the Graduate School of Businessframing the window and balcony recesses.

Visible from Western Boulevard and thecity, the roof was designed as a fifthelevation. A series of lanterns along thecirculation route provide natural light to thecore in sufficient quantities for forestmahogany trees to grow below. Directsunlight is eliminated by orientating glazedsides to the southeast. The lanterns alsoserve as vents for stale air and smokeoutlets in the event of a fire. Thermal solarpanels and photovoltaic cells, whichgenerate 10% of the building’s electricity,further articulate the building’s roofscape.

The accommodation brief called foropen-plan offices with ancillary spaces suchas meeting rooms, a coffee shop andcafeteria, exhibition area, information centre,gym, mail and reprographics room, medicalsuite and travel agent. These functions werearranged around a triple-volume internalstreet. Visitors and employees alike arrive inshuttle lifts into the reception area from thetwo basement parking levels. The buildingis divided into three distinct zones. Accom-panied by BP employees, visitors mayaccess meeting rooms and the coffee shop.Office space remains private. Vertical circu-lation is via a set of glass scenic lifts and acentral stair with linear staircases linking thethree levels within two of the atria.

The ‘Blue Chalk’ strategy for workplaceinnovation that was applied to the design,introduces staff to new ways of working.Open-plan offices allow flexible office space

with a high utilisation ratio. The low degreeof ownership and space per person iscountered with collaborative and breakoutspaces and a high degree of collectiveownership of all parts of the building. Thisstrategy is to promote effective businessbehaviour i.e. to encourage communi-cation, collaboration, creativity and inno-vation and performance. The internal streetand atria encourage meeting and allowexpression of values, brand and othercultural aspects of the organisation.

The T-shaped building is orientated at a45º angle to the north with the mainentrance on the southeast corner

BP HEAD OFFICE August/September 2005 ARCHITECT & BUILDER 39

CONTEXT PLAN

Materials and finishes were targeted bythe RED Brief by requiring the use ofrecycled material, durability and lowmaintenance, the use of materials witha high ‘growth’ content as well as thosewhich minimise pollution

40 ARCHITECT & BUILDER August/September 2005 BP HEAD OFFICE

Green Office InitiativeThe “Waterfront Directory – a new way ofworking” was compiled by the WorkplaceChange Team and informs staff of howto use the building. BP joined 35 BP officesin 15 countries in improving the environ-ment through their Green Office Initiative.This is achieved by recycling – paper-recycling bins at each print area replacewaste-paper baskets at each workstationand glass, metal, plastic and organic (wet)waste bins are available at pause areas andthe Wild Bean.

Staff are also briefed in the character-istics that building temperature, lighting andwater employ to minimise the use of energy.A system displays the amount of energyconsumed by the building, produced by thebuilding’s solar power array, the amount ofcarbon dioxide emission saved from beingreleased into the atmosphere and waterstored and saved.

The RED Brief identified the need forgateways where the design is evaluated

against the brief. Such review took placewith the V&AW Design Review Committee,with the city of Cape Town Director ofPlanning and with 2 days of peer review.This was to review and challenge theproject’s plans and performance, to assurethat design aspiration and targets wereincorporated, to review HSSE issues, toensure that the costs of options were withinthe sanctioned budget and to identify risks.

Resource Efficient DesignAnnual energy consumption target wasset to be 115kWh/m2, 10% of the over-all energy had to come from renewablesources and water consumption had to be20% better than an equivalent conventionalbuilding. Local and recycled materials wereto be used, construction waste was to berecycled and an environmental manage-ment plan for the construction period hadto be submitted.

Space PlanningThe ‘Blue Chalk’ strategy introduced newways of working, allowing for space stan-dards of 16m2 per person gross and 8m2

per person nett, hence achieving a highlevel of efficient floor plate use. Open-planallows the entire building to be utilised forstaff workplaces, from the desk to meetingrooms, the Wild Bean coffee shop andcafeteria, pause areas and even thegarden. The Facilities Guide in the Water-front Directory differentiates the T-shapedbuilding into Mountain Garden andWater sections.

Meeting rooms vary in size from 4 to 40people. They are fitted with power, voice,data projection, bulletin board, gripper rails,white boards and projection screens.These rooms are named after BP valuese.g. Innovation, Progressive, Performanceand African geographical features and florae.g. Kilimanjaro, Limpopo and Baobab foreasy identity.

Visitors and employees alike arrive inshuttle lifts into the reception area fromthe two basement parking levels

BP HEAD OFFICE August/September 2005 ARCHITECT & BUILDER 41

Standard workstations comprising adesk, low screen, credenza, drawerpedestal and adjustable chair withcastors are ergonomically designed and arearranged in clusters and single units.General filing cabinets are used whilst multi-function copiers, printers, fax machines arepaired with waste bins for paper, plasticand landfill at print areas.

InteriorsMaterials and finishes were targeted by theRED Brief by requiring the use of recycledmaterial, durability and low maintenance,the use of materials with a high ‘growth’content as well as those which minimisepollution. Materials also had to have a highlocal content e.g. sourced from theWestern Cape, construction undertaken bySMME’s and fit-out components producedin South Africa. Carpets are 100% recycled,wood floors are Rosegum from Zimbabweand have a low embodied energy.

The art strategy is to source orcommission work which is integral withand complements the interior archi-tecture and reflects BP’s core values.Works to be considered include paintings,sculpture, mobiles and woven artwork.Examples include two major works in thereception area.

Adri Schultz designed the 6m highAloe wall-hanging at the entrance. It wasmade by Khayelitsha women from wastecotton fabric that is woven throughHessian, using the hooked-rug technique.The karakul wool reception carpet wasalso designed by Adri Shultz for TactileCarpets in KwaZulu-Natal and woven byrural women.

ConstructionThe Environmental Management Plan(EMP) implements RED Brief objectives.DECAS Standard Mini-EMP guidelines arefollowed in flora and fauna, appropriate useof machinery, anti-erosion measures, fueland service areas, concrete works, fires,refuse, toilets, dust control, preparation ofbuilding material, construction watermonitoring and discharge of constructionwater. Nuisance and environmentalimpacts, neighbour relations and transportimpacts were managed. Excavated rockwas recycled in gabions and stone walls.Recycled slag cement components wereused in the concrete structure.

Building Management Systems (BMS)The Building Management Systemmanages climatic control, and ongoingmonitoring will reveal if the design meetsthe targets set for climatic control. Energyuse and savings are monitored throughelectricity consumption and electricity

generated by PV’s. Water consumption ismonitored as well as water recovered. Asystem displays measured consumption,generation and savings.

From a Report by Alex Robertsonand Inge de Beer

STRUCTURAL, CIVIL AND FAÇADEENGINEERING COMMENTSeveral structural solut ions wereinvestigated and based on overall economyfor the building, flexibility of use andminimum structural zone, reinforced con-crete flat slabs were chosen. Internalcolumns were circular to minimise visualobstruction of internal space.

External columns were both hollow andprojected forward of the façade line. Thisdesign allowed for their 'multi-tasking’ roleof vertical shading devices and exhaust air’chimneys’ in the air conditioning design.

A major feature of the structural worksthus related to the co-ordination of structuraldesign with not only architectural planningbut also services design and landscaping.

Façade EngineeringAs engineers for both the structure of thebuilding and the façade we were able to

achieve full co-ordination and optimisationbetween structure and façade. Full threedimensional solar modelling of the façademodule was undertaken for each façadeorientation. This enabled finite dimensioningof shading devices, light shelves and themacro positioning of the façade glazing.The glazing position in the module varieswith orientation to maximise the shadingeffect of the protruded structural ducts.

Double glazing contributes to the furtherreduction of solar heat gain throughreduced conductivity. It is estimated thatthis well-shaded façade, which stillmaintains large glazed areas for naturaldaylight, has approximately 15% of thesolar gain of an unshaded façade.

The design of this façade thus involvedcreating a balance between restrictingthermal heat gain from the sun andmaximising internal daylight to reduceartificial lighting requirements which in turnreduces internal heat gain from thelighting itself. Such well day-lit buildingsare documented as having a beneficialimpact on employee satisfaction andproductivity levels.

Further features of the building includethe rooflight structures which are devicesto capture predominantly non-directdaylight. Whilst not optimum in this regardthey do offer a combination of thermalexhaust chimney and aesthetic effects.Studies were carried out with threedimensional modelling to predict thedaylight contours within the atria beneaththe rooflights. In these studies, theorientation and panel make up of theseunits was tested for daylight efficiency forplant growth in the landscaping at atriumground floor.

Further three dimensional solarstudies were carried out for the design ofthe photo voltaic panel layouts on the roofof the building.

Open-plan offices allow flexible officespace with a high utilisation ratio

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ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC AND LIFTSSERVICES INSTALLATIONThe electrical design philosophy employedwas one which focused on energyefficiency, whilst ensuring that the day-to-day practical requirements of a modernoffice development were met. The maincomponent of the electrical design, whereenergy could be saved, was on the lightinginstallation. To achieve an optimum lightinginstallation within the work space, acombination of natural daylight harvesting,via skylights and light shelves, coupled tothe latest technology in lighting design,luminaire technology and lighting control,was implemented. The office lighting con-sists of the “Mellow Light” type luminaires,having low energy use lamps and electronicballasts interconnected to combinedinfrared movement and daylight sensors.The sensors ensure that the light levelsremain constant by varying the output of

the lamps within a cluster of work stationsbased on the ambient light levels. Whenany cluster of work stations is unoccupiedfor a pre-determined period, the lightsautomatically switch off. The remainingpublic area lighting was illuminated with acombination of electronic transformersdriving 35W IRC lamps and compactfluorescents controlled via timers and afterhours bypass switches. The combinationof energy efficient public and office areaslighting design resulted in the sustainableenergy targets being met.

The primary reticulation system wasvalue engineered and busbar cablesystems to sub-distribution boards resultedin more effective utilisation of the cablinginstalled than a standard reticulationdesign. Power factor correction equipmentwas installed to ensure that the buildingoperates as close to unity power factor aspossible, thus saving on energy consum-ption costs. The reticulation of small powerand electronic/data services to theindividual work stations, was carried out viathe ceiling void and power poles from themain riser ducts.

Solar energy is harvested and convertedinto electrical energy via 400 photovoltaiccells on the roof of the building. This arrayof photovoltaic cells is connected toconverters which, in turn, are connected toa single distribution board. This electricalsupply is fed back into the main distributionboard and contributes approximately 70kWof power back into the buildings electricalgrid during daylight hours.

The management and reporting ofpower consumption in the building isachieved by a centralised metering systemwhich individually meters the power,lighting, air conditioning and photovoltaiccircuits. This enables the client tocontinually implement further energymanagement procedures to operate thebuilding more efficiently to achieve pre-determined kWh/m2/annum target values.

A standby diesel generator suppliesapproximately 10% of all office lighting andall lighting in the escape routes is suppliedby emergency power from the generator toensure adequate escape lighting. Standbypower to essential UPS, electronic and dataservices, is also provided via the generatorin the event of a mains power failure.

The computer room is provided withdedicated standby power from a 120kVAUPS unit which supplies all the computerrack equipment, via a reticulated networkof power outlet points located beneath theraised computer flooring.

The building is reticulated with astructured data cabling system to providedata/LAN points to each of the workstations on a grid system based on number

Meeting rooms vary in size from 4 to 40people. They are fitted with power,voice, data projection, bulletin board,gripper rails, white boards andprojection screens

44 ARCHITECT & BUILDER August/September 2005 BP HEAD OFFICE

of workstations per m2. The call centre ismore densely populated with services thanthe general office areas due to the higherdensity of people in the space.

Fire SafetyThe fire safety of the occupants ismonitored by an addressable fire detectionsystem, which continuously monitors thepresence of smoke in all open-plan officeareas, passages and public areas and inthe event of a fire will automatically soundaudible evacuation alarms and/or providevoice evacuation throughout the building.The Fire Detection system will also initiatethe homing of lifts, release of turnstiles,opening of Parking Garage roller shuttersand charging of the computer room drypipe systems during a fire condition.

Access ControlPedestrian and Vehicle Access control intothe building and parking areas is via cardreaders located on primary entry exit doors,turnstiles and traffic barriers. All visitors areautomatically channelled through theground floor reception area to register withthe Security Staff. Here, they are issuedwith a visitors card which is programmedto restrict access to specific parts of thebuilding, for specified times and expirydates, if required. All pedestrian and vehicleentrances and public escape passages,etc. are continuously monitored by CCTVcameras, which are recorded on two digitalvideo recorders and 6 monitors giving realtime viewing. This equipment is locatedinside the main control room console.

Electronic ServicesA Satellite Master Antennae Televisionsystem was installed to provide TV outletpoints to all the pause areas, restaurant,board rooms and meeting rooms. In themeeting rooms, the reticulated TV pointswere interconnected to the AV system.

Certain of the meeting rooms and boardrooms are provided with multi media equip-ment which includes motorised and pulldown screens, conference phones, dataprojectors, DVD/Video playback facilitiesand audio systems. Certain of the largermeeting rooms are provided with matrixswitchers to allow for the equipment to bedriven from any of the several floor boxesinstalled in the room.

The main restaurant area used as the“Town Hall” is fitted with the above compo-nents and an automated wireless audio andcontrol system, via touch screen to startpresentations automatically. Flat screenTV’s and plasma screens are installed in thepause areas, restaurant and informationcentre. A portable video conferencing unitis installed and can be connected to thePABX in certain of the meeting rooms toallow for video conferencing anywhere inthe world.

The accommodation brief called foropen-plan offices with ancillary spacessuch as meeting rooms, a coffee shopand cafeteria, exhibition area, infor-mation centre, gym, mail and repro-graphics room, medical suite andtravel agent

BP HEAD OFFICE August/September 2005 ARCHITECT & BUILDER 45

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT’S COMMENTThe initial brief commenced with thepreparation of the Site Development Plan.The evolving building complex was placedin the context of present and futuredevelopments and had to ensure thatvehicular and pedestrian needs were metwith minimal conflict, while expanding thegreen landscape framework of the precinct.

The external works cover 0.5ha of which50% extends over the parking garageconcrete roof slab.

BP called for an ‘’environmentally sensi-tive’’ building by exploring a sustainablegreen architecture including minimisingenergy usage and waste. In support, designof the outside stepped beyond aesthetics.

Benefits of GreeningThe benefits of ‘greening’ were consideredas integral to the development:

• The roof garden’s moderating effecton climate by retaining heat energy fromthe sun rather than reflecting it and, throughevaporation of moisture, helps to cool theair therefore saving on air-conditioning andheating costs.

Technically, roof gardens imitate thenatural earth profile of growing soil,groundwater and drainage. In essence, aroof garden confirms that in a man-madeworld, we seek green space in which to liveand work. Being in symbiosis with thebuilding, the roof garden is most noblewhen integral with the concept ofenhancing the building, maximising itsrecreational use while adding real estaterental value. At the more pragmatic level,such a garden helps to convincestakeholders that the development isenvironmentally acceptable by amelioratingthe impact of man’s intervention.

Extensive tree planting further adds todefining the various outdoor rooms

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NORTH GARDEN

• As a water retention system, the soillayer can hold as much as 20% of rainfalling on planted areas for up to 5 to 6weeks, releasing water more slowly into theCity’s run-off system.

• Vegetation maintaining air quality whileincreasing green space in the City.

The T-shaped footprint of the 3-storeyBP office block is located on the rectan-gular parking garage roof resulting in twodistinct garden spaces. The east gardenoverlooking the Waterfront’s ResidentialMarina gathers morning sun and providesa sunken, more secluded area for socialactivity. The north garden has a timber deckwith a tree canopy extending from arestaurant / coffee shop, stepping down toa formal lawn area, designed to accom-modate the occasional erection of amarquee for special events.

The garden spaces are further definedby substantial indigenous (water-wise)shrub borders forming wind barriers toconceal safety fences along edges (insteadof railings) and to create visual interestthrough the seasons.

Extensive tree planting further adds todefining the various outdoor rooms.Deciduous trees were planted wherebuilding will benefit shade in summer andsun in winter. Evergreen tree lines werelocated on the outer edges, thusameliorating the wind and supplyingscreening where basement parking isexposed. This also assisted in softeningthe bulk of the structure. As the treesmature over time, their impact oncontributing to the building’s sustainabilityand to the Waterfront’s greening willbecome more pronounced.

It was vital from the outset that thedesign consultants understood each otherto ensure that the roof structure wasdesigned to:

• Withstand the extra loading, increasingover time as the trees mature.

• Accommodate a metre soil depth fortrees, both externally and internally - thegarden level being at ground floor level.

• Sufficient allowance being made fordrainage.

Internally, on two atrium wings of thebuildings, trees were brought into thebuilding to continue the ‘green’ environ-ment to the office employees.

In the spirit of sustainability, BP’sdirective was that rainwater from the roofand grey water from basins be collectedfor irrigation needs. This proved propheticas water restrictions due to lower thanaverage dam levels were introducedduring construction.

The T-shaped footprint of the 3-storeyBP office block is located on therectangular parking garage roofresulting in two distinct garden spaces

BP HEAD OFFICE August/September 2005 ARCHITECT & BUILDER 47

GARDEN PLAN

BP HEAD OFFICE

Based on the rainfall and evaporationstatistics and using coefficients establishedby local wine growers, the average irrigationneeds for the gardens during a year couldbe calculated. The resultant 1.8 million litrestorage tank, located in the basement,contains sufficient irrigation water for thehot and dry December, January andFebruary months while also supplying waterfor toilet flushing.

A fully-automated drip-irrigation systemwas selected for its efficient distribution anduse of water. An injector fertiliser forms partof the system allowing for organic liquidfertilising applications as part of themaintenance programme.

Excavations for the parking basementprovided material for building minorlandscape walls and for dry-packingexposed embankments. The use of bluestone in the Waterfront is as old as theharbour itself and as a local material canbe seen in many of the more recentstructures being a common thread to thevariety of architectural forms.

PLUMBING & DRAINAGECONSULTANT’S COMMENTIn order to maintain the required sustainabledevelopment contract local labour andproducts were used where possible, how-

ever, imported products which required lowenergy input were used during the manu-facturing of these products. Several pro-ducts were used in the following capacities:

• dual flush cisterns, electronic urinals andtaps, low flow shower roses were fittedto save water.

• solar panels were installed to assist withthe production of hot water for thekitchen and gym areas.

• all the rainwater from the roof washarvested.

• waste water from the car wash, showers,basins, kitchen and A/C condensatedrains was collected.

• grey water is stored in a 1,3 million litreconcrete tank in the basement.

• grey water is filtered and used for theflushing of toilets and urinals as well asall the external irrigation requirements.

It is estimated that these water savingswill be in the region of 60% as a result ofthis fresh water is likely to be required forapproximately 2 months of the year to topup the grey water tank

MAIN CONTRACTORS COMMENTGrinaker-LTA Building Cape are proud tohave been involved in the construction ofthe R85million prestiguous BP Flag Ship.

The project received an award for ‘themost innovative office development inSouthern Africa for 2005’

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GROUND FLOOR PLAN FIRST FLOOR PLAN

SECTION

Situated in the heart of the V&A Water-front the contract was in the public eyeand stringent safety and environmentalchallenges where faced throughout theproject. The site received a 5 Star gradingfrom the MBA in June 2004 and in theregional safety awards where "HighlyCommended" in the R50m - R200m cate-gory. A further achievement was thefact that the BEE component target of 30%on this project was exceeded by asubstantial margin.

BP HEAD OFFICE

Advertisers on this Project

Aspect Amanzi WaterproofingSpecialist Waterproofing Contractors

BP Southern AfricaClient

Barloworld Plascon PaintsSpecialist manufacturers of a rangeof coatings

Basil Nair & AssociatesConsulting Engineers

Benatar ConsultingConsulting Engineers

Bradis Earthworks and DemolitionThe largest demolition and earthworkscompany in the Western Cape

Bramley & AssociatesFire Protection Consultant

Green by DesignEnvironmental Architects

Grinaker-Lta Building CapeMain Contractor

Joshua Conrad ArchitectsArchitects in joint venture

Kool AluminiumManufacturers and suppliers of a rangeof aluminium products including sunscreens, louvers, ceilings and cladding

KrugerRoos ArchitectsArchitects in Joint Venture

LC ConsultingConsulting Engineers

Letchmiah Daya VarachhiaQuantity Surveyors

OVP AssociatesLandscape Architects

Orrie Welby-Solomon & AssociatesConsulting Engineers

PD Naidoo & AssociatesConsulting Engineers

SolutionStation Consulting EngineersConsulting Engineers

Spoormaker & PartnersConsulting Engineers

CONCLUSIONThe project received an award for ‘the mostinnovative office development in SouthernAfrica for 2005’, and despite its enhancedeco-friendly features the building itself costalmost the same as an ordinary building –disproving the notion that green buildingscost more. In time the energy saving andenvironmentally friendly aspects of thebuilding should highlight the cost savingsengendered by BP’s policies and theinsistence on “Green Architecture”.

SECOND FLOOR PLAN ROOF PLAN