The Precinct, an office development in Mauritius’ Grand Baie has been awarded a coveted 5-Star Green certified rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). This is the first time ever that such a high rating has been achieved by a development in the country and is also the highest green rated office development so far in the Indian Ocean Islands region. The Precinct was developed by Gateway Real Estate Africa (GREA). CEO of GREA, Greg Pearson is hoping to achieve similar positive responses for its future developments.
“Our brief from the anchor tenant has always been to incorporate sustainability and employee wellbeing as the main points of departure in the design and development of The Precinct. Corporate culture is rapidly changing, which is morphing the workplace into many functionalities” said Pearson.
“Key to this was to ensure a design and location that promote a lower carbon footprint and better sustainability. I am thrilled that these efforts have been recognized by the Green Building Council of South Africa by way of a 5-Star Green certified rating,” he said.
The Precinct comprises a lettable area of 10 000m2 with 500 parking bays and will be anchor tenanted by London and Mauritius listed, Grit Real Estate Income Group, the world’s largest law firm, Dentons Law and Workshop 17, a provider of flexible workspace provider. The Precinct development will form part of a larger complex to be built in phases.
With its prime location strategically next to the M2 motorway at the entrance to Grand Baie, The Precinct will ultimately form part one of three interconnected environments. The development will also.use water saving sanware, motion sensor & LED lighting, photovoltaic panels on the roof, the use of natural light and ventilation incorporated into the design, energy sub-metering, lighting power density, water meters and recycling waste storage.
The uppermost floor is an entertainment space which has a bar, barbeque, and catering kitchen. The GBCSA works in collaboration with other Green Building Councils throughout Africa and is a natural indication of standards for green building movements and councils in other parts of Africa.
For a project to achieve GBSCA certification, it needs to be registered via the GBSCA Certification Engine. Once registered, the development will go through a host of assessments and receive scores based on the management and design of the building. The final score involves an assessment of the building including waste management, land and use ecology, materials used, transportation, indoor environment quality, emissions, and SEC innovation.
“In line with our corporate philosophy of local empowerment and re-investing back into the communities in which we operate, we have partnered with a number of local professional firms and are making use of local artisans and materials wherever possible. We expect approximately 500 jobs to be created during the construction phase and several temporary and permanent positions on completion of the project,” said Pearson.
Construction on The Precinct began in June 2021 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.