SA’s largest retail shopping centre awarded a star c for the second time

The newly completed and largest retails shopping centre in South Africa’s, Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, part of the Pareto Group, has been awarded a 4 -star Green Star Retail Design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) for the second time. Since completion in November 2016, the shopping centre now know as the Home of Project Runway spans over 170 000m2, with over 500 stores all located under one roof.

To achieve a Green Star Retail Design rating, the shopping centre was assessed in eight categories including Management, indoor environment quality, energy, transport, water, materials, land-use ecology and emissions.

“The face of retail has changed over the past decade, spending habits of South Africans who want to live, work and play in an attractive environment has become a priority. Menlyn Park Shopping Centre has become a future forward 4 Star Green Rated environment. With the use of clearly designed areas, we have sort to increase the level of interaction between our public spaces, retail and offices.

Through collaborative consultation with the Green Building Council and advanced planning that embraces quality in our renovations, we have been able to ensure Menlyn Park Shopping Centre improves the reduction of occupation costs, as operating expenses are lowered through energy-efficient measures such as water consumption, insulation, recycled interior building materials, and natural lighting,” said Olive Ndebele, General Manager of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.

The design for the centre includes facilities for alternative transport, integration into the mass public transport system and preferential parking close to the entrances for fuel-efficient vehicles, dedicated parking bays with showers are also reserved for cyclists as an aim to encourage greater bicycle usage.

During the construction phase, ordinary cent in concrete was reduced by 30% through the substitution with fly ash; more that 70% of the waste was repurposed and potable water consumption was also reduced by 70% in comparison to a conventional building.

Other important aspects of the environmental friendly building are access to daylight, connections to the outside environment and air quality. Ample access to daylight was made possible using glass and skylights to create a seamless transition from inside to out. In addition, paints, sealants and adhesives with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOC) were selected to enhance the indoor environment.

Built in a water scares country, the centre moved away from traditional waste prevention solutions, and focused on preventing and minimising waste. Various initiatives were created to optimise the water performance of the centre, including a rain harvesting system, waterwise landscaping and low-flow sanitary fitting.

“We are excited to be awarded this Green Star Design Rating for the second time. As a centre, we want to give out visitors that best retail experience whilst having a minimal impact on the land and will continue to look at ways to improve the centre and make a more changes if needed,” concluded Olive.

Issued by the R\verbed Agency on behalf of Menlyn Park Shopping Centre