South Africa's first university residence to achieve a Green Star rating
Eris Property Development's RISE Student Accommodation division is proud to have been part of developing SA's first university residence to have a 4-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) for the University of Cape Town (UCT). The 500-bed Avenue Road Residence will accept its first intake of students in 2021, helping to meet the growing demand for student housing and meet UCT's target of 32 000 beds.
Avenue Road Residence has 144 single rooms and 173 double rooms, and six of these will offer en-suite assisted living facilities for students with disabilities. Eris Property Group won the tender to develop the building and committed to obtaining a 4-star green rating.
"Through careful selection of its professional team, Eris managed to finalise a design that met the minimum requirement for a 4-star design rating within its budget constraints," says Dacre Hattingh, Development Manager for Eris. "Eris also drew on the skills within the group's student accommodation division and their experiences on previous projects to confirm the design aspects were on target."
Alison Groves, Regional Director of WSP, Building Services, Africa, the engineering consulting firm on the project, explains that because this is the first residence to be green-star rated, a new rating tool needed to be developed, which can now be used for future student accommodation developments. "UCT recognised that if you embed green measures into a building from the start, it will perform better and it will be a better space for students," she says. "This speaks to UCT's green mandate and commitment to environmental sustainability."
Hattingh adds that it also showcases Eris' commitment to the environment and its ability to deliver projects that meet green goals, within budget and on programme. "Eris is pursuing its goal to become a leader and innovator within the student residential sector and this project showcases this ability by proudly achieving what no other players in this market have managed to achieve until now," he says.
One of the challenges of achieving the 4-star green rating was to develop the standard for assessing developments while work on the Avenue Road residence progressed at the same time.
The team used two other green rating tools - for residential developments and for public and educational developments - to help create a hybrid rating tool that could guide green principles for student accommodation. Groves says everyone involved in the process is proud to have been a part of it. Her hope is that other developers in the public and private sectors will recognise the value of a Green Star rating for their student accommodation builds, not just from a bragging perspective, but from an operations and overarching principle point of view.
The Avenue Road development includes energy- and water-saving features, from motion-sensor lighting in common areas to a heat-pump system instead of electrical geysers, and natural ventilation in most of the buildings (except for the bathrooms, which are mechanically ventilated). Dual-flush toilets and low-flow showers were installed to minimise water wastage, along with rain collection tanks, a partial greywater system and waterwise landscaping. Centralised switching means that when residences are shut for long periods (such as university holidays), lighting and energy systems can be shut off. The green rating development team also accounted for shifting climate patterns and student usage patterns in its planning.
She adds that aside from the green certification, UCT has a list of other criteria that its residences must meet, including accessibility to public transport and community services. The Avenue Road Residence has also been designed for students' comfort as a true home away from home. "There are a lot of places where students can go and collaborate in terms of studying, as well as relaxing," Groves says. "There are lounges and outdoor areas with lovely courtyards with seating areas and trees."
Every aspect of a student's life has been considered. There are bicycle racks at the front entrance to encourage cycling, the residence is within 500m of an existing UCT Jammie Shuttle stop, and there is a multi-residence dining hall on the premises.
Avenue Road Residence is part of UCT's extended plan for the Mowbray precinct, which will boost student accommodation by 2 000 beds once completed.
Eris has developed landmark real estate projects that deliver lasting value to investors and communities. "From the design phase through to planning and construction, the core focus was on ensuring that Avenue Road Residence aimed to place equal importance on offering a home for future generations while taking care of the environment," says Hattingh.
He adds that the development is a demonstration of Eris's capabilities in the student accommodation development space, adding that the company is able to assist with management of such developments, and has developed technology specifically for the student accommodation market. As evidenced by Eris's successful completion of its Units on Park private student accommodation near the University of Pretoria, the company is also well placed for opportunities in both the public and private sectors.
