FNB gives the media an exclusive tour of

Portside in Cape Town.

Fin24’s Matthew le Cordeur takes the tour

August 2014

Tallest “green” building in Africa

Tallest building in Cape Town

Glazed with 8mm heat strengthened glass.

Portside is the Provincial head office in the Western Cape, accommodating all the divisions of FirstRand Bank (FNB, RMB, Wesbank and Ashburton), while the Old Mutual section is available to lease.

Total investment by FirstRand into the project was R800m (R1.6bn between FirstRand and Old Mutual)

The Portside project offers 57 000m² of office space and 1444 parking bays. It is 139 metres high

R1.6bn invested

into building

The Portside architectural vision was to create a landmark green star-rated skyscraper for two major corporate institutions, FirstRand Bank and Old Mutual, on a prominent site in the emerging financial district at the north-west corner of the CBD in Cape Town.

The co-development vision is underpinned by commitment to sustainable and responsible development.

The top of Portside building has been designed for functions and entertainment with 360 degree views of Cape Town, including this one of the Bo Kaap.

More views on the 8th floor outside the canteen, which feels more like a cafe. The Portside building accommodates 1 100 staff.

Portside has space for 1500 staff with potential for future growth

FirstRand has a strong presence in the Western Cape: it employs 2500 people in the province, has 94 retail branches and 900 ATM’s.

This is the main reception room, where FNB will host lunchtime

concerts and art exhibitions.

• Portside is situated at a key nodal & arterial intersection• New office and retail space of 27 000 square metres for FirstRand • The building has 34 floors including the basement & podium parking.• Situated on the main MyCiTi bus route for easy access • Located within the Urban Development Zone that was created to

attract investors • 44 professional firms worked on the project • Total construction period was 2.5 years• 3000 jobs were created during the construction period

There are “decompression”

rooms like this library on many

of the floors.

Derick Henstra from dhk architects describes Portside as a "timeless 21st century building - a modern classic". He told Property24 that the City of Cape Town is set within an

extraordinary landscape and Portside was designed to become a landmark while being considerate to its immediate surroundings. "It engages with the public realm at a

human scale and provides a superior working environment for its occupants,” says Henstra. To say it is a truly "spectacular" building is not an understatement and for those who work

there, it must surely lift their spirits every day as they take in the wraparound views, which are some of the best the Mother City has to offer.

The games room and wine room make for

quality time, where guests can taste

wine or play pool.

Green features of Portside

- The first 5 Star Green Star SA rated high rise building in Africa (there are other lower 5/6 star buildings)

- 227 bicycle spaces are provided for staff and visitors, with a clear cycle route. Change rooms with showers (21) and 170 lockers have been provided for people cycling to work – There are also community bicycle racks provided on the pavement at street level

- 70 parking spaces are dedicated for the use of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles and there are 70 motorcycle bays.

- 16 parking bays are equipped with electric car chargers and a further 26 wired for future electric car chargers.

-Double glazed windows for light and reduction in heat load

- Motion sensors for all lights and air-conditioning

- Energy centre at podium level with a second at roof level

Grey water

recycling

Portside is clad with a fully glazed curtain wall facade, which typifies the nature of the building as an AAA grade office environment as well as a corporate head office.

Daylight harvesting was maximised as far as possible. The lighting system consists of low energy LED luminaries and has both light and movement sensors resulting in an anticipated overall energy saving of between 20% - 30% compared with a normal building.

Ventilation Portside incorporates an energy efficient air-conditioning system making full use of outside air when the ambient conditions are compatible. Water use, reduction and waste water technologyLow flow water fittings were installed throughout the building and rain that falls on the building footprint will be captured, filtered and reused for toilet flushing.

Waste managementAdequate storage space is provided for recycling of waste generated by the building operations. In addition, during construction, significant focus was on recycling up to -70% of the construction generated waste.

Focus was on the specification of materials that have a high recycled content, and low detrimental health effect on building users.

The Portside project

observes best practice in terms of

sustainability, visual impact, public space,

green building principles and

climatic control,

easy access, security

and social responsibility.

View from the

gym

Future Considerations: - The building is future proof and will cater for FirstRand’s needs for the next 30+ years- The building is in line with the future growth and directional development of the city - It is iconic and compliments the Cape Town skyline

Disassembly: The façade has been designed for total disassembly with each component of the unitised facade panels marked in accordance with a disassembly plan, which identifiesthe sequence of removing each panel for later reuse on another building or recycling. This is also understood to be a first for a tall building in South Africa.

The gym

The benefits created go beyond the site - the new Portside tower is not only a key addition to the emerging financial precinct, but is also intended to generate economic stimulus and

provide a significant, sustainable and attractive addition to Cape Town’s dramatic skyline from an urban, architectural and visual point of view.

The end.