• Market Watch

Nedbank Campus: The green shoot

- 2022-05-31 00:00:00

Yochanaan Coetzee
Built at an estimated cost of N$495 million, the Nedbank Campus now wears the crown of commercial real estate investments in Namibia with its striking design and innovative working environment.
“We are extremely proud to officially inaugurate Nedbank Namibia’s new headquarters, as it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the green bank’s storied history,” Selma Kaulinge, the manager of Communications & PR at the bank, said.
“Not only does it represent a massive investment of roughly N$400 million being ploughed back into Namibian-owned companies, but the Nedbank Campus building design also achieved a five-star Green Star design rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa, who performed the rating on behalf of the Green Building Council of Namibia.
“The design team submitted the as-built documentation to the Green Building Council in April 2022.
This is to obtain an as-built rating, which is based on what was actually constructed as opposed to the design. If Nedbank obtains this rating, it will be the first newly built six-star building in the country, and the only one in the Nedbank Group,” she added.
The green square mile
In June 2017, Nedbank Namibia acquired land at Freedom Plaza, on the corner of Reverend Michael Scott and Fidel Castro streets in the Windhoek CBD, to build its new headquarters. In September 2018, the conceptual design and budget for the building were approved, with a total of 6 253 design drawings issued.
“We are extremely pleased to note that 310 direct and 930 indirect jobs were created during the 886 610.8-man hours which were spent on the construction of the Nedbank Campus, especially during a time when the construction industry was facing massive difficulties,” Kaulinge said.
The workspace of
the future
Made up of 10 floors, including the ground floor, and five basement parking floors, the Nedbank Campus will house approximately 500 staff who previously worked at four different corporate locations.
The work space design allows for an inclusive culture which encourages engagement, collaboration and innovation. Staff can choose to work at their workstations or from the many other work space areas around the building, including the first-floor pod area, designated hot desks as well as quiet rooms located on each floor.
The building boasts 27 meeting rooms, all named after Namibian Conservancies, which are each furnished with top of the range audio-visual and digital capabilities, offering a superior client and employee experience. Of these meeting rooms, 11 are situated in the first-floor client engagement area, while 16 are scattered throughout the rest of the building.
When walking through the Nedbank Campus, one will see a carefully curated collection of Namibian artworks, with just under 100 original artworks created by Namibian artists including Ndasuunye ‘Papa’ Shikongeni and Hage Mukwendje as well as the late Tony Figueira and John Muafangejo.
The Nedbank Sky Garden is a key green feature of the Nedbank Campus. The space, which is filled with endemic and drought-resistant plants, is one of the building’s most unique features.
Since moving into the building, staff as well as guests have enjoyed the breathtaking 180-degree views from the seventh floor.
The indoor-outdoor space can be used for a multitude of engagements, including having a bite to eat with colleagues, team meetings, staff braais, as well as hosting internal and external events.
Innovative efficiency
The building has energy efficient air conditioning, 100% LED lighting and lighting control, and uses 45.5% less energy than a conventional building of similar size and function.
Meanwhile, by re-using grey water, harvesting rain water and introducing water saving sanitary fittings, the building requires 45% less water from the municipal supply than a conventional building of similar size and function.
“Energy consumption is one of the most important aspects of the green rating system and requires intense focus on the quality of the indoor environment, including the amount of fresh air, external views, thermal comfort and noise output level,” Kaulinge said.
“The performance levels of energy, waste and water are regularly displayed on various screens around the building to foster awareness of the consumption levels to staff,” she added.
The Nedbank Campus has not only completely changed the Windhoek CBD skyline with its incredible design, it also physically embodies Nedbank’s green aspirations of being “a great place to work, a great place to bank and a great place to invest”.
- Additional reporting by Nedbank Namibia