As Cape Town city’s commitment to green behaviour begins to take root in the commercial property sector, the range of rental options available to companies is set to grow rapidly. Let’s take a closer look at this positive trend by exploring one of the green buildings currently offering space, as well as some future trends that may affect the commercial property sector over the next few years.
Portside – Africa’s flagship green building
Cape Town’s reputation as a beautiful and environmentally conscious city has spread across the world, with tourists and locals enjoying the city’s natural splendour year-round. With the Portside building’s launch in 2014, Cape Town’s green revolution is making itself felt in the commercial property sector on a grand scale.
As Cape Town’s tallest tower and the city’s newest skyscraper, the 32-floor Portside is currently the only building on the African continent to be awarded five green stars for sustainability.
This noteworthy achievement is the result of the building’s innovative design, which features several aspects of green thinking. These include:
- A glass exterior that filters natural light to prevent unnecessary use of electricity
- LED lighting that reduces the building’s carbon footprint
- A large bicycle parking area with change rooms, which encourages building users to cycle to work
- Special parking bays and charging stations for hybrid vehicles
Portside’s smart design and the commitment to ecological balance that inspired the entire project have won the building many admirers in the sustainable development community, while drawing a number of well known corporates to rent office space in Cape Town’s newest business tower.
The First Rand group was one of Portside’s first tenants, with three divisions of the banking and finance giant taking occupation as soon as the building opened its doors. Over the past year, demand for commercial office space at Portside has surged, bucking a nationwide trend toward low occupancies. As property professionals, this indicates to us that as companies shrug off the lacklustre economy and plan for the future, sustainability remains high on their list of priorities.
Setting a trend in Cape Town and beyond
The success of Cape Town’s tallest skyscraper to date has inspired developers to re-think their approach when it comes to the type of commercial properties that are built, renovated and marketed to prospective tenants.
As large corporates and other established businesses head for Portside as a location of choice, smaller businesses may choose from developments that are equipped with energy-saving features or renovated warehouses and other structures that have been converted into prime office space while leaving the minimum carbon footprint.
The trend towards green commercial space is set to increase in the near future, not only in Cape Town but also in other major South African cities. As developers take heed of modern building techniques, commercial tenants and their employees are beginning to see green working spaces as the best and most productive environments to work in.
As the demand increases for commercial property in Cape Town that is designed to the same green standards as many of us expect in our homes, Commercial Space will continue to stay ahead of the curve by providing our clients with prime commercial real estate in the city’s most innovative buildings.
