Projects
Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, V&A Waterfront
The Victoria Wharf recently achieved a 5-Star rating from the Green Building Council of South Africa under the Green Star Existing Performance rating tool. The Victoria Wharf is one of South Africa’s most popular shopping destinations with over 450 retail stores and approximately 24 million visitors per year. Sow & Reap worked together with the centre management to compile all the necessary documentation for the project submission and conducted extensive audits and surveys in order to achieve the rating for this 88 647m² retail centre.
Bracken Nature Reserve, City of Cape Town
Together with Goal Zero Developments, Sow & Reap consulted to the City of Cape Town to achieve a 5-Star rating for this Public & Education Building. The Bracken Visitor Education Centre will see the complete redevelopment of the site, whereby the old historic buildings in the reserve will be restored and a community multi-purpose venue will be constructed. The project design is also targeting Net Zero Operational Carbon performance.
Newlands Cricket Ground, Sanlam and WPCA
In October 2022, Sow & Reap achieved a 4-Star rating under Green Star SA - Custom Mixed-Use Design rating tool. The ‘NCG’ project has a core of 3x commercial buildings sharing a common basement and podium. The vast majority of the NCG water usage is supplied by non-potable water sourced from ‘basement seepage’ which would ordinarily have been pumped to stormwater and discarded.
The Watershed, V&A Waterfront
Sow & Reap is proud to have been the Waterfront’s Sustainability Consultant for the Green Star certification of The Watershed in 2022. The project received a 6-Star World Leadership rating. The mixed-use retail / office building boasts a 300kW Solar PV installation and makes excellent use of natural light and ventilation. Sow & Reap played a vital role in developing and monitoring a sustainability strategy for facility management of the building.
Merchant House, V&A Waterfront
Sow & Reap together with the V&A Waterfront were awarded a 5-Star Existing Building Performance certification in 2022 for their head office building on Dock Road. The building consists of three levels of office space allowing for occupancy of approximately 600 people, and two levels of basement parking containing 357 parking bays.
Granger Bay Court, V&A Waterfront
In 2022 Sow & Reap assisted the V&A Waterfront in achieving yet another Green Star rating, this time for a 8 700m² office building in the precinct. A large Solar Photovoltaic system on the roof provides clean renewable energy to the building. Granger Bay Court received a 4-Star Existing Building Performance rating in October 2022.
West Quay, V&A Waterfront
The West Quay offices in the Waterfront received a 5-Star Existing Building Performance certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa in 2022 with the guidance of Sow & Reap Consulting.
School of Education, University of Cape Town
Situated in the heart of the university’s lower campus, the new School of Education was built to be one of UCT’s first Green Star rated buildings. In 2021, with the guidance of Sow & Reap Consulting, a 4-Star Rating was achieved under the Green Building Council’s ‘Public & Education Building Design v1’ rating tool.
ASHRAE Getting to Zero
In this capacity as Sustainability Chair for American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Aircondioning Engineers, Francois co-authored a local guideline for developers on achieving Net Zero Carbon buildings. The guide, named 'Getting to Zero' was initiated by the Ethekwini energy office, and published as a collaboration between ASHRAE SA, Ethekwini municipality, the Green Building Council of South Africa and the C40 Buildings programme The guide is available to view here.
Rating tool for existing residential homes
Working for the GBCSA, the Department of Environmental Affairs and the GIZ, Sow & Reap was appointed to develop a rating tool for existing homes in South Africa.
The project included focus groups as well as surveys of over 600 householders across the country in order to understand what ‘Sustainable Living’ means to them. This research allowed Sow & Reap to build a framework for a rating tool that has the potential to transform the residential property sector.
The Mall of Africa, Attacq
Sow & Reap, working with Solid Green Consulting undertook detailed sustainability audits and surveys in preparation for a Green Star SA – Existing Building Performance rating. Aside from audits and surveys, energy, water and waste benchmarking was undertaken, and sustainability policies put in place.
Greenfield Industrial Park, Growthpoint Properties
In partnership with Misplon Green Building Consulting, Sow & Reap assisted Growthpoint in achieving a 4-Star As-Built Green Star SA certification for this new 20 000m² development in Airport Industria. Greenfield Industrial Park is the country’s very first certified green industrial property and has recently also been rated as one of South Africa's first Net Zero Carbon buildings.
Distribution Centre, Woolworths
Sow & Reap assisted Woolworths in developing a sustainability strategy with the goal of achieving a ‘Custom Industrial’ Green Star SA certification for this new 30 000m² distribution centre in Montague Gardens. The project was successful in project achieving a 4-Star As-Built rating in 2017.
32 Napier Street Apartments, Tower Property Fund
Tower Property Fund appointed Sow & Reap together with Spire Sustainable Solutions to assist with a sustainability strategy and to manage the Green Star Design and As-Built certification process for this new mixed-use development in Green Point. A 4 Star Multi-Unit residential design rating was awarded in 2019.
The Product Testing Institute, REDISA
Partnering with Eric Noir of Design for Abundance, an all-round sustainability strategy was put together for this new tyre testing and recycling research facility in Port Elizabeth. The project recently received a 6-Star Green Star SA certification under the GBCSA’s Public & Education Buildings rating tool.
Waterway House, V&A Waterfront
Working with Green Star consultants Agama Energy, Sow & Reap undertook building simulations to optimise design with respect to Energy, Thermal Comfort and Daylight. Simulation reporting was also used to achieve Green Star SA certification on the project.
Baywest Regional Offices, SANRAL
Cutting-edge building simulation tools were used to model this SANRAL office in Port Elizabeth and assist the design team with decision making and optimization of building systems. Sow & Reap conducted a design analyses of the building and gave recommendations regarding energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Building simulations were also done for Green Star SA certification of the building.
House Roux, Hermanus
This is an example of how Sow & Reap uses energy modelling software provide a XA Rational Assessment report for residential homes that need to comply with SANS 10400-XA building regulations. A comfort study can also be done in order to determine what the daylight and thermal comfort levels of the building will be.
Green Star SA – Existing Building Performance Tool
Francois Retief, director of Sow & Reap Consulting, was the project manager in the development of the Green Building Council of South Africa’s Existing Building Performance tool.