Growthpoint turns Ninety One’s Cape Town HQ into a lower-carbon asset

The landmark 36 Hans Strijdom building in the Cape Town CBD, which is owned and managed by Growthpoint Properties, has secured the Net Zero carbon level 2 occupant-emissions-modelled certification from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).

This comes as the property giant shifts more existing assets towards lower-carbon operations, and as blue-chip corporates like Ninety One – which leases the entire office building for its national headquarters – are increasing demanding low carbon footprint buildings in-line with ESG (environmental, sustainability and governance) goals.

Listen/read:
Ninety One just keeps buying back shares
Growthpoint, Etana power Cape properties through new pooled wheeling model

Growthpoint’s latest GBCSA certification follows a major refurbishment that retained the building’s existing concrete structure while upgrading its energy efficiency, renewable energy supply, and workplace infrastructure. It is the group’s 13th net-zero carbon certified property.

Timothy Irvine, head of asset management for Growthpoint’s office portfolio, says that retaining the structure reduced the carbon associated with constructing a replacement building.

“Electing to refurbish the property significantly reduced embodied carbon associated with concrete while extending the lifespan of the building and meeting advanced modern sustainability standards,” he adds

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTINUE READING BELOW

The building was among the first properties to participate in the City of Cape Town’s renewable electricity bilateral wheeling pilot in 2023.

Read:
Redefine’s office vacancies forecast to fall to single digits next year
Cape Town opens electricity grid to private energy trading
Business wants to help City of Joburg, but after the elections

Since April 2026, it has also participated in the city’s pooled wheeling pilot, receiving renewable electricity generated at the Boston Hydroelectric plant near Clarens in the Free State.

Thabo Khojane, Ninety One’s Managing Director, says the certification supports the company’s decision to refurbish rather than relocate.

“When we chose to refurbish rather than relocate, our net-zero ambitions were front of mind… It shows what’s possible when an existing building is given the chance to be reimagined rather than replaced.”

Read: South Africa ‘stands out’ for Growthpoint Properties

Ninety One (formerly Investec Asset Management) has occupied the Growthpoint-owned property for more than two decades and now holds a 15-year lease for building.

ADVERTISEMENT:

CONTINUE READING BELOW

The refurbishment of the building included high-performance glazing, displacement air-conditioning, smart building management systems, energy-efficient lighting, and water-saving measures. Stairs were also introduced in place of escalators in key areas to reduce energy consumption.

Growthpoint has more than 120 green building certifications across its South African portfolio and aims to achieve net-zero certifications for 20 buildings by 2028, while targeting carbon neutrality across its portfolio by 2050.

Listen to this episode of The Property Pod, where GBCSA CEO Lisa Reynolds speaks about the council’s efforts on the green building front: 

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

#Growthpoint #turns #Cape #Town #lowercarbon #asset