Artist’s impression of the new Exxaro headquarters at Growthpoint’s Lakeside office site on West Street, Centurion.
Growthpoint Properties has started work on the multi-million rand development of a new head office for diversified resources company, Exxaro.
The new Exxaro headquarters project is the second phase of Growthpoint’s redevelopment of the prime Lakeside office site on West Street, Centurion, directly opposite the Centurion Gautrain Station.
Exxaro’s new corporate headquarters will consolidate its current offices in Pretoria and Johannesburg into a single workspace, at a convenient midpoint in an accessible location for its staff and business partners. Exxaro has business interests locally as well as in Europe and the United States of America.
“Growthpoint’s development and workspace design team is delivering an innovative green building, integrating P-grade aesthetics and finishes and high-performance workspace. Exxaro will occupy the entire new building’s 18 500m2 of gross lettable area on a long lease,” says Growthpoint Properties office division Director Rudolf Pienaar.
“The development broke ground in February and construction will commence from September. It will be ready for occupation in early 2019 when it will be able to accommodate up to 1 400 Exxaro staff members.”
Pienaar says the new head office is tailored to meet Exxaro’s requirements for a healthy and energising working environment.
“Designed by award-winning AMA Architects, the signature office building flows with a series of layered fluid curvaceous forms, in flushed glaze detail. Its welcoming triple-volume entrance and reception open onto an airy atrium that soars upwards through at the core of five floors of efficient workspace,” says Pienaar.
“Custom designed to support Exxaro’s business goals, ethos, values and vision, the building’s five storeys of offices will sit atop four storeys of structured basement parking, creating a powerful scale for this new landmark. This will give it excellent visibility from the Gautrain Station and when viewed across Centurion Lake.”
Pienaar says the building is designed for a four-star Green Star SA certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), which is also in line with Growthpoint’s high environmental standards for its offices.
Exxaro chief executive, Mxolisi Mgojo, says: “The new location and style of the building is aligned with our strategy on innovation and consideration for carbon emissions reduction. Creating a working space with ease of access, which will enable interactivity, collaboration and creativity among our employees and business partners, was an important consideration in the design of the building.”
Working with the development’s appointed green building professionals, Aurecon, the design team has incorporated several environmentally sustainable initiatives into the building. Green measures include zoned lighting, energy-efficient building services and systems, water-efficient fixtures, rainwater harvesting for use in toilets and landscape irrigation, water-wise landscaping, and low VOC interior finishes to ensure high level of indoor air quality, in addition to abundant fresh air.
The performance glazed façade will let in generous natural light, and clever design shields actual sun penetration into the building, helping to keep the interiors refreshingly cool while offering inspiring outdoor views.
Also supporting the building’s lighter carbon footprint is its access to alternative modes of transport for commuting to work. It is on the doorstep of the Centurion Gautrain Station and at the heart of a public transport node. It is also close to many retail, banking, health and medical facilities. The property provides dedicated parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, such as hybrids, electric cars and mopeds or scooters, as well as bicycle racks.
Generous terraces skirt the building, creating outdoor park-like pause areas designed to complement the building, which also connects to the outdoors with balconies and a roof terrace with 360 degree views. The building dedicates an entire level to meeting, interacting, engaging and collaborating. It has a restaurant and a canteen with its own kitchen, an auditorium, and a coffee shop.
“Growthpoint’s new development for Exxaro also signifies the beginning of the urban transformation along the commercial edge of Centurion and approaching the Gautrain Station,” says Nico de Jager, Growthpoint regional asset manager for the office sector.
“Working with the City of Tshwane, Growthpoint is upgrading the roads and traffic flows in the area, including adding a new right turn lane from Gerhard Street into West Avenue,” says de Jager.
“Traffic signal settings on West Street, around the building, will be refined. Also, Growthpoint is working with the city to create a pedestrian walkway along the development’s street boundary.
“We are investing in improving the areas surrounding the new Exxaro head office. This responds to the growing popularity of the area, increasing development in the immediate vicinity and the higher number of people who access the area through West Street,” says de Jager.
