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Johannesburg - Following an initial announcement in January, Redefine Properties has completed the acquisition of the Leaf Capital portfolio of properties.
According to the company the deal significantly boosts the company’s Western Cape office portfolio and also underpins its commitment to sustainable business practices.
Andew Konig CEO of Redefine says the acquisition of the Leaf portfolio of properties is in line with Redefine's strategy to invest in a diversified portfolio of high-quality assets.
"Importantly, it also changes the face of our Western Cape portfolio, which will now include the top 5% of quality office blocks in Cape Town and a number of the country’s greenest complexes,” said Konig.
He pointed in particular to the Black River Park complex, a development in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, offering 74 000m² of office space. Within the complex, Black River Park North was the first office complex to be rated in terms of the Existing Building accreditation and Black River Park (the entire complex) is the first office complex to get each of its buildings Green Star SA rated, which includes a first 6 Star Green Star SA rating.
According to Konig, green buildings are becoming more attractive to both tenants and investors, due in large part to their triple-bottom line commitments to building efficiency, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability.
“Environmentally-friendly buildings are rapidly gaining popularity among both tenants and companies as businesses look for buildings which will complement their sustainability ethos and practice. The industry has begun to recognise the increasing importance of green buildings to achieving both environmental sustainability and lower operational costs, but also as a valuable differentiator for landlords," he said.
“Turning either new or existing buildings into green buildings not only makes them more environmentally friendly, but also makes them more profitable and contributes positively to the economy."
In South Africa, the benefits of adopting energy efficient initiatives are even higher in comparison to other regions due to the massive impending hikes in electricity tariffs and increased risk of load shedding which in many cases is crippling businesses, in his view.
New technologies and a better understanding of green construction – such as that displayed at the Black River Park complex, are also driving rapid, positive change in the sustainable design and construction process.
“Designing smart, sustainable communities makes good business sense and we can already clearly see that people and businesses are looking for safe and liveable places to live, work and play, with good quality urban design and buildings," said Konig.
"By embedding these principles of good design from inception we can also make them affordable communities, where the sustainable benefits reach further than just the physical buildings. Acquiring assets such as the Black River Park complex is an important step in that direction.”
