Varsity's business school goes green

[caption id="attachment_34201" align="alignright" width="405"] FUTURE LEADERS: MBA students at the Business School enjoy one of the many relaxation areas at the new premises. Picture: MIKE HOLMES[/caption]

YOU could easily mistake the new Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business School building for the premises of a Silicon Valley company.

The school in Second Avenue, Summerstrand, resembles the professional work environment with a modern new-millennium twist.

From the outside it is almost fortress-like with a lot of brickwork and small windows. But as soon as you step through the entrance door you are surrounded by light and natural finishes.

The play between the different floors and levels, the relaxation and brainstorming "in-between" areas, the big windows, the courtyard and the inviting benches all add to a setting conducive to the birth of great ideas.

Most impressive is that the school is the first educational building in Africa to achieve a four-star Green Star design rating.

The design was carefully planned and executed by The Workplace Architects' Debbie and Bryan Wintermeyer.

The green building boasts detail such as a greywater system, automated low-voltage lights, photovoltaic cell panelling in the roof and even recycled timber pillars.

The school's horseshoe design houses the Leadership Academy for short learning courses on the first floor and the Graduate School for MBA students on the second floor, while the third and fourth floors are taken up by the school's directorate and support team.

A courtyard and coffee shop on the ground floor, as well as a library, offer down- time facilities.

Creative 'green' team

Asked whether she was filled with a sense of accomplishment when she looked at it all, Debbie Wintermeyer said it could also be a scary time when people took occupancy of a new building.

The building was a pilot project to achieve the first public and education model in South Africa rated by the Green Building Council of SA.

"PE is always seen to have potential but here is a building that has made it happen and one we can be proud of. The building is a campus within a campus, with the heart of the building located inside," Debbie said.

Bryan Wintermeyer said even though it might look like an ordinary building, with not that many outwards signs of being "green", its heat, air and lighting were managed by a highly technical, computerised building management system.

Television screens let students know how much electricity and water had been saved on a day.

Right time for the school

The director of the NMMU Business School's Graduate School, Professor Kobus Jonker, said that since the establishment of the Business School in 2005, it had gone from strength to strength and now finally had a building to match.

Having previously worked from the older NMMU buildings in Bird Street, the Business School relocated to Summerstrand over the past two months.

"The new building came at the right time for the Business School. It is important for us to have a green building because it is a strong leadership focus of what we teach here. The future is about sustainable leadership and we now live what we preach," Jonker said.

He said the typical Business School student did his or her homework properly before deciding on a higher education institution.

"We will from the third trimester move to a paperless system where all our modules will be distributed electronically to students.

"We also do more and more video conferencing and video streaming with the graduates."

The Workplace Architects Bryan and Debbie Wintermeyer answer a few frequently asked questions about the new Business School building:

1. What makes it a green building?

The Green Building Council of SA rates the building on a list of factors, from what materials were used to build the structure, to how the tenants would manage the building and even how accessible it is for public transport.

A six-star rating is the highest achievement, but there are very few buildings in the country to achieve this.

2. Why so much brickwork on the outside?

The bricks have a timeless quality and are more natural and low maintenance. It makes the building look powerful and fortress-like from the outside. It is neutral with no colour painted over it. It is a natural material choice for the green rating, with all the bricks that were used manufactured locally.

3. Why are there no or very small windows on the outside?

It is an inward-looking building and was designed in such a way that the lecture halls and auditoriums are located on the outside. This requires no windows on the north and west sides, but was also done to block out the harshest sun. The internal window space focuses inward – a private space or own boardroom.

4. Why does it look different from other buildings in the area?

The building is inward- looking – harsh on the outside and soft on the inside. It competes with very different architecture in the environment. It is a building where executives can come at night, after a long day at the office, and focus on their own personal educational needs.

What the MBA students had to say about the building:

"It has a minimalist feeling, up-to-date and modern. It is a sustainable building with good facilities." – Scott Zambonini

"The syndicate rooms and coffee shop offer a great space to do group work in. The syndicate rooms are like little boardrooms and simulate the real working world." – Cayleigh Barton

"It is like upgrading to a new car. The green thing is awesome. The building is modern, refreshing and inspiring – the synergy has really helped our group with a new way of thinking." – Steffen Solomon - Cindy Preller