Tujoromajo Kasuto
President Hage Geingob said at the inauguration of the Nedbank’s new Green Campus today that the building is not only a symbol of the institution’s confidence in the country, but also its commitment to the preservation of the Namibian environment.
The new Green Campus situated on Fidel Castro Street, opposite the City Zoo Park, in the heart of Windhoek offers a 180 degree view from the top floor that has completely changed the Windhoek Central Business District with an incredible design.
Nedbank Managing Director Martha Murorua, says the construction of the building started in June 2018 and the budget for the building was N$495 million and N$440 million was the value in contracts for the project and N$429 was placed with Namibian-owned companies, thus 97 percent of total contract value was sourced locally.
She added that the building achieved a 6-star rating design by the Green Council of South Africa. It is the first in the country to receive such a rating.
“The project is the first that actively serves to advocate green building and sustainable mobility and furthermore the campus is not only good for the environment as it smooths out business daily operations which were spread out over six different buildings across Windhoek,” said Mororua.
The campus houses over 500 Nedbank staff that were accommodated in six different locations and has 29 conference rooms named after Namibian conservancies that have been equipped with various top of the class technology that gives the best experience.
President Hage Geingob delivering his keynote address at the opening today said that the building is a sign of innovation, economic development and a perfect example of Namibia’s commitment to a carbon free future and Nedbank’s commitment to the country’s environment.
“This new building truly represents innovation and efficiency, important cardinal pillars of progressive societies. Namibia is an environmentally conscious country as I always boast we are the first ones to enshrine the protection of environment in their Constitution, thus it is important to note Nedbank Namibia is giving importance towards ensuring the local banking sector plays a vital part in accelerating the transition towards a lower carbon future,’’ said the president.
World Green Building Council as quoted by Geingob notes that one of the most important types of benefits cannot only reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment, by using less water, energy or natural resources, but they can in many cases have a positive impact on the environment at the building by generating their own energy or increasing biodiversity.
