As South Africa migrates to an off-grid economy, one mixed-use precinct is leading the way with its sustainability prowess.
Melrose Arch has a thriving waste separating facility, underground cooling plant, gardens and rooftop solar system – providing its hotels, businesses and residential properties with an unparalleled experience.
Considered design
Melrose Arch was constructed on a super basement that connects all areas of the precinct and remains the only one of this kind in the country. Parking cars in the basement reduces traffic congestion and assists in reducing ambient air pollution above the ground.
Renowned for its upmarket appeal and European street-style aesthetic, Melrose Arch’s streets are lined with greenery. The precinct has over 700 trees planted within its border, as well as five internal garden spaces creating green lungs for residents and tenants to enjoy.
Eco-centre
The Melrose Arch waste separating facility operates 24/7, separating paper, cardboard, metals, plastics and glass, and sends these for recycling. At the property’s approximately 30 restaurants, cafés and bars on the precinct, food waste is separated at the source, namely in the restaurant kitchens.
The food waste is taken directly to the Urban Farms Recycling Centre, where it is converted into organic fertiliser. After most of the waste is recycled, the balance goes to a landfill.
Key statistics:
- 92,578 tons of waste collected.
- 88% of waste recycled.
- 77 303,58m³ of carbon dioxide (CO2) saved.
- 712 447,19L of water saved.
- 312 494,5kWh energy saved.
Cooling plant
Melrose Arch boasts its own 1 471m² district underground cooling plant. This facility includes eight chillers that are 2 722,94KW in size (supplied by Trane), twelve cooling towers (supplied by Baltimore Aircoil Company) and five building water pumps that operate non-stop.
Operated by a Building Management System, the plant is energy-efficient. The cooling is centrally produced and distributes cold water to each building through a closed distribution network. Environmentally friendly and economically savvy, this centre helps to regulate the temperature inside buildings across the entire precinct.
The cooling plant’s machinery and equipment have a nameplate capacity of 4 324,74KW, but for safety, are never operated at full capacity. The kVA demand for the plant during the summer months is set at 8,5kVA, which means that the plant regulates itself depending on the demand, but it will limit itself to 8,5kVA. The average monthly kWh consumption for the plant is 494 914,08kWh.
Solar system
The Melrose Arch precinct’s rooftop solar system is accommodated across 16 different roof surfaces. Every building under the precinct’s joint venture agreement that can host solar panels, does. Currently featuring 7 811 solar panels and multiple inverters, generating approximately 3,2MW of clean energy annually, the grid-tied system integrates with multiple generators during loadshedding.
Some of the commercial operators on the property such as the Johannesburg Marriott Hotel, Melrose Arch, operate their own solar systems, providing further sustainability.
The precinct is investigating the expansion of its current solar capacity, looking to increase its clean energy supply by a further 3MW per annum. It is also investigating a battery plant solution, tied into its own grid, to be powered by the solar plant, which will provide the precinct with up to four hours of standby energy in the event of outages.
Back-up water
Melrose Arch has two sources of underground water. Through its water treatment plant, water is filtered and cleansed before being converted to potable water. This water is channelled to Melrose Arch’s standby tanks, which are in place to enable the precinct to continue to enjoy water when there are interruptions to the local supply.
This system keeps the precinct’s gardens green throughout the year and ensures that less water is wasted. Last year alone, the precinct saved 3 500 000 litres of water in this way. Furthermore, Melrose Arch/the precinct has a water back-up system with sufficient supply to keep operations flowing for up to 72 hours at any given time.
“Melrose Arch’s prominence in the commercial and residential sector is underpinned by its robust operational sustainability integration that includes solar power, waste separation, a cooling plant, water back-up and more,” says Reiner Henschel, operations director of Melrose Arch.
“However, our commitment doesn’t end there. We are resolute in continually integrating sustainability into our operations, ensuring that the precinct maintains its position as a leader in environmental responsibility in South Africa,” he concluded.
A recycling eco-centre, cooling plant, water and solar energy form the core of sustainability operations at Melrose Arch.
For more information, contact Melrose Arch:
Tel: +27 11 684 0002
Website: https://MelroseArch.co.za/
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