The new Karl Bremer building will provide a combined working environment for administrative staff and a training and educational facility for students.
The Department of Transport and Public Works started the design of the R113 million building in August 2013 and the construction in January 2015. The project should be finished midway through 2016.
Smart Design
Facilities on the ground floor include:
- Auditorium.
- Conference facilities.
- Lecture Rooms.
- Research library.
- Archive reading rooms.
- Public facilities.
The other floors will be open plan office space.
Green Awards
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) awarded the project two prestigious design awards:
Environmentally Friendly
The building uses an organic system to recycle waste water.
- All drain water and sewerage is treated on site at the blackwater treatment plant and not discharged into a municipal sewer.
- Treated blackwater is supplied to the HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) Cooling Towers which will save 1.1 million litres per annum of mains potable water.
- Waste water from cooling tower bleed-off is used for toilet flushing.
- Storm water is prevented from entering the municipal system by using naturally landscaped Bio retention areas to absorb the water into the ground.
The quality of the indoor environment, the energy efficiency of the building and low emissions are other green features.
Job Creation and Skills Development
The Karl Bremer Building project will create the following opportunities:
- Employment opportunities during the design and construction of the building with at least 10% of the total labour given to youth, women and persons with disabilities.
- Economic opportunities through the growth and development of small, micro and medium size enterprises, through interventions in the design, construction, and operational phases of the building.
- Practical experience for people employed in the categories of unskilled, semi-skilled, supervisory, design and technical fields.
- Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE).