Total South Africa’s newly renovated Rosebank office
Total South Africa’s head office in Rosebank, Johannesburg underwent a major makeover, to allow for future growth while improving the group’s environmental footprint. The building is now complete and Total South Africa’s 550 head office employees relocated back to its the newly renovated Rosebank office on May 25, 2015 .Total South Africa is targeting a level 4 green star rating through the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) which will require adherence to strict environmental building guidelines.
“Total South Africa considers itself more than just an energy company – we intend to lead the way in creating sustainable energy solutions that are environmentally friendly and have a positive impact on people and communities whom we interact with. Our new building demonstrates this and we are proud to be the first multi-national petroleum group in South Africa to truly embrace the next era of energy production and efficiency,” says Total South Africa’s CEO Christian des Closières.
Total South Africa appointed PJCarew Consulting to provide environmental guidance on the project and ensure strict adherence to the green building codes as set out by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
“Green building is pragmatic and useful and – when done correctly – it has a positive impact on productivity and overhead costs – especially in terms of energy costs,” says Paul Carew, CEO of PJCarew Consultants and previous board member of the GBCSA.
“We are confident and excited that we are playing our part to decrease our impact on the environment and will work closely with the GBCSA guidelines to achieve a level-4 star grading later this year,” des Closières adds.
The new development includes significant input from office design specialists Paragon Interiors to ensure that employees are happy in their new office environment and that it leads to improved productivity and a happier work environment.
“To successfully achieve an office environment that works for employees it is important to consider the physical, aesthetic and emotional aspects that the space will have on your staff. A poorly designed workplace can decrease productivity by as much as 20%,” according to Paragon Interior’s Lauren Paul, marketing manager at Paragon Interiors.
“It has been a massive logistical project and our staff has been involved from the start. We would like to publicly thank all of our employees as well as our clients for their understanding and assistance during this process,” des Closieres concludes, adding, “it is well worth it in the end.”
Total South Africa aims to increase its overall market share within South Africa and cement its identity as an innovative brand of reference among its customers. The new building provides sufficient space for growth and allows for a better working environment for its existing staff, while improving the group’s overall environmental impact.
The renovation of the Total South Africa’s building is in accordance with Total’s commitment to better energy strategy which started in 2013 when Total was the first petroleum company to introduce what can be described as the service station of the future when it launched and opened its new eco-friendly site at 14th avenue in Fairlands, Johannesburg. These new service stations feature energy saving and recycling initiatives that improve the impact that these sites have on the environment and communities that surround them.This five year project aims to revamp 100 service station sites per annum.