Subscribe
  • Home
  • /
  • Green IT
  • /
  • Schneider Electric unveils green corporate office

Schneider Electric unveils green corporate office

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 13 Dec 2016
The new Rainbow Hive generates 80% of the electricity used in the building.
The new Rainbow Hive generates 80% of the electricity used in the building.

Schneider Electric SA yesterday officially opened Rainbow Hive, the company's new energy-efficient headquarters in Waterfall City, Midrand.

According to the company, the new corporate office, housing more than 200 employees, is equipped with an energy management system and was designed in such a way that it is an energy-efficient, sustainable and high performance building.

The move is a demonstration of corporate citizenship, living out its values for the benefit of the planet, profit and people, the company says. The 4 000 sqm three-storey building is equipped with an assortment of technologies to encourage collaboration and employee wellness within the various business units, the solar energy technology supplier elaborates.

Speaking at the opening, the South African French deputy Ambassador, Charlotte Montel, said: "It is a great pleasure that today we are inaugurating another one of Gauteng's new green buildings - demonstrating Schneider Electric's commitment to cleaner energy. We are proud that Schneider's model demonstrates how multinationals should work towards social transformation in the local economies where it operates."

Schneider Electric says over 80% of the electricity used in the building is generated from solar and electric vehicle charging stations. The daily demand for energy is substantial - from heating and cooling, to lighting, power for servers and computers etc.

The large rectilinear, cantilevering aluminium portal frames of the northern perimeter contrast with a curving glass facade along the southern perimeter. These two wings are tied together with floating bridges inside a huge open atrium that is activated by pause areas that puncture into the volume at different levels. The building structure encourages more collaboration and employee wellness between the various business departments, according to Schneider Electric.

Eric Leger, country president of Schneider Electric SA, said as true custodians of efficient and sustainable energy management solutions, the new office structure reflects the organisation's core values of connectivity, efficiency, sustainability, reliability and safety.

"Our new headquarters is the latest addition to Schneider Electric's 'Cool Sites' programme which focuses on designing workplaces that are attractive, inspiring and energising for employees, enabling better employee collaboration and engagement, while improving productivity and motivation and thereby increasing employee satisfaction levels. For us, a happy employee translates into a happy customer and this starts with creating a work environment that is conducive to this," he notes.

Share