Growthpoint Turns Ninety One's Cape Town HQ Into a Lower-Carbon Asset
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Growthpoint's 36 Hans Strijdom building in Cape Town has secured Net Zero carbon level 2 certification from the GBCSA, as the property firm shifts assets to lower-carbon operations.
The landmark 36 Hans Strijdom building in the Cape Town CBD, owned and managed by Growthpoint Properties, has secured the Net Zero carbon level 2 occupant-emissions-modelled certification from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).
The certification comes as Growthpoint shifts more existing assets towards lower-carbon operations, and as blue-chip corporates like Ninety One, which leases the entire office building for its national headquarters, increasingly demand low carbon footprint buildings in line with environmental, sustainability and governance goals.
Growthpoint's latest GBCSA certification follows a major refurbishment that retained the building's existing concrete structure while upgrading its energy efficiency, renewable energy supply and workplace infrastructure. It is the group's 13th net-zero carbon certified property.
Timothy Irvine, head of asset management for Growthpoint's office portfolio, said retaining the structure reduced the carbon associated with constructing a replacement building. The building was among the first properties to participate in the City of Cape Town's renewable electricity bilateral wheeling pilot in 2023, and since April 2026 has participated in the city's pooled wheeling pilot, receiving renewable electricity generated at the Boston Hydroelectric plant near Clarens in the Free State.
Thabo Khojane, Ninety One's Managing Director, said the certification supports the company's decision to refurbish rather than relocate. Ninety One, formerly Investec Asset Management, has occupied the Growthpoint-owned property for more than two decades and now holds a 15-year lease on the building.
The refurbishment included high-performance glazing, displacement air-conditioning, smart building management systems, energy-efficient lighting and water-saving measures. Growthpoint has more than 120 green building certifications across its South African portfolio and aims to achieve net-zero certifications for 20 buildings by 2028, while targeting carbon neutrality across its portfolio by 2050.