The sustainability revolution will hopefully be the third major social and economic turning point in human history; and now more than ever, there is a responsibility to be able to deliver on sustainability objectives that strive to prevent the depletion of natural and/or physical resources by maintaining and supporting processes continuously over time. Melrose Arch is able to demonstrate these processes in action within the precinct, through “SustainABLE at Melrose Arch,” which showcases the incredible efforts and results in the sustainability space. SustainABLE development is a fundamental break that’s going to reshuffle the entire deck, and as South Africa migrates to an off-grid economy, the precinct boasts a thriving rooftop solar system and water treatment plant, amongst other initiatives, providing its hotels, businesses, restaurants and residential properties with uninterrupted access to these precious resources.
With an uninterrupted supply of power and water being the two greatest challenges in the country at the moment, Melrose Arch has created SustainABLE solutions for both resources, and the precinct’s rooftop solar system is intricately accommodated across 16 different roof surfaces. 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 load-shedding.
In addition, the precinct 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 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. The precinct also has a water back-up system with sufficient supply to keep operations flowing for up to 72 hours at any given time.
Sustainability has become the responsibility of every individual every day. It is about changing behaviour and mindset to reduce power and water consumption, and in February 2024, a total of 77,303.58m³ CO2, 712,447.19L of water and 312,494.50 kWh energy was saved, which is an incredible collective accomplishment.
These initiatives have also created sustainABLE employment opportunities, as well as skills development, which is a priority given the current economic climate. At the end of the day, sustainability is no longer about doing less harm, it’s about doing more good.