Growthpoint’s specialised Cintocare Hospital development achieves Africa’s first Green Star rating for a healthcare property
03 June 2020

The specialised surgical hospital development by Growthpoint Properties and Cintocare, the first facility of its kind in South Africa, has also become the first healthcare property on the African continent to be awarded a Green Star rating.

In a milestone achievement for green building and healthcare in South Africa, Cintocare Hospital in Pretoria, Gauteng, has received a 5 Green Star Custom Healthcare design certification from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA).

Working closely together to develop this specialist surgical hospital, Growthpoint and Cintocare are creating a tailor-made, high-performance space, which includes positive social and environmental impacts - a clinical centre of excellence.

Lisa Reynolds, CEO of the GBCSA, says, “Earning SA’s first Custom Healthcare Green Star rating for Cintocare Hospital continues Growthpoint’s track record of exceptional green building leadership and displays Cintocare’s innovation. Together, they are creating a sustainable healthcare facility designed around the well-being of patients and hospital staff that supports the environment and its communities, which is changing the future of healthcare properties in SA.”

Rudolf Pienaar, Growthpoint’s Chief Development and Investment Officer, comments: “We are delighted that our collaboration with Cintocare has led to this state-of-the-art hospital becoming the country’s very first certified green hospital property. Growthpoint is very proud to be part of creating a greener, healthier, more sustainable built environment and healthcare sector.”

Andre Brink of Cintocare says, “We appreciate the excellent working relationships that have achieved this, and congratulate everyone who has contributed to the design.”

The benefits of this particular project go well beyond a single hospital. The collaboration between Growthpoint, Cintocare, GBCSA, and the professional team, including Aurecon, has resulted in a new green building certification tool for the healthcare and property sectors, to which Solid Green also contributed its expertise. This green certification tool is a road map to drive the development of more green healthcare buildings in South Africa in future, and it is available to everyone.

Construction of the R470m specialist hospital began in July 2018 and, despite the COVID-19 lockdown, the project is well on track for completion in the final quarter of 2020. The year-long planning for the project included the comprehensive collaboration of its operators, doctors, promoters, developers, owners, green partners and other stakeholders.

The hospital will focus primarily on the head and neck, spinal, neuro and vascular surgery with its highly specialised medical professionals supported by state-of-the-art technology. The development partnership is delivering the full suite of services for the hospital - from inception to completion.

Setting new standards for sustainability in the South African healthcare sector, Cintocare Hospital’s green building rating was achieved through an architectural design that incorporates many sustainable design principles. It is also particularly fitting that the development is in Pretoria’s green precinct of Menlyn Maine.

The building design itself will support the surgeons’ optimal delivery of specialised services, accommodate and operate specialised state-of-the-art equipment, and deliver a world-class facility for patients.

Designed to the highest international standards, the hospital includes seven floors; the hospital plant room, three clinical and consulting levels and three parking levels with 335 secure parking bays. This 100-bed hospital, with a built-in capacity to expand to 160 beds, incorporates five theatres, of which three are banked and one is a hybrid.

The exterior of the building reflects its fundamental purpose. Its glass façade that also serves to shate the building will be complemented by design features evocative of spinal vertebra found in the neck.

Growthpoint’s partnership with Cintocare has provided Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings with the opportunity to own this world-class hospital on completion. It is the first unlisted healthcare fund that invests exclusively in healthcare property assets in SA, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and laboratories.

Dr Linda Sigaba, Fund Manager of Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings, says, “Green healthcare buildings are designed to have positive impacts on their users, their surrounding communities and the environment, and they are the future of healthcare properties globally. Growthpoint is an established leader in green developments, which allows our healthcare fund to grow its portfolio of properties with partners like Cintocare. We will continue supporting the growth of the healthcare sector by providing the capital to build new healthcare facilities and the green buildings of the future.”

NOTE TO EDITORS:

About Growthpoint Properties:
Growthpoint creates space to thrive with innovative and sustainable property solutions. It is South Africa’s largest primary JSE-listed REIT and is invested in real estate and communities across three continents including Africa, Europe and Australia. Growthpoint is an established leader in green developments. It owns the biggest portfolio of green-certified buildings in Africa, and the continent’s first and only WELL certified building, providing quality spaces that work best for its clients.

About Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA):
The Green Building Council South Africa is a member-based organisation whose core focus is green building certification and training. We advocate for all buildings to be designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable manner. We are one of 75 members of the World Green Building Council alongside Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Founded in 2007, we are a dedicated team working in collaboration with industry bodies, leaders, government departments and professionals to develop market-based green building solutions for the transformation of the South African property industry.

About Growthpoint Healthcare Property Holdings:
It is the first unlisted healthcare REIT to invest exclusively in healthcare property assets in SA. Growthpoint’s healthcare fund holds five assets - four hospitals and one medical chamber. The fund’s assets are characterised by long leases, with many hospitals and clinics being long-standing landmarks in their communities. Two of the fund’s hospitals are operated by private healthcare provider Busamed, and one each by Mediclinic and Netcare. In addition to the Cintocare Hospital development, the healthcare fund has a pipeline of acquisitions and greenfield developments.