Nelson Mandela University Business School

The Nelson Mandela University Business School building was the first campus in South Africa to be awarded a 4-Star design rating for best practice from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in accordance with the Green Star certification system. The three-storey building, located at the University’s 2nd Avenue Campus in Summerstrand, is a first for South African educational and public buildings.

The Business School is a signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Management Education and incorporates green principles into all programmes, including the new Incoko online blended learning interface designed by Nelson Mandela University IT engineers.

The building forms part of the University’s award-winning Urban Design Framework, incorporating a computerised Building Management System that measures air quality, controls airflow in the building and manages temperatures and air quality indicators such as CO2 levels. Rooftop photovoltaic cells feed electricity into the national grid. Special systems manage lighting and other energy use, reducing energy use by up to 65%. A weather station helps manage rainwater harvesting for use in toilets and decide when to water specially chosen carbon-hungry indigenous plants using drip irrigation.

The Business School incorporates cutting-edge teaching facilities, including video-conferencing facilities, a 137-seat auditorium, multiple classrooms seating 30 to 90 people, syndicate rooms, an expanded Business School Library, a Computer Lab and a modern café with indoor and outdoor seating.