PJC+Partners

PJC+Partners Environmental and sustainable design consultancy for green buildings

PJC is a core environmental design consultancy in the building industry focusing on both new, major refurbishment and existing building stock dedicated to delivering interventions focused on niche client requirements. The consultancy consists of a multidisciplinary team of experienced professionals from diverse disciplines, working together to provide comprehensive assessment, consultation and sus

tainable design solutions. The team aims to deliver strategies that are economically viable, pragmatic to implement and convenient to operate and maintain. We specialise in evaluating and designing strategies for the improved environmental performance of buildings and work closely with architects, clients and the design team to develop solutions appropriate to the climatic, economic, and social context of each project. We support the realisation of these strategies through quantification, qualification and coordination of various disciplines. The intention is to reduce the environmental impact of buildings while finding opportunities for cost recovery and to improve social circumstances. Success is measured by the number of interventions implemented rather than the number proposed.

Stop guessing and start optimizing! đź’ˇAt the heart of a high-performance building is data-driven post-occupancy tuning. W...
28/10/2025

Stop guessing and start optimizing! đź’ˇ

At the heart of a high-performance building is data-driven post-occupancy tuning.

We go beyond commissioning by assisting project teams to select and set up the right metering and monitoring systems.

Our process ensures those systems produce practical reports and automatic alerts—not just endless data dumps. This allows facility teams to respond to issues on-site quickly, without wasting hours combing through logs. We then tune benchmarks and algorithms for at least a year, ultimately handing the client a refined, self-sufficient system.

The result? Lower operational costs and sustained performance.

Achieving energy efficiency in building design isn't about one single action—it's a comprehensive and integrated strateg...
23/09/2025

Achieving energy efficiency in building design isn't about one single action—it's a comprehensive and integrated strategy.

Our approach to bioclimatic design is deliberate:

1. Design for Climate: Build for the climate and site to limit the need for active systems.
2. Optimize Equipment: Specify high-efficiency equipment with reduced capacity.
3. Smart Control: Use smart controls to ensure systems run only when necessary, adapting to real-time needs.
4. Energy Integration: Incorporate renewable energy generation and storage to cut peak loads and overall reliance on the grid.

This strategy brings us closer to our ultimate goal: a net-zero or net-positive building.

Contact us at [email protected] for more insights on climate responsive design.

Weather data and their impact on energy simulationsWeather is a combination of meteorological metrics encountered at a g...
09/09/2025

Weather data and their impact on energy simulations

Weather is a combination of meteorological metrics encountered at a given time and collected daily at thousands of sites worldwide.

Typical Meteorological Years (TMY) are the preferred datasets used by many simulation engines today. They are generated by selecting the most representative months from a longer historical period (typically 15–30 years) and knitting them together to form a single, synthetic year. For example, data for January might be sourced from 1996, while data for May comes from 2017.

Climate files directly and significantly impact predicted building energy consumption, especially heating and cooling loads. These variations are crucial to understand to accurately design effective energy-saving strategies, and can affect the performance and energy needs of HVAC systems, leading to discrepancies in predicted energy consumption.

The example in the image shows a variation of 30% in annual cooling energy between 2 climates files from the same weather station, generated from different historical periods.

Thermal mass and TABSTABS (Thermally Activated Building Systems) are a type of radiant cooling (and/or heating) system w...
02/09/2025

Thermal mass and TABS

TABS (Thermally Activated Building Systems) are a type of radiant cooling (and/or heating) system where water circulates through pipes embedded in a building's structural concrete to provide cooling by radiating from the ceiling or floor.

Unlike other radiant systems that might use separate panels, TABS actively uses the concrete's thermal mass for energy storage and exchange, creating a silent, energy-efficient method for achieving basic cooling loads.

TABS differs from water-based underfloor heating/cooling in that pipes are typically laid in the screed for underfloor systems, rather than embedded in the concrete for TABS. The difference in performance is related to their difference in thermal storage capacity. A typical 75 mm screed with a density of 1200 kg/m3 has a thermal storage capacity of about 20 Wh/m2K whereas a 150mm concrete slab of 2000 kg/m3 has a thermal storage capacity of 80 Wh/m2K.

A higher thermal storage capacity means better thermal mass which means better energy storage and exchange which means better stability of indoor temperature and increased energy efficiency.

Beyond the blueprints and technical drawings, there's an often-underestimated tool in the engineering toolbox: the sketc...
19/08/2025

Beyond the blueprints and technical drawings, there's an often-underestimated tool in the engineering toolbox: the sketch.

A simple sketch can be one of the most effective visual thinking tools for building services. It's not just for architects—it's a powerful way to convey the basis of design, allowing for creative expression and early-stage problem-solving.

More than just developing an idea, a good engineering sketch bridges the gap between complex technical specifications and a layman's understanding. It makes intricate details practical and easy to grasp, fostering better collaboration and buy-in from all stakeholders.

PJC+Partners uses inhouse-generated images for all our sketches in all our reports and have found them to be an effective tool for communicating bio-climatic strategies to project team members of various backgrounds.

Address

50 Long Street
Cape Town
8001

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 18:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 18:00
Thursday 08:00 - 18:00
Friday 08:00 - 18:00

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