The launch of the next green building rating tool by the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), the Green Star SA - Public & Education Building Rating Tool (version 1), is set to take place at the GBCSA Convention and Exhibition, at the CTICC from 23 – 25 October 2012.
As with the other Green Star SA rating tools, the latest rating tool assesses the environmental attributes of new or refurbished building developments.
The launch of the much-anticipated rating tool follows the successful development of Green Star SA tools for Office buildings, Retail Centres and Multi-Unit Residential buildings, as well as the latest pilot Energy & Water Benchmarking Tool.
Greening public spaces
Funded by theConstruction Industry Development Board (cidb), an agency of the National Department of Public works (DPW), the latest tool enables the GBCSA to rate public spaces, such as community centres, libraries, museums, places of worship, indoor sports centres, entertainment, exhibition and convention centre, as well as public transport terminal buildings. The rating tool extends to Education buildings such as schools and tertiary education facilities.
As with the other Green Star SA rating tools, the latest rating tool assesses the environmental attributes of new or refurbished building developments. The tool assigns a Green Star SA rating to the building as a whole, on the basis of its design and rewarding sustainable building design attributes.
“What is exciting about the Public & Education Building rating tool in particular, is that we are now seeing a move into a much broader range of buildings, where government will play a significant role,” says Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA
Extensive testing of pilot
Since the launch of the Pilot version of this latest tool in October 2011, the GBCSA has put the Public & Education Building rating tool through its paces on a few projects across the country to improve and streamline it for the South African market. These projects stem from the public and private sector. One such pilot project is the National Department of Public Works’ National English Literary Museum in Grahamstown, which is set to be a leading example of environmental design in museum buildings.
Green Star tools instrumental in the take-up of green building practices
Wilkinson says the ongoing expansion of the rating tools available by the GBCSA is driven by the demand for increased coverage of the property sector and the acknowledgement of environmental issues attributed to specific building types.
He says Green Star SA creates a common language for the industry and more importantly, recognises and rewards excellence in environmental leadership. “Rating tools have been instrumental in marking the mainstream take-up of green building practices in a number of markets worldwide, and South Africa is following this trend.”
Enhance your green knowledge
Find out more at the launch of this new tool by attending the 5th annual GBCSA Convention and Exhibition from the 23rd – 25th October 2012. A highlight on the property and environmental sustainability calendar, this premier event consistently delivers global best practice, world-class education, knowledge sharing and high-level networking.
For more information or to book for the convention: www.gbcsa-convention.org.za. Visit www.gbcsa.org.za for more information on Green Star SA rating tools.
Print
