Please note that you are using an outdated browser which is not compatible with some elements of the site. We strongly urge you to update to Edge for an optimal browsing experience.

Commercial sector to become greener

12 Sep 2007

The integration of green principals into the commercial building sector could become a matter of course in the future, with a number of initiatives under way in South Africa during 2007 that deal with the sector.

Formed earlier this year, the Green Building Council is developing a rating system for green buildings, said council facilitator Bruce Kerswill.

Kerswill said there were two arguments for the rating system. The first was that operation costs for green buildings were lower because the buildings consumed less water and electricity.

Second, tenants would in future demand green buildings because they offered improved working conditions and a subsequent increase in productivity.

The Green Building Council's rating system would set out measures that could be taken to make a building green and then allocate points to those measures.

The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has also requested the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to develop standards for energy efficiency in the built environment. These would eventually inform building regulations.

Howard Harris, chair of a SABS committee dealing with construction standards, energy efficiency and energy use in the built environment, said current drafts of the standards proposed a European-style rating system for all buildings, which would be issued with a certificate stating their energy efficiency levels per square metre.

Harris said the standards would mean that developers would in future have to measure energy usage intensity levels, while designs would have to ensure that buildings performed and met criteria set out by the standards.

In Cape Town, the City has already released green building guidelines. It is hoped the guidelines will eventually evolve into a bylaw that will cover residential and commercial buildings.

Grace Stead, a sustainable development consultant formerly involved in developing Cape Town's green building guidelines, said the emergence of green building was a national process associated with an era of awareness about climate change.

Stead said South Africa was at a critical point when it came to green building and that there would be more interest in green building over the next five years. - Steve Kretzmann

Readers' Comments
Have a comment or question about this article? Tell us about it..

Get up-to-date property news
Would you like to receive free weekly news and information about property in South Africa? Sign up now for Property24's Week in Review.

Property News
Click here for more property news articles.

Need a blog?
Start your own blog with a free blog from 24.com.

Commercial sector to become greener

Share

Top Articles

Latest properties for sale in South Africa

Cookie Notice