In the past, electricity prices used to be cheap. The rising cost of energy, coupled with design regulations for new buildings, have lead many companies to look for ways to create buildings that use less energy and optimise comfort levels.
According to Buildinginformationmanagement.com, commercial and residential buildings consume about one-third of the world’s energy. Improving energy efficiency in buildings is also one of the least costly ways to reduce a large amount of CO2 emissions (the International Energy Agency says that improvements in end use efficiency play a significant role in reducing CO2 emissions to 50% of 2005 levels by 2050). Proper insulation, coupled with smart design and new technologies, can help reduce the amount building owners will spend on heating and cooling their corporate head offices.
Several countries use “green building rating” systems, which set standards and benchmarks for green building and enable an objective assessment to be made as to how “green” a building is. In America, the LEED rating system is used, in UK, design professionals use Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Australians use the Green Star system. Locally, the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) launched our own green rating tool in 2008. The Green Star rating tool that South Africa uses is based on the Australian Green Star system, but customised for local conditions.
Why make a commercial building green?
South Africa’s Green Star SA green building rating system toolset is a voluntary tool which developers can apply to have their projects rated and certified by the GBCSA. According to Bruce Kerswill, Executive Chairman of the GBCSA, there has been enormous interest from the commercial property market.
The first tool that was launched (Office PILOT) assesses the environmental attributes of new commercial office buildings as well as major refurbishments of existing office facilities. In May 2010, the GBCSA launched a rating tool for Retail Centres and the organisation is busy preparing for the launch of their third tool – a multi-unit residential tool – which is expected to be launched in May 2011.
“Interest in green building and sustainability hasn’t slowed, despite the economic downturn, and feedback from the property industry indicated a demand for these rating tools,” said Nicola Douglas, CEO of the Council.
According to built environment experts in the UK, BSRIA, publically displaying your green credentials is becoming a must for organisations in our new sustainably-aware society. “Multi-national companies are keen to show that every part of their business is green, including their buildings,” says BSRIA.
The Green Star SA rating tools certify a building based on the following levels of achievement:
- 4 Star Green Star SA Certification – “Best Practice”
- 5 Star Green Star SA Certification – “South African Excellence”
- 6 Star Green Star SA Certification – “World Leadership”
In October 2009, the second phase of Nedbank’s head office in Sandton had been certified as South Africa’s first Green Star building under the office rating tool. The building was awarded a 4 Star Green Star SA Office Design v1 rating – a first for South Africa (this “Design” certification can be awarded at the end of the design phase of the project. The building can then be marketed during construction as a Green Star SA certified building). In October 2010, the building was certified as South Africa’s first “As Built” Green Star SA Building (once the building has been constructed, a project can be awarded “As Built” certification, certifying that all green building strategies were in fact incorporated into the final building).
The Four Star rating that Nedbank Phase II was awarded can be attributed to a number of initiatives the builders, design professional and architects took, such as full economy air conditioning system, energy efficient light fittings, a waste recycling system, a black water treatment system as well as the fact that the building achieves a 30% energy saving when compared to a conventional building.
Once of the latest companies that have applied for a Green Star Rating is Nestlé, who unveiled its new eco-friendly head office in Bryanston, Johannesburg, in October 2010. The new building, which took four years to complete, features special glass that reduces glare, an intelligent lighting system with motion features and electronic dimmable ballasts around the perimeter of the office space. The building’s atriums have been designed to allow the lights to dim and allow natural lighting to filter through, thus increasing energy conservation.
“In addition to the above, our air-conditioning plant has been specifically designed to utilise Ammonia Chillers which uses 40% less energy consumption reducing usage of electricity and carbon emissions significantly. Heat exchange water heaters have also replaced the traditional geysers,” said Nestlé’s Corporate Affairs Director, Ravi Pillay at the media site visit.
Green building in SA poised for rapid growth
According to Linda Harding, an environmental technologies analyst at Frost & Sullivan, the green building movement in South Africa is still young, but it is poised for rapid growth. “Our recent analysis of the South African green building market found that this market, whilst still in its infancy, has high potential for growth. The growth in membership of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) indicates that the South African market is responding well to green building initiatives,” says Harding.
As yet, South Africa doesn’t have any legislation enforcing green initiatives in the build environment. At last year’s Alive2Green green building conference, Minister of Public Works Geoff Doidge appealed for a greener built environment – which would need leadership from government, as well as expertise and innovation from industry.
“The announcement by the Department of Public Works, calling for a commitment to green building practices, is therefore a significant step towards the development of the market. The inclusion of minimum energy efficiency levels into the National Building Regulations, expected to be enacted this year, will further support this drive,” concludes Harding.
The liveeco team
