Property investors heed the environmental call to go green

THE BUILT environment has a major role to play in mitigating climate change, and more South African property investors are rising to the challenge with positive effects on the environment and their businesses.

This is the word from the Green Building Council South Africa, in the light of the World Meteorological Organisation’s recent announcement that 2016 was the hottest year on record, fuelled by human behaviour.

“The good news is that we can change this – in fact, we already are,” says the Green Building Council’s incoming CEO Dorah Modise. “The property sector knows it has a substantial contribution to make in rapidly reducing emissions. It is taking action by designing, building and operating buildings in ways that are better for the environment.”

So far, more than 230 formal green building certifications have been awarded in South Africa.

She said the sector had already started doing what needed to be done.

“Now, we need to do it more and do it better,” says Modise. “As we enter our 10th year, all signs point to green building gaining even greater momentum in the country – because green building has proven to be a good business decision.”

She said the country’s property giants were committed to showing real delivery. “Our green building movement is setting its own records.”

* Old Mutual was recently awarded a five-star Green Star SA Existing Building Performance rating for its Mutualpark offices in Pinelands. This rating by the Green Building Council makes it the largest existing building in the southern hemisphere to achieve this rating.

* The Woolworths Palmyra store in Claremont recently became the first retail outlet in the country to achieve a five star rating certified by the Green Building Council, using the Green Star SA – Existing Building Performance Custom Tenant rating tool.

* Growthpoint Properties’ Greenfield Industrial Park in Cape Town recently received the first formal rating for an industrial property, a four star Custom Industrial As- Built Green Star SA certification by the council. Growthpoint owns the biggest number of greenrated buildings in the country – over 50.

The residential sector is also demonstrating a rapid uptake in green building, with 3 500 homes registered with the council to target EDGE certification following the first year of operating the rating tool, The Ravenswood project in Johannesburg, developed by International Housing Solutions (IHS) was the first project to be completed to the EDGE standard and is currently being let to tenants who stand to benefit from the significant energy and water efficiency measures integrated into the units.