Building green for a sustainable future
It requires buy-in and cooperation at all project stages from contractors, architects, engineers, clients and end users
Rising energy costs, resource insecurity and changing national and international regulations have led to an urgent need for more energy-efficient buildings in South Africa. These changes, driven by global contexts and environmental realities, have also resulted in a greater awareness of “green building” solutions and an increased demand for energy-efficient interventions within the country’s construction sector.
Green building, also known as green construction or sustainable building, refers to both the physical structure and to the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resourceefficient throughout a building’s life cycle. This includes planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and demolition. Buildings generate nearly 40% of annual CO2 emissions; 28% is a result of their building operations and a further 11% stems from building materials.
According to the World Green Building Trends survey, the growth of green building in South Africa currently exceeds that of established sustainability building regions such as Europe, Australia, United States, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Brazil. The Green Buildings Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is the fastest-growing member of the World Green Building Council, the organisation leading the country’s green revolution. Despite ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and South Africa’s socioeconomic context, the GBCSA awarded 140 building certifications to local buildings in 2021 alone.
According to GBCSA, one of the criteria for a building to be considered “green” is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the construction process. Buildings are awarded Green Star points based on project management, indoor environment quality, type of energy used, mobility, water consumption, technologies used and the socioeconomic impact of the project.
In South Africa, certified new green buildings cover over two million square metres. According to one survey from the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, developers of a sample of 50 certified projects in the country expect their buildings to result in yearly savings of 76-million kilowatt hours — the amount of electricity needed to power 5 300 households for a year. Savings in electricity, water consumption and waste disposal at these buildings also have a significant impact on reducing the construction sector’s carbon footprint.
The research further estimates annual carbon emissions savings of 115-million kg — the equivalent of having 28 000 fewer cars on the road — and savings of 124-million litres of water each year, which is enough to sustain 34 000 households for a year.
Experts acknowledge that painting the sector green will require buy-in and cooperation at all project stages from contractors, architects, engineers, clients and end users. It will require a commitment to all three dimensions of sustainability — planet, people and profit — across the entire supply chain, in addition to taking traditional design requirements of economy, durability and comfort into consideration.
According to Architecture 2030, it is not enough to merely ensure that new buildings are compliant to green standards. Approximately two-thirds of the buildings that exist today will still exist in 2040, and these buildings will still be emitting the same amount of CO2 emissions if sustainable, environmentally conversions are not prioritised. The organisation says this shift must take the form of increasing the energy efficiency of existing buildings, eliminating on-site fossil fuels, and generating or procuring 100% renewable energy,
The South African government and the private sector recognise the need for energy-efficient building systems and practices. This, according to the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, means that South Africa is primed to step into the green building revolution: “To achieve a green and sustainable building culture, South Africa requires extensive international, financial and technical support. Green building technologies and practices from developed countries, such as the United States and Australia are sought, and South Africa presents potentially lucrative opportunities for US firms involved in Green Building Technologies.”