PARTNER NEWS
Green Building Council launches new Green Star SA
Interiors tool
Continuing its vision to lead the transformation
of the South African property sector into an
environmentally sustainable industry, the Green
Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) has launched
its new Green Star SA Interiors tool - taking green
building into the heart of every South African
business.
The new Interiors tool, sponsored by both Standard
Bank as the main sponsor and Saint Gobain as
supporting sponsor, encourages tenants to rate the
interior fit-outs of their premises. The overall aim
of this new rating tool is to encourage the reduced
environmental impact of interior projects.
environment and provides a productive space for
our employees to serve our customers.”
Manzana adds: “Standard Bank’s new Rosebank
office complex is an illustration of this. The building
was completed in 2013 and accommodates around
4 500 employees in customer-facing operations. It
has achieved a 5-star Green Star SA Design office v1
rating by the GBCSA and a 5-star Green Star SA As
built office v1 rating.”
Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA, comments: “Our
current suite of rating tools focus largely on the
design and construction applied to new buildings
and major refurbishments. Until now, they’ve had
very little consideration for interior fit-outs inside
each premises. The new Green Star SA Interiors
tool is a key rating tool that will make a significant
impact, especially on multitenant retail and office
space.”
Lisa Reynolds, Sustainability Director at SaintGobain Gyproc, comments: “Saint-Gobain Gyproc
is mindful of the fact that developing green
environments requires much more than just energy
planning. The company’s primary focus is the
contribution our products make to the reduction
of energy usage in both homes and workplaces.
We have a number of products in our portfolio that
have been designed and developed in-line with
the company’s commitment to moving towards a
greener environment, ensuring our products are
able to contribute to energy efficient buildings being
awarded the highest Green Star certification.”
Nathi Manzana, Standard Bank’s Head of
Professional and Technical Services says: “Standard
Bank is committed to sustainable business. This
commitment is seen in the business practices
we conduct, the facilities we manage, and the
associations that we support. Working sustainably
makes sound business sense, supports the
The benefits are far-reaching. Significantly lower
building operation and management costs will
provide cost savings for both tenants and landlords,
and an energy-efficient premises would be less
affected by soaring energy prices. In addition,
Wilkinson adds: “We are excited to launch this
pioneering new tool for South Africa, and believe
that it will help transform thousands of offices,
shops, restaurants and many other places, in
existing and new buildings across the country, into
sustainable green spaces.”
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The Green Star SA Interiors tool will reward
high-performance tenant spaces that are healthy,
productive places to work and incentivise best
practice for sustainable and efficient interior fit-outs
that are also less costly to maintain and operate. It
is designed to allow each tenancy to have unique
environmental design initiatives, and to fairly and
independently benchmark each one.