TECHNOLOGY are expected to be green by 2018 — almost double the projected global average of 37 % for that year . And , most interestingly , the right thing to do is the top trigger driving future green activity in South Africa . The country has experienced exponential growth in green certifications : from just one certification in 2009 , it took six years to certify 100 buildings , 17 months to certify the next 100 green buildings , and a year to certify 100 more . This is due to several reasons . Firstly , the business case supporting green buildings is now very clear . The Green Building in South Africa : Guide to Costs and Trends Report compiled by the Green Building Council South Africa ( GBCSA ), the Association of SA Quantity Surveyors ( ASAQS ), and the University of Pretoria ( UP ), and released in July 2016 , found that the average cost premium of building green over and above the cost of conventional construction — or green cost premium — is a mere 5.0 % and can be as low as 1.1 %. One of the barriers to green building until this point had been the apparent green premium that many developers or building owners thought going green would cost them . In the early 2000s , globally and locally a myth was perpetuated that green buildings cost 20 – 50 % more than conventional buildings . Several international studies were done a few years later that dispelled this myth , but South African data had not yet been collected or reported on , so was not included in the studies . The findings of last year ’ s study showed , for the first time , that green buildings can be built for a negligible premium and that this premium is declining . This study , combined with the annual MSCI / GBCSA Sustainability Index that consistently shows that in South Africa green buildings yield a higher return on investment , makes a very strong business case for green buildings to developers , property owners , and corporates . In addition , the Building the Business Case : Health , Wellbeing and Productivity in Green Offices report , released by
the World Green Building Council in October 2016 , reveals that investing in greener offices can also have a dramatic impact on a company ’ s bottom line by improving employee productivity and reducing absenteeism , staff turnover , and medical costs . Key findings of the report include a 66 % decrease in sick leave at a company in North England and doubling of call centre productivity at Saint-Gobain in the US . A separate study , also undertaken in 2016 by the Harvard T . H . Chan School of Public Health and SUNY Upstate Medical University , found that employees who work in certified green buildings have higher cognitive function scores , fewer sick building symptoms , and higher sleep quality scores than those working in noncertified buildings . Locally and internationally , the focus has moved from green buildings to green precincts and cities , so that the positive effect is greater — and faster — than singular buildings . The earth ’ s population is set to double by 2050 , requiring a staggering 89 billion tons of natural resources per year — more than double the 40 billion tons we currently use . But what if a sustainable growth scenario occurred , where everyone lived in a green building , used bus rapid transit , and were powered by a series of mini-grids connected to renewable energy sources ? Experts believe there would be a 40 % saving in the total quantity of resources consumed , almost bringing us back to the resource usage of today . The challenge , however , is not only introducing sustainable technology or systems , but also the reconfiguration of governance necessary to bring about the change . To this end , the GBCSA has established a partnership with
One of the barriers to green building until this point had been the apparent green premium that many developers or building owners thought going green would cost them .
About the author Dorah Modise is the CEO at the Green Building Council of South Africa ( GBCSA ).
CEC February 2018 - 19