TECHNOLOGY
the South African Local Government Association( SALGA), whereby all 257 municipalities in the country are GBCSA members. The primary focus is capacity building and demonstrative leadership, which is being achieved through education and certification. The GBCSA is also working closely with other public sector organisations, from the Department of Environmental Affairs and the regional departments of Public Works, to the Department of Economic Development and the Public Investment Corporation and beyond. With a view to achieving accelerated change in the built environment by 2050, by reducing CO 2 emissions from the buildings sector by 84 gigatonnes— the equivalent of not building 22 000 coal-fired power plants— the GBCSA has introduced four relatively new rating tools:
• In recognising that only one per cent of building stock is new buildings, the GBCSA developed the Green Star Existing Building Performance Tool in 2014. This tool measures the efficient operations and management of a building over a 12-month period to maintain optimal performance, which will have the greatest effect on resource usage and, ultimately, climate change, in the long run.
• The EDGE tool— Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies— which was developed by the International Finance Corporation and is operated in South Africa by the GBSCA, is swiftly transforming the residential property market, with 10 000 homes already registered for certification.
• The Green Star SA Sustainable Precincts tool, which evaluates large-scale development projects at a precincts or neighbourhoods scale.
• Net Zero or Net Positive certification, which rewards highly efficient buildings, with remaining demand supplied by on-site and / or off-site renewable sources, or through offsets. The GBCSA’ s rating tool recognises projects for completely neutralising( Net Zero) or positively redressing( Net Positive) their environmental impacts under four categories: carbon, water, waste, and ecology. Four projects have already been certified Net Zero in South Africa.
Recycled concrete’ s environmental role
Daniel van der Merwe, architect at PPC, claims that recycled concrete has a significant role to play in creating a sustainable and ecologically responsible built environment. wordpress
The Old Biscuit Mill occupies an old red-brick factory that has been transformed into an emporium of designer stores, craft shops, service providers, and restaurants.
“ Well-designed buildings are increasingly being reused after their original use has ended,” he says and cites examples that include“ the reuse of a derelict railway line in New York as an urban park, called The Highline, which has regenerated the Meatpackers District in New York. In London,
20- CEC February 2018