FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Roy Mnisi, Executive Director, Master Builders South Africa
Green Building Comes Of Age
In the not too distant past, a mere five years ago in January 2011 to be exact, the first draft of a national sustainable building policy “Towards a Green Building Policy Framework: First Draft V2,” was published by the Department of Public Works for comment by built environment professionals and all stakeholders in the building and construction sector.
This soon resulted in the speedy addition of the SANS 10400X & XA – Energy Use In Buildings to the National Building Regulations Part X: Environmental sustainability – a revolutionary game changer to construction as we know it.
The Aurecon building at Century City was the first in South Africa to be awarded a 5 Star Green Star SA – Office Design v1 rating by the Green Building Council of South Africa
Photo: macarchitects
In the very short time frame since, it is fair to say that Green construction has indeed come of age. Under the guidance of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) our construction sector pulled together as one with progressive application and implementation of these regulations, changing the way things were to be done forever.
New and innovative products and materials emerged for incorporation into this whole new breed of building. Architects, designers, Master Builders and construction engineers soon began delivering Green buildings of note, deploying every conceivable technique for the active and passive saving of energy – in their quest for the elusive goal of zero energy buildings.
It is against this backdrop that Master Builders South Africa and Master Builder Associations around the country join in congratulating the Green Building Council of South Africa for their tireless efforts in guiding our industry into Green, and we wish the Council a successful and fruitful Convention later this month.
Roy