GBCSA, Growthpoint make COP21 commitments

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) will introduce a net zero/positive building certification scheme by 2020.

It, along with 24 other green building councils from across the world, had made various commitments during Building Day – a side event to the twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21), held in Paris, France, this week.

The councils unveiled national commitments to transform the sustainability of their buildings to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and ensure the building and construction industry played its part in limiting global warming to 2 °C.

GBCSA CEO Brian Wilkinson said the council’s commitment to introducing a net zero/positive building certification would cover energy and carbon emissions, and possibly also water and waste.

It would leverage and be built on the GBCSA’s current Green Star SA and Energy Water Performance certification schemes, which could already assess whether a building was water or energy neutral or positive.

However, it would allow for specific recognition and acknowledgment of this net zero/positive aspect only, so as to elevate its importance.

The GBCSA also committed to a further six goals to be achieved by 2020.

This included securing statements of commitment in respect of the green building principles and practices for 60% of 50 of the leading and largest property owners in the country; targeting 2 500 commercial green building certifications, representing around ten-million square metres of gross building area; targeting 10 000 residential green building certified homes; and the training of 12 000 professionals in green building principles and practices.

It would further aim to have 10% of local government staff trained in green building principles and practices and was targeting to assist in the establishment of five more green building councils across Africa.

GROWTHPOINT
Real estate investment trust (Reit) Growthpoint Properties, meanwhile, made a commitment to increase its solar energy generation, as well as ensure that all 184 of its office buildings were energy and water efficient and its long-term office investments and new developments were certified green buildings.
  
Growthpoint, a platinum founding member of the GBCSA, owns or co-owns the largest portfolio of certified green buildings of any company in South Africa.

The Reit was, as part of its commitment to increasing the percentage of renewable energy its buildings consume, growing its solar energy generation.
 
Commenting on its rooftop solar farms, Growthpoint office sector divisional director Rudolf Pienaar said the Reit had identified over 70 buildings for solar photovoltaic installations.

“Growthpoint has already approved rooftop solar capable of generating 6 MW. Some of these projects are already complete, while others are under construction,” he added.
 
Its large shopping centres and industrial properties were also part of its solar commitment.

In addition, Growthpoint committed to having all its office investments above the Energy and Water Performance Rating Tool benchmark, as well as for all its long-term office investments to achieve at least a 4-Star Green Star SA GBCSA Existing Building Performance certification, by 2010.