One of the major challenges facing green building in South Africa was locating suppliers of ‘green’ products and services, and this was something that the inaugural green building conference and exhibition, to be hosted by the newly formed Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) hoped to address.

“The exhibition provides the opportunity for suppliers to showcase their products to a targeted and interested audience. We’re looking at services such as energy efficient products, alternative energy, water efficient fittings, recycled material products, non-toxic materials and other green building components, as well as consultancies and other service providers,” said GBCSA chairperson Bruce Kerswill.

He added that it was an opportunity for suppliers to get focused exposure to an audience of developers, consultants, builders and corporates.

“The green building movement is sweeping the globe and local corporates are committing to it across the board. This convention is a chance to get right up to speed in one sweep, to be inspired and informed by some of the most accomplished international practitioners. It’s on par with some of the best conferences worldwide and we’re expecting over a thousand delegates,” enthused Kerswill.

The convention programme included topics like the response of the built environment to global warming, the world-wide green building movement, costs and benefits of green building, and South Africa’s energy crisis. It will cover international and local case studies, and provide practical guidance on green building techniques.

The conference would take place in Cape Town in November, and would include a number of international speakers.

South Africa’s green building council recently adapted and adopted Australia’s Green Star rating tool in order to assess green buildings.

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