While there may have been initial uncertainty in the construction industry in terms of making build-ings more sustainable – in line with the Green Star South Africa ratings – the practice of doing so has become “business as usual”, says consulting engineers WSP Group commercial director Simon Berry.

Previously, a building’s design may have needed to be amended to qualify for a Green Star rating, but architects and design engineers are using the four-star rating requirements more frequently as a baseline when designing new buildings, he says.

Energy efficiency continues to receive a lot of attention in the built environment – par- ticularly in light of the ongoing capacity constraints on South Africa’s national grid.

Currently, about 40% of carbon emissions in urban areas can be attributed to buildings – either during construction or during opera-tions of the buildings. With this in mind – and in support of govern- ment’s commitment to achieve carbon reduc-tion targets of 34% from 2010 to 2020 – there has been renewed pressure on the built environ- ment to accomplish energy efficiency targets of close to 30%, he adds.

Including Renewable Energies and Biological Processes

Berry says passive design influences the intrin-sic shape and fabric makeup of a building prior to the installation of any active systems, such as air conditioning and lighting. Good passive design is the simplest and most cost-effective means of achieving significant ongoing energy savings in a building.

Sustainability is a crucial aspect of every design, from technology specification to mate- rials selection and labour practices, with oppor- tunities to contribute to fostering and support-ing a green economy available in projects or business initiatives.

The social agenda of green consciousness is maturing at a rapid pace and ‘cookie-cutter’ solutions of the past decade, or template designs, have made way for maturer and in-depth engagement, notes Berry.

“The potential and results are extraordinary and, among developing countries, South Africa is making great strides in terms of going green.However, more nuanced and maturer initia-tives will have to emerge for South Africa to claim and maintain the lead,” concludes Berry.