Architectural professionals would be able to redeem continuing professional development (CPD) category-3 credits from purchasing a copy of the Green Building handbook from February 2010.

The chapters of the handbook, which is divided into volume 1 and volume 2, will be grouped together into learning modules, which have been approved for accreditation by the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (Sacap).

From April 2010, architectural professionals would be able to redeem category-1 CPD credits from the same modules in the handbooks by writing and passing the multiple choice tests, which will be prepared for each chapter and will be available online.

"This is a truly ground breaking initiative that ensures universal accessibility of the ‘hardest to get' CPD category-1 credits," said Sacap Registrar Dorothy Brislin.

The list of Sacap CPD accredited modules would be published online by the February 15, along with the prices for online tests. The CPD certificates for handbook purchases and online testing, would be issued by media and events company Alive2green.

For the first time CPD credits would be accessible to all architectural professionals in South Africa, ensuring that credits were economically and geographically accessible across all categories of registration. These credits were not limited by voluntary association memberships and allowed for more time flexibility.

The Green Building handbooks, published by Alive2green, are a collection of specifically commissioned contributions compiled into volumes. The publication is aimed at property owners, architectural professionals, engineers, product and service providers, government, home owners, students and other related stakeholders in the built environment sector.

The handbooks are edited by CSIR research group leader Llewllyn van Wyk and contain contributions from South Africa's experts and product suppliers, and provide readers with practical insights into green building designs, technologies, materials and solutions relevant in the South African context and the effect that each has on the environmental impact of buildings.

Alive2green noted that the Green Building handbook is the only guide of its kind in South Africa.