The construction of green buildings has taken off globally, with the industry worth about $100-billion and doubling every three years.

World Green Building Council chairperson Rick Fedrizzi has noted that both client demand and market demand were propelling the industry’s growth, as companies realised the benefits of energy savings and environ-mentally sustainable buildings.

Fedrizzi was speaking at the international Green Building Convention, in Cape Town, which attracted 1 000 delegates from across the world.

He said companies that have invested in green buildings or retrofitted existing build-ings have reported cost savings of between 8% and 15%, while the increase in the value of green buildings has risen steadily.

He told the opening plenary of the con-vention that lower operating costs and brand-ing advantages were two key reasons for the sharp increase in companies investing in green buildings.

“Green building is the twenty-first century version of nation building. We are taking action to propel market transformation. We want to build value and recognise the positive impact green buildings can have on people.”

Globally, buildings generate one in three tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), pushing more CO2 into the air than any other sector, includ-ing traffic.

Fedrizzi stated that 72% of companies sur-veyed in a study indicated energy savings as the most important reason for investing in green buildings, while 25% put water at the top of the list, up from 4% a few years ago.

Health concerns were also a factor. “Build-ing and construction have led to some key public health concerns of our modern society, including asthma,” he said.

The World Green Building Council has created a Green Building Index, which it says is a clear way of evaluating sustainability.

The index and the concept of green build-ing have been helped tremendously by the information explosion across the globe.

Fedrizzi said, every minute of every day, 648 478 Facebook shares, 100 YouTube hours and 47 000 Apple applications were downloaded.

“It’s the widespread use of these tools that has made the green building movement so actionable. The information explosion is at the foundation of how we can share and collaborate.”

South African Developments
Despite having started small, South Africa has become a rising player in the green building space.

The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is hosting the Green Building Con-vention. It has also developed the Green Star South Africa ratings tool to objectively measure green buildings in South Africa.

GBCSA chairperson Bruce Kerswill said a recent study had shown that green building was growing faster in South Africa than any-where else in the world, with three buildings attain-ing green star ratings and another 100 build-ings registered.

He said three Cape Town buildings had been awarded a green star rating, including Portside, near the V & A Waterfront, which will use 45% less energy than a regular building.

The GBCSA also launched an interior ratings tool at the convention. The tool assesses the design, construction and refurbishment of interior spaces in existing buildings, as well as new buildings.

The GBCSA focuses on offices, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, galleries, public buildings and healthcare facilities.

The council stated that research and case studies had found that green offices boost the performance and productivity of employees, as well as reduce the amount of sick leave, stress leave and absenteeism among workers, while enhancing worker satisfaction.