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Green Building News

Construction industry remains under pressure

12th April 2019 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Irma Venter about the ongoing decline of the South African construction industry, what this means for the country in the long term and industry body, the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors’ request... →

Redefine demonstrates why its investment strategy works

By: Simone Liedtke 10th April 2019 JSE-listed Redefine Properties continues to thrive amid a subdued environment, as a result of its strategy of investing where it believes the best market opportunities lie, while also catering to the demands of tenants. This is according to CEO Andrew Konig, who cautioned that, especially in... →

SME building and construction industry in the doldrums, says CIDB survey

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2019 The 2019 first quarter Construction Industry Development Board small and medium-sized enterprise Business Conditions Survey, released on Tuesday, suggests that the South African building and construction industry remains under pressure. General building confidence declined by one index point to 33. →

Construction industry in rapid decline as work wanes, ‘mafia’ takes over, warns Safcec

By: Irma Venter 8th April 2019 The South African construction industry is in a state of accelerated decline, says South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) CEO Webster Mfebe. This is caused mainly by a lack of new contracts flowing from government’s purse, as well as increased violence and thuggery on local... →

Consulting firm shifts to public-sector partner role

By: Cameron Mackay 5th April 2019 Multinational engineering consultancy Aurecon sees a need to shift the group’s role from that of consultant for engineering design and delivery to being more of a partner to government, specifically in the capacity of adviser and decision-maker on important infrastructural challenges. This will... →

GREEN BUILDINGS The next for green buildings will be the integration the Internet of Things and consistent use of technology through the life cycle of an asset

Uptick in demand for water-sector consulting

By: Cameron Mackay 5th April 2019 Despite subdued demand for consulting engineering services in South Africa, engineering consulting firm SRK Consulting South Africa has noted an increase in demand for the group’s water-sector consulting services. “As the country faces a backlog in water infrastructure maintenance, it must also... →

THE MATZIKAMMA MUNICIPALITY The Matzikamma municipality coastline was deemed suitable for land-based aquaculture farming

Emira on track to achieve environmental sustainability targets – CEO

By: Simone Liedtke 15th March 2019 Diversified real estate investment trust (Reit) Emira Property Fund is continuing its positive impact on environmental sustainability by increasing its use of renewable energy resources, expanding its water efficiency initiatives and phasing out the use of ozone depleting R22 refrigerant gas. The... →

AHR Expo showcases excitement at HVAC global market expansion

22nd February 2019 The latest advancements in technology and product advancement in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry were on display during the three-day 2019 AHR Expo that took place last month from 14 to 16 January in Atlanta in the US. For the first time since 2001, 1 824 companies... →

ENERGY FOR FUTURE OF HVAC The HVACR industry is in a exciting position at the moment and that energy was evident on the Show Floor this year

Unregistered HVAC practitioners still a threat to industry – Saracca

By: Cameron Mackay 22nd February 2019 Despite improvement in the number of people who are obtaining training and qualifications to become registered refrigeration gas practitioners, the number of air conditioner installers without an authorised refrigeration gas practitioner registration licence, or with a fraudulent certification,... →

Photo by Hot Mustard
VITAL QUALIFICATIONS There are many employment opportunities for those trained and certified practitioners who are compliant

Hostile construction environment to persist until infrastructure spend recovers

By: Nadine James 15th February 2019 Construction is a depressing place to be at the moment, says Hogan Lovells partner and construction head Clive Rumsey, citing the lack of large infrastructure projects, deriving from lacklustre economic growth and a backlog in tender adjudication, as some of the reasons why the sector is... →

Green solution used for retaining walls

By: Halima Frost 15th February 2019 Geotextiles manufacturer Fibertex SA is working on a project that entails the supply of more than 12 000 geosynthetic sand container (GSC) bags that are being used as a green wall solution rather than using conventional retaining blocks. The GSC bags – being supplied to a project in Salt Rock, on... →

RETAINING THE GREENERY A green-wall solution was found to make retaining walls more aesthetically pleasing

DST to showcase benefits of using STI in designing future human settlements

By: Simone Liedtke 8th February 2019 With a surplus of drivers for the adoption of alternative and innovative technologies in the built environment, particularly in the human settlements sector, the effective application of science, technology and innovation (STI) can be a transformative instrument in addressing South Africa’s most... →

What needs to be done to make SA’s buildings fire safe

By: Natasha Odendaal 8th February 2019 In the wake of a deadly fire at the Bank of Lisbon building, in Johannesburg last year, along with a spate of fires at other buildings, questions have been raised about the safety and compliance of South Africa’s high-rise buildings. In September, a fire broke out on the 23rd floor of the... →

KfW, IDC sign $80m loan facility for green economy development

By: Simone Liedtke 31st January 2019 German development bank KfW and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) on Thursday signed a “milestone agreement” for an $80-million loan facility. KfW executive board member Dr Stefan Peiß and newly appointed IDC CEO TP Nchocho were in attendance to sign the document on... →

KfW executive board member Dr Stephan Peiß and IDC CFO Nonkululeko Dlamini

Off-grid rural home concept launched in Rwanda

By: Schalk Burger 14th December 2018 UK-based solar-power venture company Bboxx has launched its 2020 solar-powered off-grid home concept in Rwanda. The Bboxx Tomorrow’s Rural Home has a 50 W photovoltaic panel mounted on the roof and can be bought on a three-year payment plan. The home was created by Bboxx and partners using smart... →

MODERN RURAL HOME The Bboxx rural home is designed to bring the on-grid experience in an off-grid location

Pollutec covers full spectrum of environmental industry

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 3rd December 2018 Environmental trade show Pollutec concluded a successful fortieth anniversary, in Lyon, France, last week. This year’s event saw an increase in the number of international exhibitors and also hosted three new pavilions – Korea, Hungary and Italy. →

Photo by Tasneem Bulbulia
Display depicting ocean pollution

South African company shares innovation at Pollutec

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 29th November 2018 Be Green Engineering manager Jean-Fabrice Vandomel represented South Africa at environmental trade show Pollutec, being held in Lyon, France, this week. Be Green Engineering is a multidisciplinary green building engineering consultancy, with a specific focus on sustainable development. →

UCT growing bricks of any shape from urine

By: Schalk Burger 23rd November 2018 The University of Cape Town (UCT) Civil Engineering Department has developed a process to grow bricks that can be any shape using sand, bacteria and human urine. The bricks are made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) – the same substance as limestone, coral reefs, egg- and seashells – and sand cemented... →

GROWING BRICKS Sand, bacteria, fertiliser and urine produce calcium carbonate bricks in any shape

Redefine distributable income rises above R5bn mark for FY18

By: Marleny Arnoldi 5th November 2018 JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Redefine Properties reported year-on-year distribution growth of 5.5% for the financial year to August 31, with full-year distribution of 97.1c apiece, compared with 92c apiece in the prior year. The board declared a gross dividend of 49.8c apiece... →

Richard’s Bay IDZ gate wins AfriSam-SAIA sustainable architecture award

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th October 2018 The Richard’s Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) entrance gate in KwaZulu-Natal has won a seminal sustainable design award, in the sustainable architecture category, at the biennial AfriSam-South African Institute of Architects (AfriSam-SAIA) Awards for Sustainable Architecture and... →

Richard's Bay Industrial Development Zone Gate

Legaro’s 78 Corlett drive building achieves highest green star rating

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th October 2018 Lifestyle and commercial property developer Legaro has been given an award for developing South Africa’s highest-rated green building, 78 Corlett drive, in Melrose North. The award was presented at the Green Building Council of South Africa’s (GBCSA’s) eleventh Green Building Convention gala... →

South Africa prepares for an electrified future

By: Paige Müller 26th October 2018 Amid the conclusion of this year’s Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC), founder and director Winstone Jordaan tells Engineering News that South Africa is poised to adopt electrified transport. “Without any doubt in my mind, we are heading for an electric future. This means we must find better, cleaner... →

INSPIRING STUDENTS The Sasol Solar Challenge aims to inspire students to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects

Pollutec 2018 shines the spotlight on Burkina Faso

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd October 2018 Pollutec 2018, which will mark the fortieth anniversary of this international environmental trade show, is set to cover 14 key industry sectors, and focus keenly on Africa – notably Burkina Faso – as well as other key regions, such as South America and South-East Asia. Pollutec has featured an... →

Mall of Africa to debut world first in integrated solar system

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 27th September 2018 Mall of Africa is set to unveil a world first in integrated renewable energy systems, with the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system of its kind in the southern hemisphere and tenth worldwide. The 4 755 kW installation covers most of the available mall roof space, an area of about 45 000... →

Mall of Africa's rooftop solar photovoltaic system

Three UCT lecturers participate in international Solar Decathlon competition

By: Simone Liedtke 26th September 2018 Thee lecturers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are part of Team Mahali, the only team representing sub-Saharan Africa in the international Solar Decathlon competition, which will be held in Morocco next year. The Solar Decathlon is an international competition to design and build a fully... →

Abland to develop combined-use Menlyn Maine Towers

By: Schalk Burger 19th September 2018 Property developer Abland will develop a combined motor dealership and premium office space, called Menlyn Maine Towers, in Pretoria, and aims to achieve a 4-star green rating accreditation with the Green Building Council of South Africa. The development for the Barloworld Toyota Menlyn... →

Distressed SA market to be offset by UK acquisitions, says WBHO

By: Irma Venter 4th September 2018 A South African construction company that still makes a profit is a rare sight these days, yet Wilson Bailey Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) this financial year yet again managed to buck the depressing trend of failing domestic construction companies, owing largely to gains made in geographies outside South... →

Louwtjie Nel

Wave of innovation for infrastructure development

By: Donald Makhafola 17th August 2018 With business spend in Africa predicted to grow from $2.6-trillion in 2015 to $3.5-trillion by 2025, wholly black-owned construction group Concor Construction believes that this trend will redefine urban areas and cities, triggering the need for rapid infrastructure development and services.... →

COLLABORATION Concor Construction wants to work with governments and municipalities to meet their mandates for infrastructure delivery

Study says gender a challenge for female entrepreneurs in construction

By: Irma Venter 7th August 2018 Women in the construction and related industries not only face discrimination while working for existing firms, but also when starting their own businesses, says Mercantile Bank. A recent study conducted on behalf of the institution found that 67% of female business owners surveyed in the... →

Group Five granted immunity from competition authorities for 15 construction projects

By: Simone Liedtke 6th August 2018 The Competition Tribunal has approved a settlement agreement in terms of which construction company Group Five will receive immunity for cooperating with the Competition Commission’s investigation into the construction industry and disclosing its participation in 15 construction projects as a... →

UK-born idea could improve ventilation, cooling in African city buildings

By: Marleny Arnoldi 27th July 2018 An idea to retrofit existing buildings in African cities with three-dimensional (3D) printed porous insulation panels to improve liveability and reduce energy consumption for cooling and ventilation has been named the African winner of the Cities for our Future competition run by the Royal... →

Artist's impression of a resilient urban community

Growthpoint, Cintocare break ground on R450m Pretoria head, neck hospital

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd July 2018 Real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties and private company Cintocare on Monday broke ground on the R450-million development of an 11 000 m2 special surgical head and neck hospital, in Pretoria, which will be the first green-certified hospital in Africa. The companies are creating a... →

Growthpoint has started with earthworks for the head and neck surgical hospital in Pretoria

Hot dip galvanising offers significant cost savings, extends service life

6th July 2018 Steel is an ecofriendly construction material as it is durable and renewable, however, there is a need to extend the service life of the steel, which hot dip galvanising is well suited for, says Hot Dip Galvanizers Association Southern Africa (HDGASA). Hot dip galvanizing offers benefits... →

Steel a sustainable choice for building addition

6th July 2018 Knysna-based light steel frame (LSF) construction company Rancor has completed the addition of a 570 m2 second floor to the Kaap Agri building in Paarl, Western Cape. The requirements for the new structure were clear; it had to be cost-effective, comply with building regulations, be acoustically... →

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING Rancor has completed the addition of the second floor to the Kaap Agri building in Paarl

Products facilitate cleaner, safer environments

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 6th July 2018 With dust legislation encouraging awareness of dust repercussions, chemical solutions provider Chryso Southern Africa (Chryso) and its subsidiary a.b.e are providing a range of dust suppression technologies to help reduce the effects of dust, Chryso CEO Norman Seymore tells Engineering News. “We... →

EAT MY DUST Chryso’s Eco Dust range comprises liquid products for dust suppression to seal dirt roads

Energy efficiency a priority in air conditioning

6th July 2018 Multinational electronics conglomerate Samsung has designed an energy efficient air conditioning system with the aim of helping to alleviate the pressure placed on South Africa’s strained natural resources. Since the recording of global temperatures began in 1951, the 17 warmest years were within... →

GLOBAL TEMPERATURES INCREASE Samsung reports that the 17 warmest years in recorded history were within the past 18 years

Environment-friendly design for art gallery

By: Schalk Burger 6th July 2018 The Norval Foundation art gallery, established by the Norval family and which opened in Steenberg, in Cape Town, in April, hosts works by a range of South African artists and has architectural and civil engineering features aimed at promoting environment-friendliness and sustainability, the... →

Photo by Dave Southwood
NORVAL FOUNDATION ART GALLERY The gallery has rooftop solar photovoltaic panels, a building management system, water-saving measures, a grey-water purification system and stormwater return to the wetland

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