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Green Building News

Afrimat Construction Index tanks in Q2, but predicts ‘strong performance’ ahead

By: Irma Venter 10th September 2020 The second-quarter (Q2) Afrimat Construction Index (ACI) has dropped sharply on the back of the national lockdown regulations imposed between April and June to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. JSE-listed openpit miner Afrimat produces industrial minerals, bulk commodities and construction materials. →

SANEDI continues roll-out of cool roofs solution

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 7th September 2020 While South Africa’s energy supply continues to fall short, government organisation the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) says it looks forward to continuing its roll out of an energy efficient cooling solution – known as ‘cool roofs’. Cool roofing involves the coating... →

FNB cuts the carbon footprint of its branches by 50% over five years

By: Donna Slater 1st September 2020 After the adoption of carbon-cutting measures to drive energy efficiency across a network of more than 600 branches in South Africa, financial services provider First National Bank (FNB) FNB has reduced the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint in its branches by nearly 50% over a period of five years.... →

Architecture firm presents equal opportunities

28th August 2020 Architecture firm Paragon Group is perhaps “unique in the industry” for employing an equal number of men and women, with the latter ranging from student architects to senior management. “I love the fact we have so many talented, audacious women in our company in different stages of their... →

Certified green offices held value in tough rental market, property index suggests

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 19th August 2020 The MSCI South Africa Green Annual Property Index shows that, for the year ended December 31, 2019, the green-certified office sample delivered a return of 7.6% versus the 5.1% of the noncertified sample. Now in its fourth year, the index provides an independent and consistent comparative return... →

PPP legislation being reviewed to ‘make it more workable’, says De Lille

By: Irma Venter 18th August 2020 South Africa’s public-private partnership (PPP) legislation is undergoing a review, says Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille. “I can confirm that there is a review at the moment.” →

Patricia de Lille

Steel awards go virtual

By: Darren Parker 14th August 2020 The South African Institute for Steel Construction’s (SAISC’s) yearly Steel Awards will be judged and hosted virtually through a dedicated application (app) this year. This comes on the back of efforts to mitigate restrictions on social gatherings and take advantage of the digital marketing... →

VIRTUOSITY ASSESSED Small teams of judges attend sites physically, observing Covid-19 health and safety protocols, while others attend site visits virtually

Steely resolve, innovation continue despite lockdown

By: Darren Parker 31st July 2020 Although production came to a halt over the past two months, light-steel-frame building materials supplier Etex South Africa – formerly known as Marley Building Systems – continued planning and innovating throughout the Covid-19 lockdown so that it would be well positioned to take advantage of... →

MULTIPLE USES Light-steel-frame buildings can be repurposed, modified or moved to a new location with relative ease

Hempcrete advantageous for construction

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 31st July 2020 Hempcrete provides several advantages when used for the construction of a building, says Cape Town-based architecture firm Wolf and Wolf Architecture founder and principal Wolf Wolf. Hempcrete is a fully biodegradable material that comprises hemp hurds – the woody core removed during processing... →

Photo by Wolf
SUPERIOR BENEFITS Hemp boasts several characteristics that make it superior from an ecological and economic perspective

Covid-19 forces changes to standard construction contracts, says MDA

By: Irma Venter 28th July 2020 Specialists in construction law MDA Attorneys say disruptions to business and operations owing to Covid-19 are no longer unanticipated, which means that all new contract negotiations have to take the possibility of this happening into account. “Initially, force majeure notices were being issued... →

Barry Herholdt

Reid Lifestyle Centre targeting a net-zero certification

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th July 2020 In May, the Reid Lifestyle Centre, developed by Balwin Properties, achieved a six-star Green Star Public & Education Building certification. Part of an upmarket lifestyle estate situated close to the Marlboro Gautrain station, the building is also targeting a Net-zero Carbon Level 2 rating. →

MBA North welcomes infrastructure strategy, but warns implementation is key

By: Irma Venter 10th July 2020 The Master Builders Association (MBA) North has broadly welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s vision of infrastructure spending as the flywheel of South Africa’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. Speaking at the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa, held on... →

South Africa its own biggest enemy in infrastructure roll-out

By: Irma Venter 10th July 2020 South Africa keeps on tripping itself up when it comes to infrastructure project development and implementation, says New Development Bank (NDB) Africa regional office director-general Monale Ratsoma. The NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the Brics States, namely Brazil,... →

Interface increases recycled content in its flooring products

By: Donna Slater 3rd July 2020 Modular flooring producer Interface will, going forward, produce its luxury vinyl tile (LVT) products with an exceptionally high (39%) content of recycled material, without compromising any quality. According to the company, this achievement represents a “breakthrough” in sustainable flooring,... →

Growthpoint achieves green building first with development of Serra facility

By: Donna Slater 2nd July 2020 Property investment company Growthpoint and washroom solutions company Serra Services have achieved the first Green Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) rating for an industrial building in Gauteng, with a 5-Star certification for a 7 400 m2 facility in Meadowbrook, Germiston. An extensive... →

MBA North welcomes infrastructure strategy, but warns that implementation is key

By: Irma Venter 25th June 2020 The Master Builders Association (MBA) North has broadly welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s vision of infrastructure spending as the flywheel of South Africa’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. Speaking at the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa held on June... →

More profiles can benefit local market

By: Darren Parker 19th June 2020 The current SANS 517 for light-steel-frame building, which is still in development, focuses only on the application of the C-channel profile, but consulting engineering firm ES Consulting Engineers and Associates structural, fire and energy consulting engineer Wessel Esterhuizen believes that it... →

NO LIGHT MATTER Light steel frame building can have more engineering challenges than meets the eye, especially when larger, more complicated projects are considered

Emergency structures present opportunity for sector

By: Darren Parker 19th June 2020 Although the Covid-19 national lockdown proved “disastrous” for the light-steel-frame building sector – as it was for the rest of the construction sector – Southern African Light Steel Frame Building Association (Sasfa) director John Barnard believes that there are opportunities for the sector.... →

SWIFT AND STURDY The speed with which light steel frame structures can be erected makes them eminently suitable for the building of emergency structures

Training course goes online

By: Darren Parker 19th June 2020 The Southern African Light Steel Frame Building Association (Sasfa) has had to adapt its five-day training course for building contractors, architects, engineers and quantity surveyors to an online presentation, owing to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions on gatherings. The online version of the... →

JOHN BARNARD Light-steel-frame building could become more popular in South Africa if more local suppliers and builders were properly trained

Building confidence at all-time low

By: Irma Venter 18th June 2020 The First National Bank (FNB)/Bureau for Economic Research (BER) Building Confidence Index has fallen to an all-time low of 4 in the second quarter of this year, following the 13 recorded in the first quarter of the year. This was underpinned by a sharp fall in activity owing to the nationwide... →

MBA North urges all stakeholders to reach force majeure consensus

By: Irma Venter 12th June 2020 As the construction industry gears up to return to work as the national Covid-19 lockdown moves to Alert Level 3, industry stakeholders need to come together to reach consensus on a number of contentious issues, says MBA North president and Gothic Construction director Wayne Albertyn. “A key... →

Company eases burden of understanding carbon tax

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 12th June 2020 Companies have shifted their focus from attempting to lower their carbon emissions to making a budget allowance to pay for these emissions, owing to their misunderstanding of carbon tax, says software developer EDS Systems business development head Eckart Zollner. The new Carbon Tax Act is said... →

ECKART ZOLLNER Carbon tax aims to assist companies in regulating their carbon emissions to keep them to a minimum

Development will create demand for office space

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 12th June 2020 Following the achievement of a 5-Star Green Star Design Certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa on the work done for the 144 Oxford Road office development in Rosebank, Gauteng, engineering, design and advisory firm Aurecon, rebranding as Zutari, believes that the building... →

Sustainable building designs on the rise

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 12th June 2020 Although it was previously widely thought to be prohibitively expensive to make the upfront capital investments to go green, uncertainty about the availability of power and water resources, as well as cost volatility, for example, is influencing a mindset change, says professional services... →

Agreement signed on overtime, UIF/TERS payment improving, says MBAWC

By: Irma Venter 9th June 2020 The reopening of the entire construction industry on June 1 under Alert Level 3, instead of the initial suggestion of a staggered approach, caught many companies by surprise, says Master Builders Association for the Western Cape (MBAWC). “Although the return to work was universally welcomed, the... →

Allen Bodill

MBA North calls on all stakeholders to reach force majeure consensus

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 As the construction industry gears up to return to work when the national Covid-19 lockdown moves to Alert Level 3, industry stakeholders need to come together to reach consensus on a number of contentious issues, says MBA North president and Gothic Construction director Wayne Albertyn. “A key... →

Construction industry operating at 10% to 15% of capacity – economist

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 Despite certain sections of the construction industry returning to work under Alert Level 4 of the national lockdown, the industry is currently working at only between 10% and 15% of its capacity, says Industry Insight senior economist David Metelerkamp. Construction on public projects, such as... →

MBA North calls for engagement around lockdown regulations

By: Irma Venter 22nd May 2020 The Master Builders Association (MBA) North is calling on government to “proactively engage” with the construction industry to firm up the lockdown regulations relating to the industry as quickly as possible. MBA North executive director Mohau Mphomela says that certainty will help the industry... →

UIF/TERS claims leading to 'enormous anger', says Master Builders’ WCape

By: Irma Venter 22nd May 2020 The Master Builders’ Association Western Cape (MBAWC) says it is “cautiously confident” that the construction industry is ready to return to work safely, and maintains that the longer the industry remains dormant, the greater the financial losses its members will need to bear. These losses... →

Integration vital for construction-project life cycle

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 There is a need for integration between the engineering design and environmental processes, before the final submission stage of a project, to avoid the possibility of environmental authorisation for construction on the preferred site being denied, says environmental consultancy Environmental... →

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS Identifying the environmentally sensitive areas on-site early during the design phase can increase the probability of a sustainable and integrated development

System gaining traction in building conversion projects

By: Mamaili Mamaila 22nd May 2020 Alternative building technology solutions provider SanteQ Liteweight Building Technology’s bespoke Plaswall building technology provides for simple and rapid installation using unsophisticated skills. →

BACK TO THE WALL SanteQ's walling systems use between 80% and 90% recycled and waste materials

Timber suitable to help address Covid-19 housing requirement

By: Donna Slater 19th May 2020 In response to government investigating alternative housing solutions for densely populated informal settlements during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sawmilling South Africa (SSA) and the Institute for Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA) have approached government with a proposal that timber be... →

Construction industry operating at 10%, 15% of capacity, says Metelerkamp

By: Irma Venter 19th May 2020 Despite certain sections of the construction industry returning to work under Alert Level 4 of the national lockdown, the industry is currently only working at between 10% and 15% of its capacity, says Industry Insight senior economist David Metelerkamp. Construction on public projects, such as... →

Entrepreneurs urged to document business development from early stage to attract investors

By: Donna Slater 14th May 2020 Entrepreneurs that have started a business or are looking to start a business, especially in the green economy, should start, as soon as possible, with documenting their business development process to ensure they have that information available for when they start looking for investors, YWaste... →

YWaste Solutions MD Emile Fourie discusses how entrepreneurs can navigate starting businesses in the green economy.

Westend Building C secures Green Stars rating

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 13th May 2020 Westend Building C, which is part of the modern Westend office development in Centurion, received its 4-Star Green Star SA Design certification from the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), just weeks before South Africa went into lockdown. With a useable area of 6 214 m2, Building C... →

Westend Building C

Local energy not managed efficiently

By: Tracy Hancock 8th May 2020 South Africa is not using its world-class renewable energy resources to drive energy efficiency, says independent conservation organisation World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) urban futures project manager Louise Scholtz. “If we were, South Africa’s Integrated Resources Plan 2019... →

TRANSFORMATIVE DEVELOPMENTS The decreasing cost of renewable-energy technologies, such as rooftop solar photovoltaic, are one of the developments transforming South Africa’s energy market

GBCSA appoints Reynolds CEO

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th May 2020 The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has appointed sustainability expert Lisa Reynolds CEO, effective June 1. Reynolds co-founded the Green Building Design Group and previously served as executive of sustainable development at Saint-Gobain and chaired the South African National... →

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