Green design development continues to grow {writer: Shaun Meyer}

With South Africa hosting the 17th Conference of the Parties to (COP 17) the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban at the end of November and early December, the country’s performance on the climate – or “green” – front in all sectors has come under close scrutiny recently. The building design and construction industry has been no exception in this regard.

The following questions can be posed: How well has South Africa done in terms of developments on this front? What plans are in place to be energy-efficient – from the interior to the exterior of building developments? What green building initiatives and regulations are in place, and how will these assist in mitigating the effects of, and adapting to, climate change?

What is a green building?

A green building can be described as one that is energy- and resource-efficient as well as environmentally responsible. It incorporates design-, construction- and operational practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of the development on its occupants and the environment.

Promoting and facilitating developments in South Africa toward these goals is the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) – an independent, non-profit organisation that was formed in 2007 by leaders from all sectors of the commercial property industry.

The organisation is a full member of the World Green Building Council, and aims to ensure buildings are built and operated in an environmentally sustainable way to set an example for all South Africans.

In September 2011 alone, the GBCSA certified three new green buildings in South Africa under its Green Star SA rating system; and is launching an exciting new green building model development in Cape Town.

Cape Town’s green office tower

The Mother City’s skyline will be changed soon, with another new green development set to appear in the central business district.

The new Portside Building is a four green-star rated skyscraper being built as a joint initiative between FirstRand Limited and Old Mutual.

The plans were designed jointly by DHK and Louis Karol Architecture, and is exceptionally well positioned to take advantage of Cape Town’s famous views.

The project will have office- as well as banking- and retail space.

Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said “the building will also complement our government’s Cape Town central regeneration programme, which aims to transform the central city into a thriving centre of productivity, connectivity, innovation, social cohesion and environmental sustainability.”

All stakeholders agreed that environmental sustainability was vital in the present-day design approach, said Stephen Claassen, provincial head of First National Bank.

“We intend making Portside a benchmark of environmental sustainability in terms of both construction and building management processes, and have worked closely with the architects to ensure that it serves to raise the standards of green design,” he added.

The building features indoor environmental quality, a reduction of energy use and water consumption, minimisation of waste production as well as negative carbon emissions associated with tall buildings.

Working together

The GBCSA is urging local industry, business and the government to work together to embrace greening the built environment to help stem the impact of climate change.

The council will be taking advantage of South Africa’s hosting of the COP 17 from 28 November to 9 December to increase awareness about these issues, and it will have a visual and active presence at the climate change talks.

Available initiatives

According to an article in a recent issue of South African Real Estate Investor, there are a broad range of energy-saving interventions that can be implemented, also with existing buildings. These incorporate structural, mechanical and electrical savings of up to 25% or more, but generally seek to achieve on average about 11%; as well as human or managerial interventions such as behavioural changes, which can effect savings of up to 5%.

Examples of green building initiatives include:

• Motion detection to lighting and high-efficient light fittings;

• Energy-efficient lifts with destination control;

• Solar-heated water;

• Grey water recycling from basins and showers;

• Rainwater harvesting; and

• Dual-flush toilets.

New regulations in place from 2010

New energy-efficiency regulations have been in place since 2010. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, all new buildings in South Africa have to be built with new energy regulations.

The department’s minister Rob Davies stated that amendments to the energy-efficiency regulations make it compulsory for new buildings to be designed and built to meet a standard that will minimise the energy they use.

The regulations will coincide with the National Energy Efficiency Strategy that was identified in the Industrial Policy Action Plan laid out to strengthen and improve South African standards and regulations for energy efficiency.

If the business is an owner-occupier of an entire building, then energy-saving measures can be implemented easily. If the business is a tenant, then in cases where the tenant occupies the entire building, the business owner is in a better position to determine and manage the usage patterns and consumptions of the business operations within the building than if the tenant only occupies a portion of the building.

The tenant can either retrofit the premises to improve on or comply with minimum savings criteria set out by supply authorities, or insist – as part of the lease negotiation – that the landlord implement these savings prior to occupation. Either way, anything is possible, as more and more national and international tenants are insisting on energy-efficient or green buildings to meet international carbon footprint or emissions targets set out according to global standards – or individual corporate strategies.

Tenants occupying partial or limited spaces in buildings have fewer opportunities to make changes or impact on usage or consumptions in general. While such interventions are usually initiated and implemented by the landlord on their behalf, tenants can make improvements to their installations during the initial tenant fit-out process.

Due to rolling blackouts experienced in recent years, some landlords have invested in backup generators in order to provide power, or limited installations and systems within the building during power outages.

In practice, the running power supply of generators is very costly to the users, and negotiations with landlords and tenants are required to determine the extent to which these generators need to supply power.

If in many instances tenants cannot afford downtime, or the nature of their business requires security of power supply for various purposes, then these requirements must be met either by the landlord’s generator supply or by installing an additional generator linked directly to the tenant’s premises and systems. The latter would then be a direct cost to the tenant for installation, operation and maintenance.

Green building development is a team effort that requires everyone to be on the same page.

The net extra cost is relative to the base build cost. The bigger the building’s gross lettable area, the lower the green cost per square metre. Experience shows that a cost premium between 2% to 6% above base build development cost is to be expected.

The belief is that with increasing energy cost, non-green buildings are becoming functionally obsolete.

Energy-efficient building solutions workshop

With electricity prices on the rise in South Africa, consumers are looking for innovative ways to reduce their electricity usage.

Last year, the Energy Efficient Building Solutions Workshop explored opportunities to reduce electricity usage in large building complexes.
It featured an address by United States ambassador to South Africa Donald H. Gips, as well as information on the latest trends, technologies and financing solutions for reducing electricity usage and costs.

“Buildings are among the world’s largest energy consumers and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions,” said the ambassador. “By adopting technologies and processes to increase energy efficiency in large building complexes, South Africa can increase its electricity reserve margin and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, while saving money at the same time.”

Although energy-savings performance contracts have been the standard model for energy-efficiency projects in the US for the last two decades, the concept is relatively new in South Africa.

“The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is committed to helping South Africa meet its goals for increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, “said Jason Nagy, USTDA’s Africa business development manager for the sub-Saharan Africa region, who also spoke at the workshop.

“From supporting demand-side management programmes to encouraging the development of renewable energy projects, USTDA has been and will continue to be a partner in South Africa’s economic development.”

What is happening around the world?

With rising electricity tariffs, there is increasing pressure globally to reduce carbon emissions and conserve energy, resulting in increased interest among businesses regarding practical ways to implement energy-saving measures in commercial buildings.

As world populations grow, for countries such as China – which depends heavily on the built environment for housing – green design building will become even more important for environment sustainability.

But adapting to climate is nothing new. Mediterranean communities use shutters against temperature increases during the day, and Native Americans used thick-walled adobe structures in harsh desert environments.

A great breakthrough internationally is the national building code standards being considered in countries such as Hong Kong, Australia, and others in the European Union, which essentially are building energy codes for both commercial and residential buildings.

But, of course, greater awareness by the general public only makes the movement for green developments stronger. Our understanding of the environmental impact of urbanisation and industrialisation has increased – everything we do now will help bring about a cleaner future environment.