From 2010, when Nedbank completed its headquarters on the corner of Rivonia Road and Maude Street to become the country’s first Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) Green Star-certified building, Sandton Central has remained on the cutting edge of green building practices on the African continent.

Spiralling electricity costs and the escalating energy crisis have fuelled a fast-growing trend towards energy-efficiency and green building principles during the past decade, but ecological awareness could prove a costly exercise for Cape home-owners who fail to comply with new regulations.

Time is running out to reform the buildings and construction sector’s energy performance and keep the Paris Agreement on track, with the energy intensity per square metre of buildings needing to improve 30 per cent by 2030, according to new research released in Paris on Monday.

Virgin Active Collection Menlyn Maine has been awarded a 4-star Green Star SA rating for interiors.

SA Real Estate Investment Trust, Emira Property Fund, has committed to sustainable development through greening their portfolio with the Green Building Council of South Africa.

Public Works Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko on Monday called on the construction industry to embrace innovative technologies that have superior energy efficiency performance compared to conventional materials.

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI) recently released the IPD South Africa Annual Green Property Index.

The payback period on commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has decreased substantially and many companies can now expect solar panel installations to pay for themselves within five years or less. 

The traditional 8-hour workday is an outdated, ineffective approach to work that actually diminishes productivity. 

Despite rapid globalisation with investment funds flowing across borders and money pouring into constructed assets, the construction profession has until now, lacked a common language and framework for classifying and reporting construction costs.