GREEN BUILDING I
AFRI
Green building is gaining rapid momentum in Africa with office buildings in
Rwanda and Namibia both receiving 6-Star Green Star ratings, certified by the
Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA).
I
n Kigali, Rwanda, the Nobelia Office Tower has achieved the very first Green Star
rating in the country – a 6-Star Green Star SA-Rwanda - Office v1 Design rating
for shell and core. While in Windhoek, Namibia, Emcon Consulting Group’s offices
received a 6-Star Green Star SA-Namibia - Existing Building Performance Tool v1
rating, becoming the second Green Star certified building in the country, and the
first to attain a 6-Star rating.
Commenting on these landmark ratings, Brian Wilkinson, CEO of GBCSA, says: “The
pace of green building in Africa is accelerating, not only in South Africa but across
the continent. Green building is a growing global movement, but its implementation
varies widely by country and region, including the rate of growth in green involvement,
triggers and obstacles impacting that growth and even the degree of benefits noted.”
He adds: “Africa has already made great strides in green building, and these are only its
first steps in the significant green building journey of a continent bearing the brunt of the
negative effects of climate change.”
The GBCSA’s own story shows the
tremendous impetus gained by South
Africa’s green building movement
and paints an exciting picture of a
greener built environment in Africa’s
future.
Nobelia Office Tower, Rwanda
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africandesignmagazine.com
Founded in 2007, GBCSA certified
just one green building project in
its first year of operation. In April
2014, it celebrated a milestone of 50
certified projects and, only one year
later, that figure had doubled. To date,
it has awarded 161 Green Star SA
certifications, and the World Green
Building Trends 2016: Developing
Markets Accelerate Global Green
Growth - SmartMarket Report’
predicts that South Africa could
become a leader in the green building
sector in the next three years.