With green building becoming a crucial part of developing smarter and
more sustainable African cities, the Royal Institution of Chartered
Surveyors (RICS) is pleased to announce the Green Building Council of
South Africa (GBCSA) as a key participant and sponsor of RICS Summit
Africa 2018, set for Sandton this month.
The council’s association with the summit has seen an integration of
green and sustainable building content in the programme as well as the
addition of another key speaker. David Pierre-Eugene, Head of Group
Facilities at Discovery, will be a new addition to the panel on
“optimising real estate costs”. The panel will look at how improved
workplaces are creating happier, healthier and more productive
workforces, while driving cost and resource efficiencies for
employers. Pierre-Eugene joins more than 20 other local and
international speakers and panellists set to take part in discussions
at the influential 2018 summit.
RICS Summit Africa, now in its fourth year, has entrenched itself as
one of the main events on the global RICS calendar. More than 200
delegates are set to attend the two-day event, which is also sponsored
by Broll Property Group, Cushman & Wakefield Excellerate and Colliers
International. The annual event, which this year takes place on 30-31
May in Sandton Central, Johannesburg, brings together leading speakers
and professionals in the built environment sphere from business,
government, academia and the NGO sector.
Commenting on the GBCSA’s support of this year’s event, TC Chetty,
RICS’ South Africa country manager, said: “As the preeminent green
building organisation in Africa, the GBCSA was established over a
decade ago and has pioneered the green building movement in South
Africa and on the continent. It’s great to have secured the GBCSA as
participants and sponsors of RICS Summit Africa 2018, especially
considering the theme of this year’s event being around sustainability
and smart urbanisation.”
He added: “Besides its significant contribution to green building and
sustainability in the property and built environment sector in South
Africa, the GBCSA has also played an important role in supporting the
establishment of green building organisations in other African
countries. We have several sustainability experts already on the
line-up to speak at the summit. However, the participation of the
GBCSA is noteworthy considering its role in driving green building in
both the private and public sectors, which ultimately contributes to
environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation.”
GBCSA chief executive, Dorah Modise, said the council was excited
about its association with RICS and proud to be supporting the RICS
Summit Africa this year, to up the ante around green building and
urban sustainability across Africa. Modise views sustainability in the
built environment sector as a joint initiative, and said that it is
through collaboration with industry bodies such as RICS that much
bigger strides will be made.
“We have had a head start in South Africa with the GBCSA having been
launched in 2007. Today, more than 360 new and existing buildings have
been rated by the GBCSA with the Green Star SA, Energy and Water
Performance Tool as well as EDGE for residential buildings
accreditation. This could not have been achieved without the support
of the commercial property and broader built environment sector, as
these green buildings have made a significant contribution to reducing
our carbon footprint, enhancing wellbeing and productivity for those
who live, work and play in them. However, we have a long way still to
go towards entrenching green building across the African continent.
Collaboration is crucial to this,” she said.
Modise added: “The GBCSA currently chairs the Africa Regional Network
of the World Green Building Council, and through this network we share
lessons learnt in the establishment and running of Green Building
organisations. To date, we have seen differing but great progress in
Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Sudan, Namibian, Botswana,
and Zimbabwe etc… Different countries within the continent, use
different certification tools, but the rate of green building
certification is increasing exponentially.”
As part of RICS Summit Africa, this year’s event will again include a
Technical Tour and an opening Gala Dinner, which takes place on 30
May. The power packed full-day conference takes place the following
day at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton Central. The Technical Tour is
sponsored by JSE-listed, Attacq Limited, while the International
Facilities Management Association is also a supporter of RICS Summit
Africa again this year.
The Technical Tour will see delegates visit Attacq’s Waterfall
precinct, a signature mixed-use mega property development that is
fast-becoming the centre of Gauteng’s commercial and logistics
industries. Waterfall is setting new standards in real estate. The
Technical Tour will allow participants to enjoy an introduction to the
benchmark architecture and sophisticated space and operational
efficiencies of several buildings in the precinct, including Waterfall
Corporate Campus; PwC’s new head office at Waterfall City; Deloitte’s
new head office currently under constuction; Cummins buildings;
Waterfall Park; and, a residential estate under construction. The tour
culminates with refreshments and conversation with the RICS &
Waterfall teams.
London-based RICS is a globally-recognised professional organisation
that marks its milestone 150th Anniversary this year. RICS promotes
and enforces the highest qualifications and standards in the areas of
land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. As a public
benefit organisation, RICS operates in all the world’s major financial
hubs in delivering international standards and policy influence.
Chetty concludes: “RICS is committed to Africa. We will continue to
collaborate with property institutions, businesses and associations
across Africa, working together to accelerate the professionalism of
the land, construction and property sectors on the continent. In line
with this, we are glad about our association with the GBCSA and
working together to drive green building and urban sustainability in
Africa – a continent with a burgeoning economy and rapid
urbanisation.”
