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BUILDING GREEN
There are many important aspects which all of us should become familiar with, related to building green
buildings, how it can help us in our attempt to protect the environment
and improving the quality of life for us and our children.
Portions of "Green Buildings" is already part of our life's as SANS 10400XA puts
emphasis on "Energy Efficiency in Buildings". Slowly we are moving in the
direction.
A building qualifies as ‘green’ when it is designed to make
efficient use of resources such as energy, water and materials. Its impact on
human health and the environment during the life cycle of the building is also
taken into account. This is addressed through better design, construction,
operation and selecting the correct building material
GREEN BUILDING RATING
SYSTEM
Certification is awarded for 4-Star, 5-Star or 6-Star Green Star SA rating.
To achieve certification, building owners needs to submit documentation to the Green Building Council of
South Africa, whom will employ independent assessors to assess the submission and score the building accordingly.
 Efficient Building Materials
Building materials typically considered to be 'green' include lumber from forests that have been certified to a
third-party forest standard, rapidly renewable plant materials like bamboo and straw, dimension stone, recycled stone,
recycled metal (see: copper sustainability and recyclability), and other products that are non-toxic, reusable, renewable,
and/or recyclable (e.g., Trass, Linoleum, sheep wool, panels made from paper flakes, compressed earth block, adobe,
baked earth, rammed earth, clay, vermiculite, flax linen, sisal, seagrass, cork, expanded clay grains, coconut,
wood fibre plates, calcium sand stone, concrete (high and ultra high performance, roman self-healing concrete), etc.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also suggests using recycled industrial goods, such as coal combustion products,
foundry sand, and demolition debris in construction projects
Building materials should be extracted and manufactured
locally to the building site to minimize the energy embedded in their transportation. Where possible, building elements
should be manufactured off-site and delivered to site, to maximise benefits of off-site manufacture including minimising waste,
maximising recycling (because manufacture is in one location), high quality elements, better OHS management, less noise.
Corporate Companies whom used and utilize our skills
SAAB GRINTEK Technologies
WEBB Industries/ Jasco
SAQA: South African Quality Authority
Saving Green ( Pty ) Ltd
CHEMC Environmental (EIA's)
SMMT online
Transtate Group (PTY) LTD
RAVEN Town Planners
Guy Balderson Planners
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