With the spotlight on Sandton being the epicentre for green buildings, this year’s Green Building Convention will move from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
The Sandton Convention Centre has been chosen to host the annual convention for the first time from 26 to 29 July, and City Improvement district manager of the Sandton Central Management District, Elaine Jack, said Sandton is a fitting choice for the event.
Jack said the venue is the perfect choice as Sandton has the largest number of standing and under construction green buildings in Africa – many of which are ground-breaking sustainable developments.
She said, “Ever since it was launched eight years ago, [the event] has been hosted in Cape Town, and this year, for the first time, the convention will be hosted in Sandton. It is South Africa’s flagship green building and sustainability event, and will put the spotlight on Sandton as a major centre of green building activity in Africa.”
The Sandton node hosts the largest collection of green-rated buildings in Africa, with more than 20 projects certified by the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) and includes the landmark Nedbank head office on the corner of Rivonia Road and Maude Street in the Sandton CBD.
The Nedbank office hosts some impressive green innovations including a rainwater harvesting system and blackwater treatment system, an energy-efficient lighting system as well as highly efficient water fixtures and fittings. The rainwater harvesting and blackwater treatment systems provide recycled water for all non-potable water uses such as irrigation, toilet flushing and for cooling towers; while water-efficient plumbing reduces outflows to the sewerage system by 50 percent.
The Sandton CBD will welcome a plethora of new green buildings, with Jack adding, “The new Discovery and Sasol head office buildings are two of the largest green building developments in Africa. They are going to be cutting-edge marvels of green building and sustainability when they are complete.
“Sustainable public transport and eco-mobility form a crucial part of Sandton’s future as a major hub. New and even existing buildings in Sandton that are targeting a green building certification can benefit from the Gautrain and other eco-mobility projects, such as the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System in the future in terms of the sustainable public transport element of the GBCSA’s Green Star Certification Scheme.”
Details: 011 609 1237.
