The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) has awarded a 4-star Green Star Sustainable Precincts certification – the first in Africa – to a project that will be built by historic Cape Town development company, Garden Cities NPC (RF), as a further phase of its flagship Cape West Coast suburb, Sunningdale.
John Matthews, Group CEO of the company, which celebrates its Centenary this year, has welcomed the award as a fitting acknowledgement of Garden Cities’ leading role in the green building movement. Commenting on the 46.3 out of a targeted 48.3-point score achieved for the project, he said it reflected the company’s efforts to meet the highest possible levels of sustainability, standards and quality of life for residents of its suburbs.
The certification was awarded to the planned Northridge Coastal Village (Sunningdale Phase 13A) after assessment of the project design documentation by the GBCSA, applying key criteria contained in the Green Building Council’s Green Star – Sustainable Precincts tool that evaluates large scale development projects at a precinct or neighbourhood level. Unlike the other Green Star tools, the emphasis is on the site-wide, rather than building-specific issues. The tool rates the planning, design and construction of a precinct only and it does not rate specific buildings or assess its operation.
Manfred Braune, Green Building Council South Africa’s Managing Executive for Sector Development & Transformation said it was the GBCSA’s objective to inspire growth and innovation in the property sector through initiatives that demonstrate South Africa’s ability to effectively place environmental issues at the heart of design, building and operation to achieve better, greener buildings, and now precincts and neighbourhoods.
Founder of Terramanzi Group, Fabio Venturi and teammate Claire Holton, the sustainable design consultants tasked with this ground-breaking certification, said they felt a massive sense of relief and achievement following a rigorous certification process in which their work was vetted by both the Green Building Council South Africa with support from the Green Building Council of Australia who developed the original rating tool. Venturi attributes the remarkable achievement to dedicated teamwork and collaboration. He said the process had been driven by a talented professional team partnered by a passionate client, whose commitment to sustainability helped the design reach its full potential in line with global sustainable design
For More, Visit the Green Building Council’s website or click here
