While Shell previously asserted that it would be able to recover 90% of any oil spilled as a result of its planned Arctic oil drilling, they are now claiming that it is impossible to make such claims. According to Shell spokesperson Curtis Smith: "We say in our plan we expect to 'encounter' 90 percent of any discharge on site, very close to the drilling rig. We expect to … [Read more...]
Convention centre expands into the green
The winning trio of architects selected to expand the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) were chosen for their green credentials! They are some of the country’s leading green architects involved in setting standards for winning projects - Piet Bakker of Stauch Voster Architects, Anya van der Merwe of Van der Merwe Miszewski Architects and Mokena Makeka of … [Read more...]
Crossways: SA’s first town of the future
A start has been made with construction of South Africa’s first “green” town that in time is expected to operate largely independently of the national energy grid. It will also be the first rural town fully integrated with an existing agricultural component, in this case a professionally run dairy farm, and one in which future food security has formed an important component of … [Read more...]
Launch of new Green Star tool
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has announced the launch of the Pilot Certification Programme of the 4th Green Star SA Public & Education Building PILOT Rating Tool. Funded by the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb), an agency of the Department of Public works (DPW), this latest tool enables the GBCSA to rate public and education buildings … [Read more...]
Green Star buildings on the rise
The green movement in the built environment is spreading like wildfire and in the month of September alone the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) certified three new green buildings in SA under the Green Star SA rating system. This brings the total number of Green Star SA ratings in SA to nine, with two of these having achieved both Office Design and Office As … [Read more...]
Benefits of working in a sustainable building
Imagine an office space that uses the latest eco-friendly materials and technologies to create a completely sustainable environment; a tranquil, airy workspace filled with natural sunlight and surrounded by natural foliage. My team and I are lucky enough to occupy just such a workspace - a sustainable building in Westlake Business Park, Cape Town. Known as The Green … [Read more...]
Summer ice cap still a bonus during winter
Towards the end of the hottest summer in 80 years, we told you the story of our really cool ice cap that saved us from frying in our flat roofed office. You remember this white paint we had applied to our office roof, which uses ceramic beads to reflect radiant heat from the summer sun right back into the atmosphere. This is the space age heat barrier which protects … [Read more...]
Eco House will show how to build green
Exploring and exposing environmentally-sound solutions and giving visitors the know-how to go home and make their houses more ecologically friendly is the focus of Grand Designs Live, coming to the Coca-Cola Dome from 21 to 23 May. This diverse and massive inspirational home-improvement event will live up to the brilliant reputation garnered by the BBC TV Show that spawned … [Read more...]
