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sustainable construction world
Brian Wilkinson, CEO of GBCSA.
Nick Gorrie from Agama.
Head of Western Cape Department
of Transport and Public Works,
Jacqui Gooch.
initiative, launched on World Environment Day 2012.
Gooch explains 110% green calls for a paradigm shift
to connect environmental preservation and economic
growth. She adds it aims to be a catalyst to build a
critical mass of activity that puts the Western Cape well
on the road to becoming Africa’s Green Economic Hub.
“The Department of Transport and Public Works is
110% committed to ensure the properties we build are
in line with the 110% Green Initiative. We aim to provide
a platform that stimulates people and organisations to
build an innovative and dynamic green economy and this
project is an example of our commitment,” says Gooch.
How it works
There are seven possible credits for the Socio-Economic
Category to recognise achievements across a priority
set of factors. They are: employment creation, economic
opportunity, skills development and training, community
benefit, empowerment, safety and health and – only
applicable to multi-unit residential projects - mixed-
income housing.
For Karl Bremer Office Block, its employment
creation targets at least 10% or more of total labour
employed during the construction to comprise of
disadvantaged people who are collectively from the
target groups of youth, women or disabled people. It will
measure this by percentage cost of the contract value.
When it comes to economic opportunity, it targets
three main impacts. The first is a minimum contract
participation goal of 5% of the total project value on
selected contracts to be undertaken by joint-venture
partners or sub-contracted to developing contractors
that are also beneficiaries of enterprise development
support from the main contractor. The second is
a minimum 30%, or 25% of contract value, of the
procurement of project-specific goods and services
during the construction phase from any SMEs or SMEs
that are either black owned or black women owned
respectively. Third, the project is targeting a minimum
of 70% of the contract value for materials, products and
services produced or generated within South Africa.
The project’s skills development target is to be
compliant with Construction Industry Development
Board Standards of Developing Skills through
Infrastructure Projects. It aims to do this by providing
different types of workplace opportunities and
mentorships for learning and skills development over the
project period, which lead to recognised qualifications.
For safety and health, the project aims to improve the
primary health of construction workers and promote
better safety practices. Besides standard construction
regulations, the project’s contractor will have to conduct
full medical screening tests and basic health aware-
ness programmes for all construction-related
employees. The Karl Bremer Office Block design team
also conducted Hazardous Identification
Risk Assessments of their designs.
As the starting point for its positive impacts, the
project’s design delivers green benefits that are good for
the environment. These include zero discharge to sewer
through a blackwater treatment plant and
re-use of treated blackwater for supply to HVAC
cooling towers. It will also have zero stormwater
discharge to municipal storm water infrastructure
through multiple Bioretention areas.
Wilkinson says, “We applaud the Karl Bremer Office
Block development team for committing the project to
the Socio-Economic Category Pilot and achieving the
first pilot project certification. Projects such as this are
set to have a hugely positive impact in South Africa.”
Wilkinson adds the GBCSA hopes to issue many
Socio-Economic Category certifications in the future.
“We are confident the Socio-Economic Category will
not only acknowledge leadership in social and economic
upliftment but also inspire more and more posi
tive socio-economic impacts and benefits in the
property sector.”
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