Construction World May 2016

COMMENT

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When it comes to sustainable construction, Sandton is featuring high on the agenda of green building: it is the venue for the 2016 Green Building Convention (26 to 29 July) while the broader Sandton node is the epicentre for green building in Africa.

EDITOR Wilhelm du Plessis constr@crown.co.za ADVERTISING MANAGER Erna Oosthuizen ernao@crown.co.za LAYOUT & DESIGN Lesley Testa CIRCULATION Karen Smith This year’s theme is ‘Build a better world NOW’. The function of the theme is to stimulate awareness, ambition and action to design, build and operate environmentally friendly buildings. This year’s keynote addresses range from Dr Ian McCallum who has authored Ecological Intelligence to John Elking who is regarded as an ‘advisor from the future’ and who will illus- trate the concepts of people, planet and profit to Paul Clements-Hunt who is an authority on clean capitalism, value-based infrastructure and sustainability. The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) has announced that its ninth Green Building Convention will take place in Sandton. Over the past eight years, this has been the coun- try’s flagship green building and sustainability event – it will now take place in the heart of the country’s highest concentration of green building developments. Brian Wilkinson, CEO of GBCSA, says that research has shown that South Africa has the largest percentage of green building projects underway in the world (with the largest concen- tration being in Gauteng) and it is this demand that has influenced the GBCSA’s decision to host the convention in Sandton.

Perfect venue Sandton is an epicentre for green building in Africa. It is home to an extensive list of completed or soon to be completed green buildings. The Sandton node has the largest collection of green rated buildings of any CBD in Africa, with more than 20 certified projects by the GBCSA. The first ever Green Star SA rated building in the country to be officially certified by the GBCSA back in 2009 was Nedbank Phase II – in Sandton. Several ground-breaking green office build- ings are under construction in Sandton Central. This includes the new Discovery head-office, Sasol’s new global headquarters and Alice Lane Phase III. The Gautrain and other eco-mobility proj- ects, like the Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit System play a crucial role – green building projects are undertaken in close proximity to these.

At its Annual General Meeting on 30 March 2016, Hanlie Turner was inaugurated as the Concrete Society’s new National President for 2016/2017. Turner, who is a technical information specialist with cement company PPC, has been a member of the Concrete Society for many years and has held several voluntary positions in the organisation including chairperson of the inland branch andmore recently as national vice-president.

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Wilhelm du Plessis Editor

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD MAY 2016