Official publication of Green
Building Council South Africa
IMPACT 25
REIMAGINING
THE FUTURE
one building at a time
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6
OUR EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
8
EDITOR’S NOTE
9
COLUMN
Chair’s corner
14
GBCSA CONVENTION NEWS
An overview of the draft programme for this year’s
Green Building Convention
18
INTERIOR MOTIVES: THE WORKPLACE REVISED
At ENS’s 5-Star Green Star Interiors V1-certified Cape Town ofÏce, the
welfare of its people is as integral to sustainability as its considered design
26
DEEP DIVE: RESPONSIBLE & HEALTHY
The next two categories in the New Build v2 tool centre predominantly
around the well-being of building occupants and system processes
34
FROM THE GROUND UP
As the first GBCSA-certified, Net-Positive Ecology Level 2 – Operational
Ecology (Measured) project in South Africa, dsm-firmenich South Africa
paves the way for sustainable landscaping in the green built environment
42
LESSONS IN PRESERVATION
Having been awarded a 5-Star Green Star certification for its new building
complex design, Cape Town’s Bracken Nature Reserve is set to align with
the City’s Net-Zero carbon goals
48
A POWERFUL FORCE FOR GOOD
Recently appointed CEO of the National Business Initiative, Shameela
Soobramoney shares her vision for the role of business in supporting
sustainable development objectives
52
ON THE LEADING EDGE
Illovo Country Estate’s affordable housing project has garnered an
EDGE certification from the GBCSA – a first in the country
performance and value from start to finish.
POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25
POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25
Professional Membership Partners
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any way or in any form without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The opinions expressed herein are not
necessarily those of the GBCSA or the Publisher. All editorial and advertising contributions are accepted on the understanding that the contributor either owns or has obtained all necessary copyrights and
permissions. GBCSA and the Publisher do not endorse any claims made in the publication by or on behalf of any organisations or products. Please address any concerns in this regard to the Publisher.
Chief Executive OfÏcer
Lisa Reynolds
Finance & Operations and
Executive Director
Levinia Palmer
Editor
Mariola Fouché
editor@positive-impact.africa
Director
Danielle Solomons
dani@positive-impact.africa
Editorial Contributors
Nicole Cameron
Marlinée Fouché
Katherine Graham
Melinda Hardisty
Anne Schauffer
Shameela Soobramoney
Editorial Assistant
Melanie Taylor
GBCSA Editorial Advisory
Georgina Smit
Jenni Lombard
Abi Godsell
Dash Coville
Anja Thompson
Ann-Mari Malan
Design and Layout
Carla Lawrence, CDC Design
Media Sales
Tanya Duthie
Glenda Kulp
Vania Reyneke
Cover Photograph
ENS
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CALLING ALL THOUGHT LEADERS
+Impact magazine, the ofÏcial publication of the GBCSA, presents thought leadership from local and international green building commentators and
practitioners, and showcases the excellent work of GBCSA members. Are you a thought leader in your relevant field? GBCSA members are invited to submit
stories about projects, design concepts, materials, research and anything else that promotes a healthy sustainable built environment. Submit a 100-word
description of your content idea to: editor@positive-impact.africa
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POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25
IMPACT
JUTTA BERNS
Jutta Berns is an industry leader and one of South Africa’s first internationally accredited
green building professionals, establishing her company Ecocentric in 2007. She has degrees
from the Universities of Bonn (Germany) and Cambridge (UK), and a diverse blue-chip client
base. Berns specialises in sustainable and net-zero solutions for large property portfolios.
She has several LEED Platinum and 6-Star Green Star projects in her portfolio, is a GBCSA
faculty member, a Green Star Assessor and GBCSA TAG member, and winner of the Gauteng
Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Award by the Women’s Property Network and 2019 winner of
the Established Green Star Awards by the GBCSA.
BOB VAN BEBBER
Bob van Bebber, a senior director at Boogertman + Partners spearheads the conceptualisation
and delivery of many of the practices’ large complex projects. From Soccer City, the main
stadium for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, to large mixed-use precincts as well as the largest
single tenanted corporate head ofÏce in the southern hemisphere for Discovery Health.
He was recently recognised by the South African Professional Awards as the winner of the
Professional of the Year: Architecture Class Award as well as the Overall Professional of the
Year for 2019. Van Bebber’s passion extends into urban design, interior design and education.
GRAHAME CRUICKSHANKS
Grahame Cruickshanks has worked as a professional architect, sustainability consultant and
management consultant with 20 years of experience in the design, construction and property
industry. Focusing much of his career on green buildings and an expert in his field, he has worked
on a variety of Green Star and BREEAM certified projects and other building projects in South
Africa, Singapore and the UK. Prior to joining Growthpoint Properties as the head of sustainability
and utilities, Cruickshank’s previous roles included managing executive for market engagement
at the GBCSA and manager at EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services.
MARLOES REININK
Marloes Reinink is owner of Solid Green Consulting. With an academic background in
innovation and architecture, she has been working as a sustainable building consultant for
more than 15 years in South Africa and Africa. She founded Solid Green in 2010, which is one
of the leading sustainability consultancies in Africa and achieved its 100th green building
certification in October 2020. Reinink’s passion is advocating for a greener built environment
and she recently started GreenED, an online education platform for sustainability in the
sector. Reinink is an ambassador for the International Living Future Institute; a Living Future
accredited professional; and a facilitator of the SA Collaborative Network for a Living Future.
MANFRED BRAUNE
Braune currently holds the position of Director: Environmental Sustainability at the
University of Cape Town (UCT), where he leads the strategy and implementation of
environmental sustainability across all spheres of the university since early 2019. He has
also served as a non-executive director of GBCSA in a voluntary role since August 2020.
Braune’s background is as a professional engineer, having worked at WSP Group for over
10 years as a consulting engineer, where he then started and led WSP’s green building
business for three years and then worked for the GBCSA for 10 years.
www.boogertmanandpartners.com
www.boogertmanandpartners.com
www.growthpoint.co.za
www.growthpoint.co.za
www.ecocentric.co.za
www.ecocentric.co.za
www.solidgreen.co.za
www.solidgreen.co.za
https://www.uct.ac.za/main/explore-uct/sustainability
https://www.uct.ac.za/main/explore-uct/sustainability
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
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EDITOR’S NOTE
hile writing this, I’ve had to scuttle outdoors every now and then
to thaw out in the sun – poking its pale head out between bouts
of the ubiquitous Cape rain. I think I may speak for most South
Africans in saying I look forward to spring after a rather chilly and
prolonged winter!
While spring brings with it renewal, growth and expansion, for the global building
and construction sector, these very things go hand in hand with a key responsibility:
helping drive the transition towards a decarbonised, energy-efÏcient and sustainable
future for all.
Annually, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) brings us World Green
Building Week – falling on 11–15 September 2023 this year. Led by a network
of over 75 national Green Building Councils and their 46 000 members, the week-
long campaign will show how, through systems-change thinking and leveraging
local solutions, we can transition to sustainable built environments. For the events
line-up, and to find out how you can take part in World Green Building week, visit
https://worldgbc.org/wgbw23/.
Our spring issue is testament to our local successes in this journey, showcasing
a broad variety of projects that go way beyond bricks to address sustainability.
Law firm ENS’s ofÏce in Cape Town’s striking 35 Lower Long Street building is
a case in point (page 18), having secured a 5-Star Green Star Interiors v1 certification.
A sublime departure from the traditional ofÏce concept, the space’s innovative
design is truly a union of functionality, design and sustainability, at the same time
catering to the health and wellness of its staff.
Apropos the well-being of building occupants, part four of our Transforming
Tomorrow series on page 26 unpacks the Healthy and Responsible categories of the
Green Star New Build V2 tool. These categories centre mostly around the comfort
of buildings’ users and the efÏcient functioning of system processes, aiming to
transform the market and increase work productivity, while saving on resources
like water and energy.
What better way to embrace greenness and growth than through considered
landscaping? Dsm-firmenich South Africa set a benchmark for sustainable
landscaping within the green building industry by becoming the first GBCSA-
certified, Net Positive Ecology level 2 – Operational Ecology (Measured) project in
the country. On page 34, +Impact looks at how the site’s original vegetation type
was used as a way to regenerate and increase its diversity.
From regeneration to preservation: the City of Cape Town’s Bracken Nature
Reserve has recently been awarded a 5-Star Green Star certification for its upgraded
building complex design (page 42). While water and energy efÏciencies were the
main targets on this project, indoor comfort was also an important focus, and when
completed, it will offer the public an escape into nature, along with experiential
education around sustainability and the environment.
The role of business in supporting sustainable development objectives is key,
according to CEO of the National Business Initiative (NBI), Shameela Soobramoney.
Read more about how Shameela intends to focus on sustainability in her new role
at the NBI on page 48.
To round off this issue’s diverse offering, we highlight Illovo Country Estate in
KwaZulu-Natal on page 52, which recently achieved EDGE® certification with the
GBCSA – a first in South Africa in the affordable housing sector.
As, increasingly, new and retrofitted projects employ mindful design and
construction practices to reduce environmental impact, decrease costs and provide
better places in which to work, it’s an honour and a pleasure to present them to you,
our readers. We hope you enjoy this spring-time edition.
Mariola Fouché
Editor
POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 25