GREEN BUILDING IN SOUTH AFRICA: A GUIDE TO COSTS AND TRENDS

The GBCSA (Green Building Council South Africa) has launched the 4^th edition of the internationally acclaimed research study Green Building in South Africa: A guide to Costs and Trends. Along with a strong business case for building green, the report shows that in the maturing green industry, green building certification is good for business as well as for people and the planet.

Since 2014, the GBCSA has partnered with the Association of Quantity Surveyors and the Department of Construction Economics at UP to produce relevant research that moves the industry forward. This has resulted in the definitive study on the cost of green-certified buildings, using empirical building costing data to understand how little going green actually costs, and the ways in which the market for sustainable properties is changing.

This year, for the first time, these costs are connected to the investment performance of certified buildings delivering a clear ‘green building business case’.

The 4^th edition builds on prior research and explores the data around green investment returns as well as green costs. It brings both green costs and green returns together into the business case for green buildings. The report is based on empirical costing data from 199 Green Star certified office buildings, and the data has been analysed to distil the specific green cost from each project’s overall spending. The projects studied cover a range of certification levels, project sizes and project locations.

www.gbcsa.org.za/news