It's time to bring Green Building home

This year's event challenges both local and international speakers, exhibitors and invited academics to ensure valuable and meaningful sessions to gain pioneering insight for the sustainable African context.

Principal sponsor Nedbank Corporate Property Finance and associated companies such as Growthpoint and Royal HaskoningDHV contend that we are moving out of the industrial revolution and into the sustainability revolution and everyone needs to embrace this move. And, whilst "going green" and green building is increasingly in focus on an international level the upcoming Green Building Convention and Exhibition is putting the spotlight on Africa and bringing green building and sustainable practises home.

"Green building is now firmly on the agenda of many boardroom meetings in the African property industry, and reaching into a growing number of countries, the green building movement is demonstrating with increasing confidence and credibility that we can take on, often at minimal cost, the big issues of our time: excess energy consumption and related CO2 emissions from burning carbon fuels; pollution of air, water and land; depletion of natural resources; and disposal of waste," says Wilkinson.

Networking of like minds to further sustainability

The convention provides a distinctive business opportunity for sustainability thought leaders to meet and network with like minds, exchange ideas, generate business prospects and keep ahead of the latest trends and innovations in sustainability.

This year's event will showcase how green building has and can change lives on our very own continent, and how in some ways, Africa is leading in the green building space.

Some of the exciting topics that will be unpacked and explored under this relevant theme include international investment into Africa, the introduction of talent to African soil that will further sustainable development, the adoption of renewable energies in emerging economies who do not need to repeat the mistakes of energy hungry first world countries, and the return of skills to African countries by its citizens.

Speaker line-up

An impressive line-up of local and international speakers share knowledge and experience from a range of disciplines to focus on how Africa can advance energy-efficient building and construct a better future.

Francis Kéré, the award-winning architect from Burkina Faso has a humble mission to put his knowledge to good use and help people in his native country through sustainable development. Kéré Architecture is seeking to create economic and ecological building solutions for local situations in a global context. The architect will share his continuing work towards promoting sustainable and community driven architecture, and the concept of development through architecture around the world. His office philosophy is building with the smallest energy footprint and reaping the utmost benefit for its users with a passionate focus on the usage and development of local materials and techniques.

Zimbabwean Architect Michael Pearce believes that architectural expression must construct a balance between the natural, social and economic environments in which a project is sited. Pearce will speak on his pioneering work on the concept of buildings that are drawn from nature and copying natural processes he has studied through the new science of bio-mimicry. He asserts that zero-carbon is no longer a dream but an attainable goal.

Convention activities

In addition to the plenary programme, the 2014 event is packed with two days of high energy keynote presentations, innovative exhibitions, panel discussions and will again see the presentation of the successful Brainwave Stage. The stage will host short, TED-like presentations by green building community members ranging from academics unveiling their innovative research to companies sharing their green building experience. This will all be enriched by a world-class exhibition created to encourage business to business opportunities, stimulate the green economy and inspire innovative industry practices.

The convention also offers optional pre-conference education days that present more detailed master classes, smaller group discussions and workshops facilitated by experts. In addition, the GBCSA will host a range of fascinating building tours of Green Star SA certified buildings such as Cape Town's beloved V&A Waterfront Precinct with its many sustainability initiatives; Silo 1, Silo 2 and future plans for the Clock Tower Precinct; and a Sustainable City Walking Tour culminating in one of the first opportunities to peek inside the brand new 5-star Green Star Portside Building.

The GBCSA Convention programme provides outstanding opportunities for networking and knowledge-sharing with key decision-makers and industry professionals and is designed for stakeholders who wish to further their interest in green building in Africa.

For more information visit www.gbcsa-convention.org.za.
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