GBCSA to launch new category for rating tools
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) is set to launch a new PILOT Socio-Economic Category (SEC) for Green Star SA rating tools, which aims to recognise the socio-economic achievements of green building projects.
GBCSA CEO, Brian Wilkinson
The new PILOT SEC will be launched at the GBCSA's annual convention in Cape Town on 17 October. Registered green buildings will be invited to test it in PILOT phase for at least 12 months, after which it will be updated and launched as a Version 1 Category. Projects that achieve a rating for the SEC PILOT will get additional recognition for this, alongside their Green Star SA rating.
Moving beyond the traditional green assessment criteria for buildings, the GBCSA views the inclusion of social and economic factors as important to address broader sustainability issues, which are particularly relevant for South Africa and other developing countries. Societal challenges such as poverty, unemployment, lack of education and skills, and poor health can all be addressed, to some degree, through the process of designing and constructing green buildings.
A mindset change
"In the same way that Green Star SA tools have inspired transformation towards greener practices in the property industry, we hope that this Socio-Economic Category will encourage a mindset change around the socio-economic upliftment potential of building projects," says GBCSA CEO, Brian Wilkinson.
South Africa's SEC will have seven possible credits under Green Star SA. These focus on employment creation, economic opportunity, skills development and training, community benefit, empowerment, safety & health, and mixed income housing.
"As an organisation committed to responsible business practice, we are proud to be associated with the launch of this venture and believe social imperatives in property development and management are extremely important, as are the environmental issues," says Old Mutual Property CEO Peter Levett. "This aligns with Old Mutual's dedication to being leaders in environmental, social and governance matters in all its investment activities."
Benchmark metrics
A diverse technical working group of 18 people spanning public and private sectors worked alongside the appointed consultants, Aurecon, to help develop benchmark metrics and assessment measures for the new socio-economic credits. A peer review committee also contributed their expert views.
"These credits address some of the burning issues facing developing countries worldwide. They have typically not been dealt with by existing rating tools, but are an important part of the broader concept of sustainability. Much interest has been expressed and we are hoping that the market will respond favourably," says Bruce Kerswill, GBCSA non-executive chair and initiator of this project.
