The office complex, which cost more than R2bn to build, will house about 5,000 client-facing employees and is expected to create economic spin-offs in Rosebank, Johannesburg.

Construction on Hotel Verde, which is a part of the recently launched BON Hotels group, began over a year ago just outside Cape Town International Airport, with a team of contractors and experts dedicated to finding the alternative.

Over the past decade, ‘green’ building has emerged as a growing trend among a vigorous interest group to create high-performance, energy-efficient structures that improve tenant and/or owner-occupier comfort and well-being while minimising environmental impacts, says Nival Porun, portfolio executive and head of the green business unit at Excellerate Facilities Management.

At the forefront of innovation and sustainable design, Cape Town’s new Portside building is well on schedule to become South Africa’s (and perhaps even the African continent’s) first green tall building.

Alexander Forbes, one of South Africa’s largest diversified financial services businesses, celebrates its new building, 115 West Street, as a milestone in South African green building technology and design

Recently launched development Nedbank financed Allandale View in Kaalfontein, Midrand, is set to benefit end-users not only from an affordability perspective, but also from a reduction in electricity usage

the new Socio-economic tool that the Green Building Council of South Africa are starting to develop that will address issues such as poor health, lack of education and skills training – socio-economic priorities in SA and other developing countries 

Much like in the United Kingdom, where the number of “green” products available in the market increased by 73%, within the space of one year - South Africa is starting to demonstrate a similar trend – that of a steady increase in available green products and services.

The property marketers of The Route 21 Corporate Park business development, Abacus DIVISIONS, has announced that it has signed its first “green” tenants for a R60 million environmentally friendly building, built during the latter part of 2011. It also raises debate around obtaining an actual green star rating vs claims at being a green building

How to green existing buildings, designing high performance green buildings, global innovation in green design, the London Olympics Park Project, and the next social trend – collaborative consumption – just some of the compelling topics to be explored at the master classes being presented by leading thought leaders as part of the build-up to Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Convention and Exhibition.