+IMPACT Magazine Issue 25

INSIGHT
INSIGHT
followed, and that there’s communication of all the different
aspects across the project team.” A basic guideline will be
provided for minimum requirements, but for additional
points, a professional must be involved to steer the process.
According to Harms, implementing these credits (although
it may initially add costs) has significant long-term benefits
that are paid back multiple times over a short period of time.
3B: METERING AND MONITORING speaks to the
ongoing management of a building, using appropriate
metering and monitoring systems – and the focus is not
necessarily on quantity, but on functionality. “The priority
is on the right number and location of the submeters for
energy and water, perhaps even other sources like gas, or
heating and cooling,” says Harms. Project teams must prove
that the building can be managed effectively, and respond
proactively to unforeseen, unintended consumption. “If
the system automatically flags that you consume 50% more
energy than last month,” Harms says, “an investigation
should be triggered, rather than just having information
that you don’t actually compare to anything.”
This credit requires a minimum set of meters. Going
beyond that minimum makes it possible to achieve one
point in this category.
3C: OCCUPANCY TUNING AND EVALUATION has
no minimum requirements or different tiers, because, says
Harms “it’s deemed as a stretch for industry”. It requires
“Toolbox Talks” are expected at
prescribed intervals, covering various
environmental topics.
that the project team stays involved for a certain period
after the practical completion of the building, to “fine-tune
the system to operate as effectively as possible, given the
practical use of the building”. This could mean identifying
too much ventilation, or insufficient water pressure – and
intervening to ensure optimal performance and efficiency.
A word of advice to project teams: According to Gooljar,
teams shouldn’t feel intimidated by the amount of work that
will go into this credit. “If there’s a good verification and
handover process, they will save money in maintenance,
resources and operations. Rather have a good commissioning
process now than pay for it later.”
The RESPONSIBLE CONSTRUCTION credit expects
teams to strive towards construction practices that reduce
the impact on the environment, and to promote opportunities
for improved environmental and social outcomes.
This credit comprises four initiatives, aimed at the
Principal Contractor.
As one of the minimum requirements, an Environmental
Management System (EMS) must be in place, to manage
the environmental impacts on site. Projects with an ISO
14001-certified environmental management system are
eligible for additional points.
Moreover, for this credit, project teams are expected to
proactively create awareness among the various stakeholders
on matters of green building principles and sustainability
during the entire project development, by implementing
a Construction Environmental Management Plan
(CEMP). This includes a once-off, high-level Green
Building induction for each newly appointed contractor
or subcontractor, to the requirements of the project-specific
Green Star specification. Along with that, “Toolbox Talks”
are expected at prescribed intervals, covering various
environmental topics and, as a minimum, include: the
sustainability attributes of the building and their benefits;
the value of certification; and the role site work or site
workers play in the delivery of a sustainable building.
If a system automatically flags
50% more energy consumption
than the previous month, an
investigation should be triggered.
For additional recognition, the project team should
develop a project-specific CEMP that is implemented
from the start of site activities, and includes all work within
the scope of the project. The plan should cover the scope
of construction activities to assist the contractor and its
service providers or subcontractors to manage environmental
performance conditions and impacts arising from demolition,
excavation and construction activities. The CEMP should
be implemented on a monthly basis.
Project teams will also be expected to develop
a Construction Waste Management Plan (CWMP) and
submit a final waste report summary. According to Harms,
this an easy place to score, because it’s a practice that’s
increasingly gaining traction in the South African context.
Contracting teams aiming for this credit should have this in
place from the time of Green Star registration, and a waste
report summary must be produced at the end of construction.
To achieve in this credit, more specifics on the plan and
a specific diversion rate (which is still being researched) must
be reached. “It has increasingly become standard practice,
from recycling and reuse to avoidance, or by donating certain
building materials,” says Harms.
He believes it’s now easier than ever to achieve high
outcomes. “We’ve had a project that was built roughly 10 years
ago in Cape Town, and it achieved over 95% waste diversion.
That was obviously quite hard at the time – the initiative
was associated with considerable effort – but in the past 10
years, we’ve increasingly seen projects that have managed to
achieve diversion rates of more than 70% and 80%.”
HEALTHY CATEGORY
Credits with Minimum requirements: B-1 Clean Air; B-2 Light Quality; B-4 Exposure to Toxins
Other credits: B-3 Acoustic Comfort; B-5 Amenity and Comfort; B-6 Connection to Nature,;
B-7 Thermal Comfort
Featured credits: B-2 Light Quality; B-1 Clean Air
“The HEALTHY category is especially aimed at businesses
with a focus on staff well-being, and to minimise
presenteeism and absenteeism, by creating a healthy indoor
environment that benefits all building users,” says category
director Annelide Sherratt, Solid Green Consulting’s Head
of Department: Green Building Certifications (New Build
and Interiors). “The goal is to create trust that the building
is safe, comfortable and conducive to occupants’ physical
and mental well-being,” she says.
Note: This category is still in the process of being
finalised. More information will be confirmed once the
tool is launched.
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