+IMPACT MAGAZINE ISSUE 26

INSIGHT
The Green Star New Build v2
tool per category, unpacked:
INSIGHT
POSITIVE CATEGORY
CATEGORY DIRECTOR: Francois Retief, Founder: Sow & Reap Green Building Solutions
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Upfront Carbon; Energy Use; Water Use
OTHER CREDITS: Other Carbon
PROUDLY TAKING
FORWARD
DEEP DIVE:
Positive, Leadership & People
The POSITIVE category embodies the industry’s Net
Zero journey up until today. According to Francois Retief,
Category Director and founder of Sow & Reap Green Building
Solutions, it’s time for the industry to take on a productive
role in society by generating power and using regenerative
materials that reduce buildings’ negative impact on the
environment. Task team member and Partner and Director
at PJC+Partners Yogesh Gooljar believes all eyes are on this
category’s credits, emphasising the need for it to be robust
enough to align with real-time situations, and to respond
to the Paris Agreement’s Net Zero targets.
“Measuring the UPFRONT CARBON of a building
might just be a game changer, driving a much bigger uptake
of low-carbon building materials,” says an animated Retief.
As a minimum requirement, the upfront carbon needs
to be measured by project teams, with tools and guidance
provided by the Green Building Council South Africa
(GBCSA). Project teams who then reduce their upfront
carbon compared to the provided baseline will be rewarded,
based on their level of improvement.
According to Dash Coville, Technical Manager of Special
projects at the GBCSA, this can be done by considering the
following design interventions for material selection: reuse,
correct size, dematerialisation, carbon-storing materials,
product substitution, sourcing and circular design. Gooljar
goes on to say that everyone has a role to play: “The structural
engineer can be approached for ways to make the building
structurally efficient with less material, while architects can
be tasked with finding ways of using fewer materials from
a design perspective.” This helps projects lower their carbon
footprint – and the more of these steps that are taken, the
more points are up for grabs. Retief believes this credit
will level out the playing field when it comes to alternative
building materials, which will now be incentivised.
A minimum of 20% reduction in ENERGY USE on
a baseline building, without the use of renewable energy,
is required to apply for a Green Star rating. Retief elaborates
that points will be awarded on a sliding scale. Every
percentage of better efficiency awards a project more points,
and it can reach full points for being a net-positive building.
Retief adds that, as a minimum requirement, project teams
will also be required to provide a net-zero action plan.
According to Gooljar, the current modelling protocol
is being updated to align with current international and
local benchmarks. “A calculator is also being developed by
the GBCSA, where the baseline building is standardised
through the calculator to ensure transparency and equal
comparisons,” he says. Gooljar adds that a lot of work
has been done to ease the process (considered somewhat
cumbersome in the past) and encourage uptake, by not
only using modelling for certification purposes, but also
to use it as a practical and valuable tool. To close the gap
between predictions and actual meter readings, Retief
says the tool has been adapted to align more with actual
operational consumption.
“The WATER USE credit is structured similarly to energy
use,” says Retief. “There’s a minimum efficiency requirement,
after which points are awarded on a sliding scale for
a project’s percentage improvements on the baseline.” The
water balance calculator has also been updated to align with
international and local best practices. Adding to that, Retief
says some improvements and adjustments have been made
to ensure that all building typologies are covered. A word
of advice from Gooljar: “Look at the tools provided – such
As the anticipation for the launch of the
New Build v2 tool builds, we highlight the
last three categories.
WORDS Marlinée Fouché
From inspiring the industry’s frontrunners to drive
market transformation, to democratising the
process of metering and modelling, so everyone
has access, and empowering the people who
experience new buildings with access to opportunities...
here’s what you need to know about the Positive, Leadership
and People categories in the New Build v2 tool.
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POSITIVE IMPACT ISSUE 26
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