08 October 2018 – Green Building Convention 2018

Now in its 11th year, the recently held Green Building Convention 2018 took on the theme: THE RACE TO ZERO, focusing on buildings that achieve net-zero carbon emissions, as well as building with net-zero water, waste and ecological impact.

Joburg Property Company (JPC) CEO, Helen Botes, spoke at the highly respected event, touching on how the City of Joburg (COJ) property portfolio is transforming.

Referring to the Honourable Mayor Herman Mashaba’s commitment to Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals of the International Building Council, Helen Botes noted the alignment of COJ programmes to the achieve the set-out goals.

There have been strategic actions to demonstrate signed commitments, and a shift toward net-zero carbon buildings; advancement towards zero waste and the development of Green Building Policies within the COJ.

The alignment of programmes, aims to promote economic development and attract investment towards reaching the 5% economic growth, as set out by Mayor Herman Mashaba earlier this year.

The commitment can be summarised as:

  • Release of 500 Inner City Buildings for redevelopment over the next year. Developments must be aligned to the Green Building Commitments and Policy.
  • Southern Farms Development – Sustainable Regional Biodiversity Development – this is a 3000 Hectare development, valued at R27 Billion, deliver of 38 700 housing units, as well as:
    • 13 Urban Parks
    • 14 Neighborhood Parks
    • 6 Eco Hubs
    • 4 Sports Fields
    • 18 Educational Facilities
    • Protection of the wetlands and the Heritage sites within the land

Achievement of these goals, includes focus on a Smart City Framework of Smart Public Services (development of the Intelligence Operations Centre); Smart Energy Solutions; Environmental information systems; and Smart buildings and homes, for the people of Johannesburg.

In closing, Helen Botes, noted that the ultimate goal of COJ & JPC is to “preserve our resources for future generations.”