Posted by
Nina Maritz
on 30 Jul 19
Categories:
Green Living
GBCNA & WHAT IT MEANS FOR NAMIBIA
In Namibia, large corporate clients and international funding agencies are beginning to insist on good environmental performance as a prerequisite for their projects. But how can such environmental performance be evaluated?
The Green Building Council of Namibia (GBCNA) is a solution to this problem. Operating an independent certification programme for green buildings (Green Star), the GBCNA offers clients, consultant teams and construction companies alike the opportunity to pursue and assess the overall environmental impact of their projects without subjective influences.[FR1]
The Green Star rating system is adapted to the Namibian context from the rating system operated by the Green Building Council of South Africa.
A project is evaluated at two stages: Design & As Built, according to the relevant Green Star rating tool (e.g. for “office”, "retail" or “public and education”, etc.). The Design stage submission must be done at tender stage and the As-Built within two years of Practical Completion. Tools for Existing Buildings are also available.
Two qualified independent assessors (who remain incognito) do the assessment, supported by a panel of experts. Namibian assessments are presently done by two international and two trainee Namibian assessors, until the GBCNA has reached capacity in terms of skills and numbers of assessors.
In order to apply for a Green Star certification, the consultant team must complete a considerable dossier of information based on the technical documentation of the building. This may seem daunting, but the application process in itself has a valuable educational role in terms of high-lighting various strategies for achieving environmental sustainability. After completing one application in this way, designing and constructing green buildings become much easier.
It must be emphasised that Green Star certification is not biased towards either alternative construction methods such as earth building, nor towards high-technology solutions such as solar power panel and smart building management systems. It allows for a broad spectrum of interventions, with the emphasis on quantative evaluation – in other words, measurement of performance. Vague claims as to “greenness” will largely become a thing of the past, with the result a clearer and more holistic demand for sustainability.
The objectives of Green Star tools are to:
·Establish a common language and standard of measurement for green buildings.
·Promote integrated, whole-building design.
·Raise awareness of the benefits of green building.
·Recognise environmental leadership.
·Reduce the environmental impact of development.
A four-star rating is given for a 45 to 59% weighted score is equated with Best Practice. Country Excellence is shown by a five-star rating on a score of 60 to 74%. The very difficult to attain six stars, based on a 75 to 100% score, indicates World Leadership. This offers the Namibian industry a yardstick to compare against the rest of the world.
Aspects that are assessed include:
·Management
·Indoor Environment Quality
·Energy
·Transport
·Water
·Materials
·Land Use & Ecology
·Emissions
·Innovation
Green Star application also does not rely solely on the architect, but needs commitment and input from all members of the consultant team. Electrical-Mechanical engineers in particular must be able to provide modelling of various aspects. As a result, the process requires considerable interaction and a close working relationship between all consultants. This has a positive impact on the Namibian construction consulting field, through better teamwork.
Employers as well, have to commit added time and funds to the process, as consultants must be paid for their supplementary services in preparing the applications. Employers thus become better educated about construction issues as a whole and can be more specific in their requirements for “green” building. The positive impact of this has been proven in other countries and now by FNB in the Green Star award for their new flagship building in the centre of Windhoek.
The GBCNA is modelled on other national Green Building Councils, and has reached the stage of Prospective Member on its way to recognition as Full Member of the World Green Building Council. It is an independent non-profit trust funded by membership fees and income from training programmes and assessments. There are four different categories of GBCNA membership: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Copper, each accorded different privileges. Membership offer supporters benefits such as advertising rights, discounted rates on training, conferences, etc. For consultants also working in other countries, links to other Green Building Councils are also beneficial for networking.
Start-up funding was been provided by the UNDP via NEEP (Namibia Energy Efficiency Project) and the EIF (Environmental Investment Fund), and is housed at the Namibian Energy Institute (NEI) at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.
The GBCNA will potentially transform the Namibian construction sector, as has already been shown in Australia, South Africa and other countries. Among the visible changes in the construction industry resulting from Green Star schemes, have been the availability of sustainable construction materials. For example, almost all paint manufacturers now supply VOC-free paints and are changing their standard ranges to VOC free.
Sustainability is becoming mainstream. Architects and other building professionals, contractors and suppliers cannot afford to lag behind. The Green Building Council of Namibia offers us a way of achieving that goal faster and better.