The Green Building Council of South Africa has certified South Africa's first ever Green Star SA building, Phase II of Nedbank’s head office in Sandton, Johannesburg, using GBCSA's Office v1 rating tool.

The building, to be completed by April 2010, achieved a 4 Star Green Star SA Office Design v1 rating, which signifies “Best Practice” in green building. Design ratings are awarded at the end of the design process and are based on tender documents.

This milestone for South Africa’s property industry will be officially announced at the 2nd annual GBCSA Convention and Exhibition in Cape Town.

In order to achieve a rating, projects need to gain credits in the eight environmental categories of Green Star SA – Management, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy, Water, Transport, Materials, Emissions and Land Use and Ecology.

The main elements that contributed to the Four Star rating that Nedbank Phase II was awarded include the full economy air conditioning system; the Dali lighting system and energy efficient light fittings; the Black Water Treatment System; the implementation of an efficient waste recycling system, both during construction and when the building is in use; and the fact that the building will achieve a 30% energy saving when compared to a conventional building.

This includes the use of gas for cooking in the kitchens, solar heated geysers for showers, no hot water in the wash hand basins and push-through geysers which replace conventional geysers.