I enjoyed a very interactive session with Tshwane Building Control Officers and Inspectors on encouraging and regulating more sustainable buildings. We went through the new Tshwane Green Building Bylaw and Standards in some detail.

The Bylaw supports the development of more sustainable buildings in Tshwane through promoted and mandatory standards. Energy standards provide a structured pathway for the sector to move to net-zero, enabling designers, developers and owners to plan for this.

The standards include practical, low-cost measures, such as rainwater harvesting, greywater systems, planting, access to drinking water, submetering, and recycling provision that are easy to incorporate into new buildings and refurbishments and will provide substantially reduced operating costs while enabling improved resilience, occupant health and comfort.

The following areas are covered in the standards which are designed to be updated over time

• Climate Resilience and Adaptation
• Energy
• Water
• Energy
• Waste
• Transport

The interactive session included drawing out (literally) the implications of the bylaw on a whiteboard and discussing interpretations and compliance. This helped generate lively discussion and it was good to see how officials were very supportive of the new bylaw and are keen to implement this.