Swisatec: Green Building Council SA’s Communities Rating Tool to Transform South African Cities and Communities.

The newly released GBCSA Communities Pilot rating tool, which has been based on the Communities v1.1 Rating Tool from Australia through consultation with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), is set to create a standard that will look at transforming South Africa’s cities and communities.

The certification system goes beyond the rating of singular buildings by offering to raise the standards of and creating more sustainable communities within South Africa. The 5 principles of sustainable communities, which is the core focus for the Communities Rating Tool is enhanced livability, economic prosperity, environmental responsibility, design excellence and strong leadership and governance. The rating tool aims at encouraging higher levels of sustainability across a broader range of issues than those identified in the current rating tools for individual buildings and which focuses on the support of planning, design, and delivery of precincts with strong environmental sustainability principles.

The Communities rating system provides a more holistic approach to property developers and local government with larger precinct scale projects and offers incentives to the local communities through a focus on community orientated sustainable urban design. It provides a framework for greater sustainable development outcomes.

Blue Rock Village, a registered PILOT project for the GBCSA Communities Rating Tool, aims to meet these standards by creating a green lifestyle village which not only encompasses the sustainability principles on a precinct scale but also on an individual building scale through strategic environmental design which reduces energy and water consumption and improves thermal and acoustic performance. Already undertaking more productive, sustainable and liveable practices, Blue Rock Village aims to go one step forward by using the Communities Rating Tool as a measurement for best practice benchmarks that meet a range of environmental, economic and social priorities.

The Communities Tool is an important endorsement of Blue Rock Village’s vision to transform the precinct into an internationally recognised ‘green’ village through sustainable design, governance, and innovation, design excellence, economic prosperity, and livability.

The introduction of the Green Star – Communities rating tool within South Africa sets to raise the bar for the standard of building and planning and further affirms the pioneering efforts that Blue Rock Village is undertaking. Blue Rock Village aims to go above and beyond that of the current industry benchmarks by targeting the highly coveted 6 Star rating which recognises ‘world leadership’ from the GBCSA and Green Building Council of Australia. There is a multitude of factors contributing to achieving a 6 Star rating which will ultimately make Blue Rock Village a better place and better way to live, through a higher standard of urban development.

Ultimately, Blue Rock Village’s innovative infrastructure will create a more sustainable and vibrant community through guiding framework principles from the Green Star – Communities Tool, helping to shape and influence the urban design of communities and precincts in the future.

Blue Rock Village is Africa's first green village, proposed for Cape Town South Africa. The village offer high-end, luxury terrace apartments designed based on European standards. The village further offers a 5-Star Hotel, a Wellness Centre & Spa, Gym & Fitness Centre, high-end corporate office and a Lifestyle Centre.

Blue Rock Village phase one is currently on sale.

Blue Rock Village

Blue Rock, Somerset West, Cape Town 7130
village@bluerock.co.za
tel +27 21 300 1722

Sindile Mavundla
sindile@bluerock.co.za
www.bluerockvillage.co.za

This release was published on openPR.