Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Greening South African Buildings

The Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014 examines the regulatory frameworks and market dynamics of the green building sector in South Africa, with a specific focus on the Western Cape. It details the transition toward energy-efficient standards, the adoption of alternative building technologies (ABTs), and the opportunities for greening both commercial and social housing sectors.

• The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) has certified 50 buildings nationwide, with 11 of those located in the Western Cape. Businesses utilizing greener materials, such as energy-efficient windows and low VOC paint, are reporting economic benefits including lower long-term electricity costs, particularly for HVAC systems, as well as higher asset returns and increased property values.
• The South African government has set a target for 60% of new social infrastructure projects to be constructed using alternative building technologies (ABT) by 2017. This initiative was prompted by a pilot project in the Eastern Cape in 2012 involving the construction of 12 schools.
• Of the 40 alternative building technologies (ABT) approved by the National Homebuilders Registration Council (NHBRC) nationwide, 36 are located in the Western Cape. The Western Cape ABT market is dominated by small manufacturers (63%) and is primarily composed of insulated building technologies, which represent 42% of the market.
• The regulatory framework for the building industry is governed by the Department of Public Works (DPW), with the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, Act 103 of 1977 (NBRBS Act) providing the foundation. The South African National Standard 10400 (SANS 10400), introduced in 2011, provides the technical guidelines, with Part XA specifically addressing energy use and environmental sustainability for new and refurbished buildings.
• In the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) has been allocated up to R30 million from the jobs fund to retrofit ceilings in approximately 50,000 subsidy houses built between 1994 and 2005 that lack insulation.
• The National Department of Human Settlements (NDHS) updated norms and standards in 2013 to improve the thermal performance of standalone residential dwellings. These measures, effective April 1, 2014, include the mandatory installation of ceilings with prescribed air gaps, 130mm mineral fibreglass above-ceiling insulation, and the use of special low E clear and E opaque safety glass.

APA

GreenCape (2014). Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Greening South African Buildings. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Buildings-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Greening South African Buildings. 2014. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Buildings-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Greening South African Buildings |date=2014 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Buildings-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2014greencape, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Greencape Market Intelligence Report 2014: Greening South African Buildings}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2014}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/MIR2014-Buildings-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }