University of Cape Town (UCT) walked away with top honours in the property and engineering categories in the eighth annual Greenovate Awards that encourage sustainability in the SA built environment.
Established in 2015, Greenovate is a partnership between JSE-listed Growthpoint Properties and industry body the Green Building Council SA (GBCSA) to support university students focusing on sustainable development initiatives that address challenges and opportunities in the property sector.
Some of the sustainability ideas explored by students include using mushroom roots to create sustainable insulation material, adding artificial photosynthesis to the facades of buildings to power them, how bringing nature into building designs positively affects the study performance of university students, and investing in property for social impact.
“The programme showcases up-and-coming talent, providing a platform for future leaders of the built industry,” said Grahame Cruickshanks, Growthpoint’s head of sustainability and utilities.
Cruickshanks said the awards expose young talent to the latest in sustainability thinking and ideas, with access to leading sustainability and property companies, which creates a springboard to launch their future careers.
“These special awards grow the green talent pool for Growthpoint, but also for the green building movement and the benefit of SA Inc,” said Cruickshanks.
Growthpoint is SA’s largest primary JSE-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) which owns properties in SA, across the African continent, Australia, the UK and Eastern Europe. It also owns 50% of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The company is an established leader in commercial green developments and owns and manages the biggest portfolio of green-certified buildings in Africa.
Innovation
Cruickshanks said in 2022, the Greenovate Awards attracted 21 students from five universities: Wits, UCT, University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela University and Stellenbosch University. The students researched existing challenges within the built environment, proposed unique solutions to real-life problems and presented their ideas to industry decision-makers.
Students entering the Greenovate Awards gain access to mentorship, expertise and resources to develop their research into a real and workable product or service for the property industry before presenting their ideas at the annual gala dinner event.
Since launching, the awards featured two categories — engineering and property. In 2022, a new award linked to EDGE green building and sponsored by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, was introduced. This award was won by students from Wits.
UCT students were the first and second winners in the engineering category which incorporates electrical, computer and electronic, civil and mechanical engineering. UP came third. The property category — which includes quantity surveying, construction management and property studies — was won by UCT, with Wits in second and third.
Greenovate awarded R34,500 in prize money to the winning student (s) in each category with the runner-up prize of R17,250 and R11,500 for third place. The IFC prize winners received a laptop computer and EDGE Expert training with the GBCSA.
Winners in the property category include Mbali Mahlangeni and Toneka Pasiwe from UCT, Mpidiseng Mohlaba, Manqoba Mthimkhulu and Asanda Gwala from Wits and, in the third place, Kingsley Martell and Kyle Motani from Wits.
In the engineering category, the winners were Anna Pamela Reid (UCT) and Msawenkosi Mkhize (UCT) as well as Reinhard Ferreira, Mulisa Shavhani and Beth Watson from the University of Pretoria.
The IFC prize went to Wits students Mpidiseng Mohlaba, Manqoba Mthimkhulu and Asanda Gwala for the use of artificial photosynthesis in the construction of building facades idea.
Cruickshanks said these awards are a starting point to meeting the need for research & development that offers implementable solutions for a sustainable built environment. Growthpoint is committed to an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2050, and innovation in the green building and energy spaces is essential to reaching this goal.
“We are proud to drive the Greenovate Awards and confident that, in the very capable hands of SA’s young talent, we will see better, sustainable and green buildings in future,” said Cruickshanks.
GBCSA CEO Lisa Reynolds said the unlimited approach to life and ideas reflected in the Greenovate Awards by students is testament to SA’s untapped talent, and the industry’s willingness to support and create opportunities within the green building space.
“These awards result in a growing community of advocates for green building with a passion for creating a better world and a brighter, greener future,” said Reynolds.
The GBCSA is a member-based organisation focused on green certification and training and building advocacy for all buildings to be designed, built and operated in an environmentally sustainable manner.
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