A water-saving strategy, cost-effective solar PV storage systems and CO2-reduction initiatives are among the latest innovations to be recognised at this year’s Greenovate Property and Engineering Awards.
Launched in 2015 by real-estate investment firm Growthpoint and the GBCSA, the awards aim to expose students to sustainability in the built environment at the start of their careers, ‘catalysing them to enter the market as advocates for green building’, says the GBCSA’s Grahame Cruickshanks. The first prize in both categories comprises R30 000 and a chance to present the winning designs at the 2020 GBCSA Conference.
The University of Pretoria’s Henno de Villiers and Liné Grobler won the property category with water-saving strategies to push back ‘Day Zero’. Nelson Mandela Bay University’s Ashvin Managa, who focused on natural ventilation retrofitting of office buildings, came second, followed by the Wits team of Ayanda Mhlanga, Binaica Dalpat and Mzuchumile Makalima, who demonstrated how succulents can reduce fumes in building fires.
In the engineering category, North West University’s Lucas van Wyk won with his greywater-management system, followed by Stellenbosch University’s Stephan Olivier with a low-cost, alternative energy storage for grid-tied solar PV systems, and UCT’s Tariromunashe Mufunde for CO2 sequestration in commercial buildings, using algae.
