Frameworks, certification systems, and protocols give us a way to name what we’re doing, measure progress, and hold ourselves accountable. But tools don’t stand alone – they reflect the values, assumptions, and priorities of the contexts in which they were created.

For African cities, that raises an urgent question: Can we keep using global tools without localising them, or are we measuring the wrong things well?

At Solid Green, we believe the tools we use must be fit for place, purpose, and people. That’s why our work extends beyond applying frameworks. We actively engage in shaping them.

From sustainable to strategic: tools that shape cities

Over the past decade, Solid Green has worked at the forefront of precinct-scale transformation using tools that guide decision-making, stakeholder collaboration, and long-term impact tracking.

Some of the most influential frameworks we’ve worked with include:

• Green Star New Build and Major Refurbishment v2:
  The new version of South Africa’s green building certification tool, now in pilot phase, includes the PLACES category, a major advancement that invites design teams to engage with cultural context, community stories, and integration into surrounding urban systems. This tool applies to individual buildings, not precincts.
• Green Star Sustainable Precincts (SUP):
  A stand-alone tool focused specifically on precinct-scale sustainability. SUP addresses governance, liveability, ecology, and urban systems across entire neighbourhoods or mixed-use developments. Solid Green has contributed to multiple SUP certifications and continues to guide clients through this process.
• EcoDistricts and Just Communities:
  The Just Communities framework is a direct evolution of the EcoDistricts Protocol, reimagined to centre racial equity, community power, and justice in urban development. The tools are intrinsically linked, with Just Communities building on the foundational values and structure of EcoDistricts while deepening its accountability mechanisms.

Solid Green was instrumental in adapting the original EcoDistricts Protocol for the African context. Adaptation of international tools is essential to ensure that solutions facilitated through these systems are appropriate for local realities .

Why Localisation Matters

African cities are not just copy-paste versions of their global counterparts. Our spatial legacy, cultural richness, climate pressures, and governance structures are unique – and so are the metrics that matter.

Localisation isn’t about simplification. It’s about translation:

• Translating intent into local language and meaning
• Translating outcomes into culturally and spatially relevant indicators
• Translating global ambition into doable, trackable, and meaningful action

At Solid Green, our successful partnership with the EcoDistricts team to localise the original protocol taught us that localisation requires both technical precision and social sensitivity. While the EcoDistrict certification has now been replaced with the Just Communities label, projects that were certified under the EcoDistricts framework have been given the option to retain their certification and we see projects successfully moving through recertification and biennial progress reports to retain and expand on the original goals and aspirations they had set for themselves.

Measuring what matters in the African Context

Frameworks like Green Star SUP and EcoDistricts have taught us that, while environmental and economic performance are vital, so too are:

• Historical repair and social cohesion
• Cultural preservation and local identity
• Psychological safety and lived experience in the built environment

These are not “nice to haves.” They are indicators of whether people will stay, thrive, and invest in their places over time.

The next evolution of our tools must consistently move beyond compliance toward community-rooted accountability.

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True urban resilience starts not with concrete or carbon, but with communities. With people.

At Solid Green, we believe that sustainable cities are only as strong as the relationships, support systems, and lived experiences that hold them together. We’ve learned that you can’t design for cities unless you’re also designing with and for communities – their histories, hopes, needs and knowledge.

S&J Business Park: images courtesy of S&J Business Park

Urban Vulnerability is Social, Not Just Structural

Many of the risks faced by African cities – extreme weather, energy shocks, water scarcity, heat, displacement – are amplified by pre-existing inequalities. Informal settlements, for example, often exist on flood-prone land not by choice, but by exclusion. And when a crisis hits, it’s not only infrastructure that fails – it’s the absence of safety nets.

The most “vulnerable” populations are often the ones who have already endured generations of structural neglect.

Designing for resilience in this context requires more than engineering solutions. It requires emotional, cultural and economic intelligence.

Riverlands Precinct: images courtesy of Riverlands Precinct

From Healing-Centred Design to Collective Care

Resilient communities are not built overnight. They are cultivated through trust, dialogue, shared ownership, and design that respects context and culture. At Solid Green, we’re exploring how healing-centred and trauma-aware design approaches can enhance community engagement, especially in precinct-scale work.

Whether it’s through co-design sessions in informal communities or participatory planning in redevelopment precincts, we’ve seen that people respond to being included and genuinely listened to.

Design becomes an act of care when it:

• Supports safety and autonomy
• Reflects people’s realities, not just regulations
• Builds in places for connection, creativity, and calm
• Creates feedback loops between residents and decision-makers

In many of our projects, we’ve witnessed how these soft systems – trust, dignity, participation – are the glue that holds physical interventions together.

Riverlands Precinct: images courtesy of Riverlands Precinct

Precinct-Scale Projects as Platforms for Community Resilience

Precinct-scale urban development offers a unique opportunity: it’s small enough to be responsive, but large enough to influence systemic change.

In our experience with pilot Green Star Sustainable Precinct projects, including Riverlands and several others in the planning stages, we’ve seen that when community cohesion is intentionally designed for – from mobility networks to informal trading spaces – it strengthens long-term climate and economic resilience. These precincts are not just places to work or live. They become ecosystems of belonging.

S&J Business Park: images courtesy of S&J Business Park

At the same time, through our work on Green Star – New Build and Major Refurbishment Version 2 pilot projects, we’re supporting design teams to explore the new PLACES category, which encourages deeper engagement with cultural context, narrative, and site integration. It’s a promising shift toward ensuring that even building-scale developments contribute meaningfully to the broader urban fabric.

A resilient city is not simply one that can absorb shock. It’s one where people want to stay, contribute, and thrive, even in the face of uncertainty.

Equity and Adaptation Are Interlinked

In the African context, climate adaptation isn’t just about adding layers of technology. It’s about reclaiming design intelligence that works with, rather than against, the environment.

While cities in the global North may lean on high-tech solutions like mechanical cooling or smart grids, these approaches are often costly, energy-intensive, and not easily scalable across the realities of African development.

Here, adaptation must start with design – design that is climate-responsive, culturally rooted, and economically viable.

Riverlands Precinct: images courtesy of Riverlands Precinct

Vernacular architecture offers countless lessons: thick walls for thermal mass, shaded courtyards for air flow, orientation for passive cooling, materials that breathe. These aren’t outdated techniques. They’re future-proofing strategies that reduce energy demand while increasing occupant comfort.

Equity and adaptation intersect when we ask:

• Who gets to live or work in spaces that stay cool without driving up energy bills?
• Whose built environments are designed for their climate and culture, rather than imposed from external templates?
• Who benefits when resilience is designed in, rather than added on later at great cost?

When we prioritise equity in adaptation, we move from green buildings as technical achievements to buildings as lived experiences.

S&J Business Park: images courtesy of S&J Business Park

Looking Ahead

In the next article in this series, we’ll explore the tools we use to bring these principles to life – from Green Star Sustainable Precincts (SUP) to EcoDistricts and Just Communities. Localising approaches to the local context is essential, because the future of African cities isn’t about replicating models. It’s about creating systems and spaces that are resilient because they are relational, regenerative, and radically inclusive.

Riverlands Precinct: images courtesy of Riverlands Precinct

The post Resilient Cities Start with Resilient Communities appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

At Solid Green, we knew from the start that our Workplace Resilience Programme needed to be more than a set of feel-good activities. It had to be embedded, evolving, and evidence-informed. That’s why we began with the question: What does a truly integrated approach to workplace resilience look like?

An Integrated Architecture

We view resilience not as a standalone topic, but as part of a living system. The programme is designed to work in concert with our existing strengths – technical expertise, wellness initiatives, and leadership development – creating a dynamic model for what we call a Resilient & Regenerative Solid Green.

Solid Green’s resilience programme sits alongside two other anchors:

• Wellness at Work, which includes workplace health and well-being practices.
• Technical Skill & Proficiency, ensuring our delivery excellence remains high.

Together, these pillars form the ecosystem that supports our people, our culture and ultimately, our clients.

A Framework with Three Tiers

Our resilience strategy is delivered at three interconnected levels:

1. Resilience Assessments

• Every team member is invited to complete a private, 50-question assessment measuring their personal resilience profile. It’s not a test – it’s a reflection tool that surfaces both strengths and support needs.

2. Insights & Adaptation

• The results inform both individual learning and team-wide interventions, helping us co-design support based on real-world patterns and needs.

3. Programme Delivery

• Through workshops, self-guided tools, optional coaching, and ongoing content, we embed resilience thinking into how we lead, collaborate, and show up – both for each other and for the work.

How Individual Resilience Shows Up in the Organisation

One of the most compelling insights we’ve gained is that individual resilience doesn’t stay individual – it scales. Patterns in personal resilience can manifest in team culture, leadership effectiveness, and ultimately business performance.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• A team with strong emotional regulation and focus translates into better client interactions and delivery quality.
• A lack of rest and recovery habits can surface as reduced innovation, presenteeism, or team disengagement.
• Unaddressed overload or avoidance may quietly disrupt collaboration and resilience during periods of change.

This understanding helps us not only care for our people but also shape a healthier, more adaptive organisation.

Why It Works

Our approach isn’t flashy – it’s intentional. What makes the Solid Green Workplace Resilience Programme effective is that it is:

• Embedded within daily rhythms, not siloed.
• Informed by data, not guesswork.
• Co-created, not imposed.
• Flexible, but rooted in purpose.

In other words, we designed a system that grows with us.

Looking Ahead

Every new team member who joins Solid Green is invited to complete the assessment, ensuring we remain responsive to shifting dynamics and emerging needs. Resilience is not a fixed state – it’s a practice we commit to daily, together.

In the next article, we’ll share Lessons in Real Time – honest reflections on what’s working, what we’ve had to rethink, and how we’re applying what we learn inside our own walls to support the industry beyond them.

The post The Anatomy of a Resilience Programme appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

It’s a question that has long been answered through frameworks developed in the global North – where reliable infrastructure, consistent service delivery, and formalised urban systems are often taken for granted. But when we ask the same question in an African context, the answers shift. The realities shift.

The challenges we face in African cities – such as informal housing, aging infrastructure, resource scarcity, rising heat and uneven access to basic services – don’t just require more planning. They require different thinking altogether.

At Solid Green, we believe that truly sustainable cities must emerge from the intersections of dignity, regeneration, and justice. That means looking beyond imported metrics and embracing context-specific innovation. Because what works in Copenhagen doesn’t always work in Cape Town.

Rethinking the Question: From Green to Just

In many mainstream conversations, sustainability is reduced to carbon emissions, recycling rates, or access to public transport. These are important but they are not the full picture.

In African cities, we must consider deeper tensions:

• Density vs. Dignity
  Increasing urban density must go hand in hand with human dignity. We can’t stack more people into smaller spaces without addressing design, access, and quality of life.
• Growth vs. Regeneration
  Economic growth cannot come at the expense of environmental and social repair. Regenerative development asks: how do we heal what’s already broken while building what’s new?
• Service Access vs. Historical Exclusion
  Many communities have never received consistent access to clean water, safe transport, or green space. Sustainability must be built on the shoulders of equity, not assumptions of access.

Why the African City Matters

By 2050, nearly 60% of Africans will live in cities. How we design, govern, and regenerate these spaces will determine whether the continent thrives or fractures under the pressure of urbanisation.

African cities hold within them:

• Unparalleled cultural richness
• Youth-driven innovation and energy
• Deep traditions of community care
• Intimate knowledge of how to do more with less

Yet, our cities are also deeply marked by the legacy of apartheid, colonial planning, and economic exclusion. While cities in the global North developed under the wealth accumulation of industrialisation – often financed through colonial exploits – many African cities are urbanising without access to those foundational resources. As the World Resources Institute (WRI, 2024) notes:

Urbanisation in the global South is occurring under dramatically different conditions: less wealth, weaker institutions, and fewer infrastructure systems already in place.

Leapfrogging the Linear Path

And yet, despite these limitations, African cities are often at the leading edge of innovation. From mobile money systems like M-Pesa, to decentralised solar grids in peri-urban communities, to real-time transport mapping tools built for informal minibus routes, many African cities aren’t following the old roadmap. They’re leaping past it.

This means our approach to sustainability must not only account for local constraints, but also local ingenuity. African cities are not behind. They are different – and in many ways, already showing us the future.

From Standards to Stories

At Solid Green, we work with global sustainability frameworks but we do so with a local conscience. Our work doesn’t start with checklists. It starts with:

• Listening to lived experience
• Honouring community context
• Interrogating who benefits from our decisions

We believe that stories – from informal traders, neighbourhood youth groups, building custodians, or residents in peri-urban settlements – are just as important as data points. They reveal not only the need for change but the wisdom of those already adapting.

The Opportunity for Cities That Are Both Green and Just

What would it mean to design a city that doesn’t just function but feels fair, safe, and inclusive?

It would mean:

• Designing public space that supports social connection
• Embedding climate adaptation in everyday life
• Recognising housing as both infrastructure and identity
• Creating feedback loops between citizens and systems
• Planning for psychological safety, not just environmental performance

Importantly, we’re beginning to see tools evolve to support this shift. The new Green Star – New Build and Major Refurbishment Version 2 tool, currently in its pilot stage, includes a dedicated PLACES category – a major step forward.

As the Category Director for PLACES, I led the original localisation process alongside a team of expert consultants, translating the Australian framework into an African context. I was also responsible, alongside the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), for refining the category and its credits for the current pilot version of the tool now being used across South Africa.

At Solid Green, we’re currently supporting seven pilot projects pursuing certification under this tool. Each project is an opportunity to explore how sustainability can be deeply rooted in place, people, and purpose – not just performance metrics.

The PLACES category encourages teams to:

• Reflect local stories and histories
• Add long-term value to surrounding communities
• Move beyond isolated “green buildings” toward integrated, city-shaping projects

It’s a recognition that sustainability isn’t just technical. It’s cultural, spatial, and deeply personal.

Solid Green’s commitment to contextual urban sustainability is not theoretical, it’s project-proven. We were proud to act as consultants on the S&J Industrial Estate EcoDistrict – the first EcoDistrict outside of North America – and on The Precinct in Mauritius, the first commercial EcoDistrict in Africa. These pioneering projects reflect what’s possible when global tools like the EcoDistricts Protocol are rooted in place-based understanding, long-term collaboration, and cultural sensitivity.

Looking Ahead

This article is the first in our new Sustainable Cities series, where we’ll share reflections, frameworks, and fieldwork from our journey reimagining urban futures through an African lens.

In the next article, we’ll explore how resilient cities start with resilient communities, and how social cohesion, healing-centred design, and everyday equity are foundational to long-term sustainability.

The post What Makes a City Sustainable in the African Context? appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Contextual Influences and Locational Assessment

Understanding the specific contextual influences of identity is vital in sustainable architecture. Every city and every community holds a unique story, a distinct cultural fabric that needs to be considered in architectural design. Locational assessment, therefore, becomes more than just an environmental or logistical analysis; it is an in-depth exploration of the cultural, historical, and social landscapes.

In South Africa, where the tapestry of culture and heritage is rich and diverse, sustainable architecture has the potential to mirror and celebrate this diversity. The approach starts with listening – understanding the narratives, values, and aspirations of the people who will interact with these spaces daily. This understanding informs design strategies that not only respect but also actively embrace the local culture and heritage in respectful and interesting ways.

Placemaking and Cultural Storytelling

The role of visible placemaking projects in sustainable architecture cannot be overstated. Public Art installations, for instance, serve as visual narratives that connect the past with the present, weaving the story of a place and its people. When local labour, suppliers, and designers engage in the creation of these artworks or cultural elements, the architecture becomes deeply rooted in the locality’s essence.

In urban South African contexts, where history is as complex as it is rich, incorporating elements that tell stories of social and environmental pasts can transform buildings into living museums, echoing the voices of the land and its inhabitants. This approach fosters a sense of belonging and pride, reinforcing the identity of both the community and the city.

Sustainable Architecture as a Platform for Inclusivity

The collaboration between Solid Green’s Sustainable Cities & Research Department, led by Adrie Fourie, and the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), particularly in refining the Places category in version two of the New Build Green Star rating tool, exemplifies the commitment to creating sustainable, inclusive, and connected cities. This endeavour is not just about achieving high sustainability ratings; it’s about crafting spaces that resonate with people and their stories.
The updated version of the Green Star tool will be aimed at empowering project teams to integrate local culture and heritage into their designs, ensuring that green buildings contribute to urban identity as much as they do to environmental sustainability. This creates an exciting opportunity for architects, engineers, and sustainability consultants to be part of a movement that intertwines the green narrative with the cultural fabric of South African cities.

Technical Precision and Creative Expression

Balancing technical precision with creative expression is key in the design of sustainable architecture that shapes urban identity. The technical aspects of green building – energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable materials – supply the foundation.

However, it is the creative incorporation of cultural and historical elements
that breathes life into these structures, transforming them from impressive feats of engineering into landmarks of community identity.

As the industry gears up to work with the Green Star tool v2, there is palpable excitement around the possibilities this offers. No longer is it only about constructing environmentally sustainable buildings; it is about creating spaces that celebrate South African heritage, tell local stories, and foster a deep connection with the community.

Conclusion: Building for the Future

The journey of sustainable architecture in South Africa is as much about building green as it is about creating meaning. As we envision the cities of tomorrow, we see structures that respect the environment while reflecting the vibrant cultures and histories they appear from. These buildings will stand as testaments to a time when sustainability and identity converged, creating spaces that were not only environmentally conscious but culturally vibrant, inclusive, and deeply connected to the African soul.

In this exciting era of sustainable urban development, we are not just architects, engineers, and consultants. We are custodians of a rich cultural heritage, crafting spaces that will tell the story of our time to future generations.

Adrie Fourie

The post Sustainable Architecture & Urban Identity: How Green Buildings Shape Cities appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

The essence of this approach lies in creating spaces that do more than minimize their ecological footprint. They actively contribute to the fabric of their communities, serving as nodes that enhance social interaction and facilitate alternative modes of transit. The effort to reduce private fossil fuel-powered vehicle use is not just an environmental concern but also a design challenge that requires a nuanced understanding of the locations where projects come to life.

Connectivity through Walkability

Walkability is a cornerstone of sustainable urban design. A walkable community encourages residents or building end-users to choose pedestrian travel over vehicular, leading to reduced carbon emissions and promoting health. By incorporating elements such as wide sidewalks, and safe and well-lit pedestrian walkways, green buildings can become integral parts of walkable urban landscapes. It’s about crafting a built environment that invites interaction, not just within its walls but also within its neighbourhood.

In urban South African contexts, where the sprawl has often prioritised cars, there’s a paradigm shift underway. Architects, planners, and engineers are reimagining spaces and envisioning communities where a trip to the grocery store or the morning commute can be a pleasant walk rather than a traffic-laden drive. This is not just about convenience. It’s about creating a more cohesive society where the chance encounters and shared experiences that happen on foot can flourish.

Alternative Transit Modes: The Green Connectors

Beyond facilitating pedestrian traffic, green buildings can act as hubs for alternative transit modes. Cyclist facilities, pick-up and drop off infrastructure, and close proximity to amenities and different public transport options can significantly enhance a building’s accessibility. These facilities encourage occupants to opt for more sustainable and healthier transit options, which not only alleviate traffic congestion but also knit communities together.

Green buildings in this context are not isolated entities but integral pieces of an urban puzzle. They serve as catalysts for change, prompting a re-evaluation of our dependency on traditional vehicular travel. When buildings offer amenities that support cycling or electric vehicle charging, they’re not just providing services; they’re advocating for a shift in cultural norms.

Understanding Location to Enhance Movement

A nuanced understanding of location is critical when designing green buildings that promote connectivity. In the South African urban context, with its unique historical and geographical layout, this understanding is even more crucial. The efforts of Solid Green’s Sustainable Cities & Research Department in collaboration with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA), exemplify this approach. Our work in localising the Places category of the Green Star version 2 tool is aimed at ensuring that projects can contribute meaningfully to the creation of sustainable, inclusive, and connected cities, encouraging project teams to consider walkability, safety, and engagement in their designs.

Recognising the specific needs and character of a project’s location — whether it’s in the commercial heart of Joburg or the more expansive regions of KZN — allows for designs that facilitate movement and interaction unique to each context. Integrating buildings into the broader community, whether by leveraging existing public transport routes or creating new corridors of movement, remains a key aspect of their success.

The Future Is Connected

The trajectory of South Africa’s green building sector is not only redefining the relationship between a building and its occupants but also its connection to the broader community. By placing a premium on connectivity as well as conservation, the new wave of green architecture is enabling a renaissance in community integration within urban settings.

As the industry progresses, the potential for green buildings to serve as keystones in the arch of community connectivity is immense. It’s an exhilarating era for South African urban development, where the vision extends beyond isolated green spaces to interconnected, thriving communities. The transformation depends on the industry’s commitment to recognising green buildings as not just environmentally sound investments but as pivotal to the fabric of urban connectivity.

The post Designing for Community Integration: How Green Buildings Enhance Connectivity appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Understanding the Contextual Assessment Process

Constructing a green building that becomes an organic part of its surroundings entails a comprehensive contextual assessment. This process could involve reviewing local area planning frameworks, site conditions, and contextual placement while considering a myriad of factors that collectively shape a neighbourhood’s character. Elements such as site location, the natural context, surrounding land uses and zoning, landscape systems, neighbouring developments, transportation connectivity, nodal identify, and safety concerns all play pivotal roles in these assessments.

Seamless Integration: a Catalyst for Transformation

The evolution of architecture has ushered in an era where buildings are no longer standalone entities; they are integral threads woven into the fabric of the neighbourhoods they adorn. Through meticulous contextual assessments, architects and designers wield the power to create structures that enrich the urban experience, pay homage to local heritage, and foster an authentic sense of place. As the journey towards a more sustainable future unfolds, the art of integrating green buildings into their immediate context emerges as a meaningful tool in shaping vibrant, inclusive cities.

Elevating User Experience through Integration

When project teams collectively assess the findings of a contextual assessment, architects and designers are able create a building responsive to its environment, aligning with the existing scale and rhythm of the neighbourhood. This approach enhances the asset’s long-term viability and amplifies the end-user experience. It ensures that passersby are engaged both visually and physically, while building occupants benefit from accessible spaces and environments that elevate their experience.

Promoting Connectivity for a Healthier Future

Strategic positioning of green buildings is crucial for facilitating easy access for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation users. By seamlessly integrating green buildings with existing transportation networks, it’s possible to reduce traffic congestion and promote healthier, more active lifestyles. Architects and urban planners, designing with connectivity in mind, create spaces that encourage movement, interaction, and accessibility.

Green Buildings as Catalysts for Placemaking

Green buildings possess the potential to transform underutilised areas into lively hubs of activity. The incorporation of public plazas, green courtyards, and communal gathering spaces allows architects to create environments that bring people together, fostering a sense of belonging and contributing to the neighbourhood’s vitality.

Shaping Neighbourhood Cohesion and Urban Identity

In an era of rapid urbanization and heightened environmental consciousness, green buildings have emerged as beacons of sustainability and innovation. As urban landscapes grow denser, the significance of seamless connectivity becomes increasingly vital. With cities evolving at an unprecedented pace, the integration of green buildings into the urban landscape takes on even greater significance. Beyond their ecological advantages, these structures hold the potential to redefine how neighbourhoods facilitate connections, strengthen social cohesion and bolster urban identity.

Fostering Connection through Holistic Design

Through meticulous site analysis and responsive design strategies, green buildings emerge as catalysts for amplified urban connectivity. These structures could serve as conduits for transforming neighbourhoods into thriving, collaborative hubs. The blueprint for success lies in fostering spaces that encourage connection, engagement, and interaction. By embracing this multifaceted approach, cities can embark on a journey towards sustainability, vibrancy, and inclusivity—one project at a time.

Green Star v2: Places Category

Through the development and inclusion of the Places Category into the Green Star version 2 rating tool, the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) establishes a blueprint for project teams to ensure that green building design considers its locational context and surrounding nodal character. This ensures end-user connectivity to amenities and diverse transport modes while create a visual language that communicates character and identity, all while embracing safety of place.

Projects may already be incorporating much of what is required to support the Places category and its respective credits. The intent is to establish a shared benchmark that further drives market transformation, aiding the consistent growth needed for our cities in the future.

About Adrie Fourie

Adrie Fourie, Head of Solid Green’s Sustainable Cities & Research Department, is actively collaborating with the GBCSA to enhance the Places category and its associated credits. This exciting endeavour aims to transform the category into a dynamic platform that empowers project teams to contribute significantly to the creation of sustainable, inclusive, and connected cities. By encouraging projects to explore their potential in shaping walkable, safe, and engaging environments, this initiative supports the development of strong social cohesion and an enriched sense of place for all.

Projects featuring placemaking:

• 110 Oxford: Shaping a more Resilient and Sustainable Future
• Ikusasa, 7 Parks Boulevard: Setting the tone for a sustainable future
• First certified Ecodistricts in Africa
• 8 Parks Boulevard exceeds Green Star benchmarks
• Double certifications for Greenlee and Greenpark
• The De Zicht Lifestyle Centre – a Balwin first for Cape Town
• Waterfall City’s first net zero building sets sustainable office space benchmark

The post Contextual Harmony: Integrating Green Buildings into the Urban Fabric appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

We want to be the change. That’s why we are leading the charge and doing the EcoDistricts work in South Africa.

Solid Green is investigating and testing the EcoDistricts methodology by looking at a specific node in the city, including developing an energy use and carbon emissions calculations tool. Once this is done, the project will then start to identify interventions that could de-carbonise the neighbourhood. The intention is to ultimately assist the City of Johannesburg to identify ways of scaling this work up and replicating it throughout the city.

Watch the video here:

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During 2020, I started working with Solid Green on a few projects on a contractual basis which really planted the seed for ongoing collaboration in a more permanent capacity. One of the projects I have been involved with was research for an American-based NPO on water efficiency opportunities in South Africa, with the aim of conserving water and avoiding associated carbon emissions from water heating. Next month, I will be participating in the virtual Hot Water Forum being hosted by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), where I shall share our findings and learn from similar studies conducted worldwide.

Another project I am involved with focusses on learning more about, and applying a city-scale certification protocol: testing the EcoDistricts protocol for the City of Johannesburg. The aim is to understand the local context and how implementing this new model of urban development can be applied successfully and replicated continuously, to create more equitable, resilient cities that are focussed on moving toward carbon neutrality. We are also engaging with a local developer on potentially pursuing an EcoDistricts certification, and it is great to see the market responding to the new service offering we are hoping to expand.

I am also working on an offshore Green Star certification – engaging with a design team and client who are new to the green building industry, which is both challenging and rewarding. I particularly enjoy facilitating the change we know is needed.

The real beauty of Solid Green is that they create platforms for ideas to be discussed, debated, and ultimately developed into an exciting new road down which to travel. And this is a space where I can thrive.

Armed with an undergraduate degree in urban planning with a strong focus on economics, I started my career as a Development Economist – helping cities, municipalities and private clients identify growth or investment opportunities while advising on the possible social, environmental and economic impacts their decisions might have, and helping to maximise the positives and offset the negatives in appropriate ways.

After a few years I transitioned into an advisory role around urban management and sustainable city planning, and I think it was here that my interest in the green building industry took hold. In support of this interest, I completed a master’s in architecture through research on water conservation in the building environment, and I completed a Postgraduate Diploma at the Erasmus University in the Netherlands focussed on green cities for eco-efficiency, once again helping me to refocus on the city-scale.

I am a trained Climate Reality leader, a Living Future Ambassador, an EcoDistrict AP as well as a Green Star AP+. Clearly, I have a thirst for learning and a passion for ensuring that we treat the earth with the kindness it requires to support us in the long-term.

I have always been a keen advocate for moving away from business-as-usual, to get off the path of least resistance and motivate for new ways to approach development while being mindful of our impact on the communities around us, supporting the environment for future generations and shifting mindsets along the way. I am looking forward to the opportunity I have been given by Solid Green to continue the work I love in a supporting and nurturing environment.

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During those initial days, it seemed that I had so much time on my hands as my commute had been reduced to a mere minute – walking to the office in my house after making a mug of tea – that it felt fitting that I had to find appropriate ways to use that additional time constructively. People and organizations from across the globe were reaching out online, eager to share the challenges they were experiencing because of #covid19; looking for answers on how we should shape our responses to create better cities and spaces; and sharing the realization that this might just be the ‘new normal’ we need to plan around. There were webinar invites coming in at a constant pace, and I signed up for all the ones that linked to private and professional interests.

The golden thread running through all the sessions seemed to be the focus on health, climate change, the challenges communities are experiencing in our cities, and the need to develop socially and environmentally just responses beneficial to all.

Emphasis was placed on how built environment design professionals must do better in creating spaces that support improved public health outcomes through the provision of connections to nature, healthier indoor environments with great access to healthier transport options. Significant emphasis was also placed on collaborative governance that supports improved interaction with communities through appropriate online channels to provide opportunities for people to help shape the cities they live in through meaningful engagement.

Another theme focused on public transport and how the pandemic was already having an impact on the longer term future of this sector, noting the significant reduction in carbon emissions usually associated with transport during the height of the lockdown; discussing how the absence of private vehicles meant pedestrians were no longer competing with vehicular traffic in our cities; but, more crucially, highlighting that the majority of people rely heavily on public transport to move between work and home.

There was also a significant focus on how people can improve their houses now that they are spending more time there – reducing the risks associated with load shedding, improving thermal comfort, and creating a work space separate from home life. The current crises also highlighted the plight of our homeless communities and their increased vulnerability to various shocks and stresses, and the need for more permanent solutions to these challenges. There is also increased pressure on government to put basic services – especially water and sanitation – in place to support and protect our communities.

To date I have attended close to 80 webinars; completed at least 5 courses managed by the Green Building Council of Australia; completed the EcoDistricts training; and served as a mentor to 17 participants in the first ever online global training event hosted by the Climate Reality Project, after having been trained as a Climate Reality Leader myself in 2014.

I have also had to become fluent in ‘reading the room’ by only watching people’s faces on a screen and adjusting to the limited use of body language to both send and receive non-verbal communication.

Like many people, the initial enthusiasm I had for increased access to learning and interaction has since waned slightly, and I am now more selective with the online content in which I participate – focusing on sessions that will leave me with a concrete skills set to apply to local projects instead of just hearing about what worked elsewhere. Not all the webinars aimed at international participants provide useful content for the South African context, and many of the questions we need answers for are largely still being formulated. But one thing is clear – we need local ideas and solutions to drive our responses.

So, for anyone who is still eager to participate in online learning, my recommendation would be to consider signing up for the second round of the Climate Reality Leadership training event. The first event, hosted at the end of last month, included 10,000 trainees from around the globe all being trained as climate activists by former US Vice President Al Gore. The Climate Reality Team and the trainees were supported by over 500 mentors and the message throughout the training was clear – climate change is real and it is manmade, but there are actions we can all take to respond effectively. We just need to take a collaborative approach to finding suitable solutions for our communities.

Those of us who have a voice and a platform to spread the message must advocate for appropriate and consistent change, including a move away from our dependence on fossil fuel; and we must give a voice to those communities most affected.

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