In line with its Vision 2030 commitment to sustainability, transformation and excellence, UCT has institutionalised green-building standards for all new construction and major refurbishments. The university’s Minimum Green Building Construction Standard (approved June 2023) mandates a minimum of 4-Star Green Star certification (via the Green Building Council South Africa – GBCSA) for new buildings and refurbishments > R20 million, specifying energy and water-efficiency targets, embodied-carbon reduction, and indoor-environment quality.

Summary of UCT’s Minimum Green Building Construction Standard

  1. Policy adoption and scope
    • The policy was approved by UCT’s University Council in June 2023.
    • It builds on an earlier requirement (from 2012) that all new buildings on campus achieve a minimum 4-Star Green Star rating (via Green Building Council South Africa, GBCSA).
    • Under the 2023 standard, the requirement extends not only to all new builds but also to major refurbishments / renovations above a certain financial threshold (refurbishments exceeding R20 million) on UCT campuses.
  2. Minimum certification and ambition levels
    • The minimum certification level for new construction and eligible refurbishments is set at 4-Star Green Star (design and/or as-built) under the GBCSA rating tools.
    • UCT explicitly uses the construction standard to support its broader campus sustainability goals: becoming a net-zero carbon, water, waste-to-landfill campus by 2050 or sooner.
    • While the minimum is 4-Star, UCT buildings such as the d-school Afrika have achieved 6-Star Green Star (World Leadership) ratings, demonstrating the institution’s ability to surpass the minimum standard.
  3. Key performance-areas and features
    • The standard mandates focus on energy efficiency, water usage reduction, and resource/materials management, among other green-building attributes (e.g., indoor environmental quality, transport, materials, ecology). For example, in coverage of the d-school Afrika’s 6-Star rating, UCT highlights features such as rooftop photovoltaic systems, rain-water harvesting, low-energy lighting and thermally-activated building systems.
    • The standard ties into the Green Star rating tool categories such as management, indoor environmental quality, energy, water, transport, materials, land use & ecology, emissions and innovation.
  4. Implementation & monitoring
    • The standard requires that qualifying projects register with the GBCSA and aim for certification as part of the building process. The standard effectively embeds into UCT’s design and procurement protocols for major capital projects.

Why it matters

  • The Standard demonstrates UCT’s institutionalised commitment to embedding sustainability into capital infrastructure rather than treating green buildings as ad-hoc.
  • By setting a minimum certification level (4-Star Green Star) and applying it to all new builds and major refurbishments, UCT ensures baseline compliance and aligns with global best practices in sustainable construction.
  • The policy supports UCT’s Vision 2030 sustainability pillar and its campus-wide net-zero ambitions, thereby contributing to SDGs such as SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
  • The requirement for independent green-building certification (GBCSA) increases accountability, transparency and replicability, which is valuable for rankings verifiers.
  • Highlighting that the Standard applies to refurbishments above a financial threshold (R20 million+) shows UCT’s awareness of retrofits and existing-building stock in its sustainability strategy - an important nuance often overlooked.

Complementing this policy, UCT has delivered several award-winning buildings and sustainability milestones:

  • The Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika “d-school Afrika” (Middle Campus) achieved a 6-Star Green Star as-built rating in October 2024 - the first academic building on the African continent to receive this “World Leadership” designation under the GBCSA Public & Education Buildings v1 standard.
  • Previous green-certified buildings include the New Lecture Theatre (Upper Campus) and the Graduate School of Business Conference Centre (Breakwater Campus) both 4-Star Green Star; plus the Avenue Road Residence (Lower Campus) - the first South African university student residence to win a Green Star rating (4-Star) in 2020.
  • In 2024 UCT also saw student-led and built-environment research recognised: at the 2024 Greenovate Awards (GBCSA & Growthpoint Properties) two UCT teams placed third in the Property / Engineering category for sustainable building-design research.

These developments reflect UCT’s ongoing implementation of sustainable building practices: from policy to procurement, construction and certification. In particular, the 2024 milestone of the 6-Star rating for d-school Afrika demonstrates UCT’s leadership in sustainable infrastructure. By constructing high-performance, low-carbon, water-efficient new buildings and embedding them in campus life and teaching, UCT advances its institutional sustainability agenda and supports broader goals: SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) through sustainable infrastructure; SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by fostering green higher-education campuses; and SDG 13 (Climate Action) via high-standard buildings aligned with net-zero ambitions.