October 14 2026 14:40
Craft Homes’ Fourways estate has earned preliminary EDGE certification from the Green Building Council South Africa, with projected energy savings above 37%. It joins a fast-growing list of homes, offices and retail centres built to the IFC’s green standard.
Craft Homes has announced that Riverstone Wetland Estate, its development beside the rehabilitated Magaliessig wetlands in Fourways, has received preliminary EDGE certification from the Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA). The GBCSA is the local certifying body for EDGE, the green building standard developed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The news follows soon after Craft Homes won five categories at this year’s International Property Awards. Riverstone won for sustainability, Iconic Melrose for design and architecture, and Bryanston Country Estate for marketing. Iconic is an interesting name for a new building but it might soon prove to be iconic.
What EDGE certification requires
EDGE stands for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies. The IFC, part of the World Bank Group, created it to give developers a measurable, financially credible way to show the value of building green. To qualify, a project must show at least a 20% reduction in energy use, water use and embodied energy in materials, compared with a standard local building. A higher tier, EDGE Advanced, requires at least 40% on-site energy savings, and a Zero Carbon level exists for buildings with very high energy performance that offset or avoid their remaining operational carbon. Certification happens in two stages: a preliminary certificate is issued between design and construction, and final certification follows once the development is complete.
Riverstone clears the entry-level threshold in all three categories. Its projected savings are 37.54% on energy, 20.76% on water and 36.07% on embodied energy in materials. Final certification will follow once the whole development is complete.
“Riverstone was built around the idea that you don’t have to choose between a beautiful, liveable estate and a genuinely sustainable one,” said Reinier van Loggerenberg, CEO of Craft Homes.
“Getting the EDGE numbers independently audited and approved is proof that the wetland-first design decisions we made on paper actually hold up in practice,” he said.
A growing field of certified projects
Riverstone joins a sector that has grown quickly over the past decade. The GBCSA has now certified more than 80 EDGE projects at post-construction stage, and has broadened the pool beyond housing into education, healthcare, industrial, office, mixed-use and student accommodation.
Recent and notable buildings and their certifications include:
- Mall of Africa, Midrand: In 2025 it became the largest EDGE Advanced retail certification in the southern hemisphere.
- Aurum Zimbali Lakes, KwaZulu-Natal: Nexxagen’s development of six high-end homes holds preliminary EDGE Advanced certification, with 60% energy savings at the design stage. The developer describes it as the first set of high-end EDGE Advanced homes on the KZN coast.
- Balwin Properties’ build-to-rent pipeline: Last month Balwin announced up to 7,300 rental-only apartments across six developments in Johannesburg East, Tshwane East and the Western Cape, all of which will keep the EDGE Advanced certification used across its build-to-sell estates. Balwin already holds the largest EDGE-certified residential portfolio in the world.
- Century Property Developments: At the GBCSA Leadership Awards 2025, Century won the EDGE Residential Leader award for the highest number of post-construction certified units, with Balwin recognised for the second highest, all at EDGE Advanced level.
- Illovo Country Estate, KwaZulu-Natal: Alleyroads’ 240-unit affordable housing estate achieved EDGE certification, and the developer says it was the first in South Africa’s affordable housing sector to achieve design certification under EDGE Version 3.
- Nexus 1, Waterfall: Attacq’s 7,363m² office building became the first Green Star-certified building in South Africa to also earn EDGE certification, with 88% on-site energy savings.
Riverstone’s numbers sit close to some of the sector’s benchmark projects. Madulammoho Housing Association’s Belhar Gardens in Cape Town received final certification for 41% energy savings, 30% water savings and a 36% reduction in embodied energy.
Van Loggerenberg said the certification is “the technical backbone” of the sustainability story the awards judges recognised.
“It’s also validation for a much bigger team than ours: the auditors, the engineers, the architects, who had to solve problems most residential projects in Gauteng never have to think about. We’re proud to be able to point to a number now, not just an intention,” he said.
Green finance for buyers
EDGE certification can also lower costs for buyers who finance through South Africa’s major banks. According to Craft Homes, ABSA offers a 0.25% interest rate reduction for Level 1 EDGE certification, plus a rebate of up to R56,000 once the final certificate is registered and submitted. The developer says many banks offer a 0.25% reduction for new and existing clients. Nedbank offers 103% loan-to-value bonds for first-time buyers and up to 50% off attorney bond registration fees. FNB offers cash back of up to R55,000 on qualifying purchases under R2m. Standard Bank offers a rebate of up to R55,000 on units bought directly from the developer before 31 January 2028.
I wrote extensively about this for ABSA Home Loans’ client magazine: The Address.
On the lending side, Nedbank CIB Property Finance partnered with the IFC in 2021 to issue a R1bn green residential development bond aimed at EDGE-certified housing, with a focus on affordable projects.
About Riverstone
Riverstone Wetland Estate is 500m from Montecasino and Fourways Mall. It has 12 apartment blocks and 275 units in seven layouts, from studios to two-bedroom apartments, arranged around the rehabilitated wetland, which residents can use for recreation. Sixty percent of Phase 1 units sold over the launch weekend.
Features include 24-hour security, fibre, metered water and solar backup power, along with energy-efficient lighting, low-flow water fittings and onsite renewable energy, all in line with the measures approved in the EDGE audit.
Occupation is happening in phases. Phase 1 is already occupied, Phase 2 is expected later in 2026, Phase 3 in April 2027 and Phase 4 in July 2027. Craft Homes says bond and transfer costs are included if finance is secured through its mortgage origination team within 30 days of reservation. The show units are open every weekend from 12pm to 5pm at 14 Daniel Road, Magaliessig, Fourways.
By Alistair Anderson, Property Flash editor
alistair@propertyflash.co.za
