October 20 2026 10:10
The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) Green Building Convention 2026 takes place from 27–29 October 2026 at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town
More than 800 property and sustainability leaders will head to Cape Town next week for the Green Building Council South Africa’s 19th annual convention, the first under new CEO Georgina Smit. The question on the table is no longer whether sustainable buildings are worth building, but how quickly the industry can deliver them at scale.
This year’s theme is “The Green Revolution: From ambition to action”. The organisers have said it reflects a sector that has largely won the argument on why green buildings matter and now has to show it can deliver.
Registration closes today, 20 October, via gbcsaconvention.org.za.
A new CEO, a sharper message
This is the first convention under Georgina Smit, who took over as GBCSA CEO in May this year. She succeeded Lisa Reynolds, who had led the organisation since 2020. Smit’s appointment was announced at last year’s convention, also in Cape Town.
Smit spent more than five years at the GBCSA as head of technical and executive director, overseeing certification, training and research. Before that she worked for about ten years at global engineering consultancy Arup. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Stellenbosch University and a master’s from Cambridge University.
Her message going into the convention is pragmatic. Rather than leaning on environmental idealism, she is framing green building as a commercial decision.
“Most people are not going to go green simply because they think it is the right thing to do,” Smit said ahead of the event.
For property owners, she put it even more bluntly: “An empty building is a property owner’s worst nightmare.”
Sustainability is increasingly tied to the things landlords care about most, which are occupancy, tenant demand, operating costs and asset values. Smit said “green building certification does not have to be a cost; it can actually be a competitive advantage.”
The numbers behind the argument
The GBCSA can back that claim with data. The MSCI Green Annual Property Index, released in June and produced with the GBCSA and Growthpoint Properties, tracked 242 prime and A-grade office buildings worth a combined R54.8bn. Of those, 122 are green-certified.
Over the ten years to December 2025, green-certified offices delivered an annualised total return of 6.98%, against 5.26% for non-certified offices. That is a gap of 172 basis points a year, which adds up to cumulative outperformance of 28.2% over the decade.
The operating figures for 2025:
- Gross income per m²: 34% higher for green-certified offices
- Monthly net operating income: R152/m² for green offices, against R102/m² for non-certified buildings
- Operating cost-to-income ratio: 41% for green offices, against 48%
- Vacancy: 10.3% for green offices, against 13.1%
- Valuation: R21,251/m² for green offices, against R14,510/m²
Green buildings in South Africa let better, cost less to run relative to their income and are valued more highly.
There is one caveat. In 2025 alone, non-certified offices recorded a marginally higher total return, which MSCI put down mainly to a short-term rental recovery from a lower base.
“One year of performance never tells the full story,” said Eileen Andrew, vice president for client coverage at MSCI South Africa.
Timothy Irvine, head of asset management for offices at Growthpoint Properties, said the index showed that “sustainable buildings are not only delivering environmental benefits but also creating measurable value.”
For listed property funds and their shareholders, this matters. South Africa’s office market is still working through high vacancies in several nodes, especially in Johannesburg, and tenants are increasingly moving from older buildings into newer, better-rated space. A building’s green credentials are becoming part of how it competes for those tenants.
Who is speaking
The convention presents a rich variation of speakers:
Elizabeth Wathuti, the Kenyan environmentalist and founder of the Green Generation Initiative, will speak on climate leadership. She is one of Africa’s best-known young climate voices, and her inclusion signals the GBCSA’s intent to place South Africa’s green building agenda in a continental context.
Political scientist, author and commentator Prince Mashele is on the programme. South Africa’s municipal elections are approaching, and local government plays a central role in building approvals, service delivery and the infrastructure that green buildings depend on.
Samantha Skyring, founder and CEO of Oryx Desert Salt and Lorne Sulcas, the motivational speaker known as “The Big Cat Guy”, is also listed among the speakers.
Inside the Buildings Track
The programme includes a dedicated Buildings Track that tackles some of the sector’s practical questions. Topics include:
- What high-performance buildings in Africa should look like. This recognises that imported standards don’t always suit local climates, construction methods and budgets.
- The practical opportunities and limits of artificial intelligence across the property lifecycle. AI is being used more and more in building design, energy management and facilities management, but its real-world value is still being tested.
- How human behaviour affects the performance of green homes in South Africa. A home designed to be efficient only delivers if the people living in it use it as intended, so this is a crucial question for the residential sector.
The behaviour question is relevant as green certification moves into the mass housing market. A certified building can underperform if occupants leave lights on, run inefficient appliances or ignore water-saving features. Residents who understand how their homes work can lift performance well above the design targets.
Water joins energy on the agenda
Rand Water is partnering with the GBCSA for the fourth consecutive year. It is bringing a message that is gaining urgency across the country: “Blue is the New Green”.
The utility wants water sustainability to sit alongside energy efficiency and carbon reduction as a core part of green building. Through its Water Wise initiative, it promotes responsible water use among households, businesses and developers.
Gauteng has suffered repeated water outages in recent years, driven by ageing infrastructure, maintenance backlogs and rising demand. For property owners, water security is now a business continuity issue as well as an environmental one. Rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, water-efficient fittings and on-site storage are increasingly part of how buildings are designed and marketed.
Balwin Properties will feature at the convention. The residential developer, which recently delisted from the JSE after shareholders approved a PIC-backed buyout, has built much of its brand around sustainable apartment living.
Founder and CEO Steve Brookes claims Balwin is the world’s largest developer of IFC EDGE Advanced-certified homes. The company supports the GBCSA’s Green Star New Build V2 rating tool.
EDGE certification, which focuses on measurable savings in energy, water and the embodied energy of materials, has become popular in the middle and affordable housing markets. Buyers there feel the benefit directly through lower utility bills. Property Flash readers will have seen this in recent coverage of developments such as Craft Homes’ Riverstone Wetland Estate in Fourways, which earned preliminary EDGE certification earlier this month.
The convention will be held at The Century City Conference Centre, in Cape Town’s Bridgeways Precinct. This development itself holds a 4-Star Green Star certification from the GBCSA. It was also the first venue in Africa to achieve the Green Key Eco-Label, an international standard for sustainable hospitality and events facilities.
Why it matters for the property sector
For investors, landlords and developers, the convention arrives at a significant moment.
First, the business case is now backed by a decade of data. The MSCI figures give asset managers hard evidence to put in front of investment committees when justifying the extra cost of certification or green retrofits.
Second, tenant expectations are rising. Large corporate occupiers, especially multinationals with their own net-zero commitments, increasingly need green-certified space to meet reporting obligations. Buildings that can’t meet those requirements risk being left behind in the leasing market. That is exactly the “empty building” scenario Smit warns about.
Third, the cost of capital is changing. Banks and bond investors are offering better terms for green-certified assets through green loans and sustainability-linked bonds. Several JSE-listed Reits have tapped this market in recent years, and the gap between green and conventional funding costs is likely to become a bigger factor in development and acquisition decisions.
Fourth, the deadline is drawing closer. The GBCSA has long pushed the industry towards net-zero carbon buildings by 2030, and that date is now just three years away. The pressure to move from pledges to completed projects is clear, which is why this year’s theme is “from ambition to action”.
The convention also offers networking opportunities and an exhibition, which have traditionally drawn suppliers of green building technologies, from solar and battery storage to smart building systems and sustainable materials.
From ambition to action
The GBCSA has spent nearly two decades building the case for sustainable buildings in South Africa. This year’s convention reflects a shift in tone. The evidence is in, the tools exist, and the commercial benefits are measurable.
The 19th Green Building Convention takes place at the Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town, from 27 to 29 October 2026. Registration closes on 20 October at gbcsaconvention.org.za. Contact the GBCSA on +27 21 486 7900 or 08610 42272.
