Building green not as costly as once thought – study

A new report published on Friday by industry associations has revealed that the cost premium of building “green” was only an average of 5% above the construction of traditional buildings, much less than previously thought. The first edition of the ‘Green Building in South Africa: Guide to Costs and Trends’ report showed green building premium costs for 4-Star-, 5-Star- and 6-Star-rated office blocks varying between 1.1% and 14.2%.