Vodacom is to build one of Africa’s greenest buildings in order to discover alternative methods of reducing carbon emissions.

The South African building, which is expected to be completed before the winter, will act as a base for staff to test new ways of powering their buildings using renewable energy. Any findings will be passed on to staff from Vodacom and its parent company, Vodafone, to be used worldwide.

Image source via GLH (South African Architects)

Green Building Council of South Africa

According to insidermedia.com, the building is to be constructed in accordance with guidelines from the Green Building Council of South Africa, in order to reduce its impact on the environment. It may therefore utilise cladding panels to decrease the amount it costs to heat the building.

Sustainability measures

Speaking to itweb.co.za, Vodacom’s CEO, Pieter Uys, explained the importance of developing sustainability measures in the current economic climate.

He said: “Not only will the innovation centre help to deliver energy savings across the Vodafone group, but it will also save us money.

“Business can no longer look at sustainability as a nice-to-have element of operations – it is a critical aspect of our business strategy that adds enormous value to the bottom line.”

It has been confirmed that the building will make use of solar technology through both a photovoltaic installation and thermal air conditioning system.