One of these compelling classes is to be presented by Dan Epstein, head of sustainability for the London Olympics who will be facilitating a workshop on how one creates not only sustainable buildings, but also sustainable neighbourhoods and cities, which is the big challenge facing civilisation.
The content of this presentation, which will be taking place in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, will lean heavily on Epstein's 30 years of experience with sustainable developments. The workshops will focus on what makes a sustainable city. It will use the London Olympic project, which, at its heart is the largest urban regeneration project in Europe, to develop and test a model for sustainable cities and it will invite participants to test their own development projects against the model to see how well they are doing against the proposed model. The intention is to create a shared understanding of sustainability as it applies to the built environment.
The second half of the workshop will invite participants to discuss issues they are concerned about in sustainable place-making, design and construction with reference to the model and a shared understanding of sustainable development. Issues that will be unpacked will include policy making, culture and leadership, design, target setting, procurement and construction. The intention being to apply a general understanding of the principles behind sustainable development to specific issues applicable to South Africa.
The workshops will be held in Johannesburg on Thursday, 18 October; in Durban on Friday, 19 October; and in Cape Town on Tuesday, 23 October. For more information on the master classes and to book, visit www.gbcsa-convention.org.za/.
