Awards News

University of Cape Town dominates 2021 Greenovate Awards

Photo caption from left to right: Mario Schehle – RMS (Remote Metering Solutions), 1st prize winner in Engineering, Karabo Makole – University of Cape Town, Lisa Reynolds, CEO of the Green Building Council in South Africa (GBCSA),Grahame Cruickshanks, Growthpoint’s head of sustainability and utilities.

The University of Cape Town has once again taken both top spots in 2021’s Greenovate Awards, triumphing in the engineering and property categories.

The winners were announced at a gala dinner held at The Leonardo Hotel in Sandton Central:

Engineering:

1st place: Karabo Makole, UCT: ‘Manufacturing tiles from copper mine tailings using geopolymerization’.

2nd place: Andrea Fiorita, North West University: ‘Industrial LED Fixture’.

3rd place: Nina Sirba, Stellenbosch University: ‘Mechanical and durability properties of concrete containing recycled plastic waste (resin8 and pet) as a sand replacement’.

Property:

1st place: Tristan Fernandes, UCT: ‘A life cycle cost analysis of developing high-rise sustainable, innovative, affordable housing in SA’.

2nd place: Aasif Mohamed, Asemahle Mngxuma and Sacha Harper, Wits: ‘Experimental process of introducing chicken manure as an additive in Portland Cement to decrease pollution and to increase thermal insulation as well as other properties of a concrete mix’.

3rd place: Barret de Villiers, UCT: “Investigating the adoption of green building features, initiatives, and technology in commercial buildings’.

The Greenovate Awards launched in 2015. For 2021, 22 students from 5 universities entered the awards. The students research current issues, came up with unique solutions to real-life problems, and presented their ideas to industry decision makers.