Meet the members, in conversation with Kirtika Vallabh

Kirtika Vallabh is a professional registered quantity surveyor who established Ahimsa Consulting cc, a company that provides quantity surveying services to the built environment. She has been part of the built environment for over 20 years and strives to provide clients with an excellent level of service.  She answered our questions to give us insight into her work, the environment and what inspires her.

1.  Where do you go for inspiration?

I usually start my day with yoga or a workout and practice a power breathing exercise daily called SKY breathing, which is a breathing technique used for relaxation and stress management followed by meditation. This allows me to clear my head and sets the tone for the day ahead.

2.  What is the best part of your workday?

Every day is an opportunity to learn and share something new, and this is achieved when interacting with our young graduates. Questions are raised which allow me to transfer skills and knowledge, and often I too have an opportunity to learn new skills and information such as IT skills, new building technologies, contract law, etc. These are the moments I thoroughly enjoy!

3.  What is the most exciting project/aspect of your work currently?

We are currently working on the development of a new learning facility for a tertiary Institute, consisting of classrooms and an auditorium. The design includes a flexible hybrid set-up brought on by the pandemic, which allows for students to be physically present in the room or connect remotely from another campus or location.

4.  What achievement are you most proud of?

This year marks our 20th anniversary as a quantity surveying practice. We have weathered the ups and downs whilst continually striving to provide excellence to the built environment industry without ever having to compromise our integrity.

We have been fortunate enough to work on projects such as schools, clinics, libraries, hospitals, offices, and warehouses. A project that we are truly proud of is the development of the new Germiston Theatre. The theatre is situated in Germiston at the site where the Dale Carnegie library stood. Heritage council required the library facade to be retained, and so the theatre was developed around it.

5.  What do you think is the most urgent global environmental challenge facing us?

Climate change will always be part of our conversations. We are constantly looking for solutions which aim toward mitigating these risks as it is every individual’s responsibility to contribute through our daily actions. I recently became aware of the importance of saving soil as this directly impacts food production and food security, so I think that this is definitely an urgent environmental issue that needs to be addressed.

6.  What do you feel is the biggest issue in the green building industry that we have to overcome, and any ideas on where to start in tackling it?

There is a great opportunity to introduce green building technology to public sector projects. There are developments in the public sector that have implemented green technology, but it should become the norm rather than a “nice to have”. Green building initiatives may have a greater capital demand, however, the cost benefits over the life cycle of the building need to be highlighted and brought to the attention of various government entities. The database of buildings registered and certified by GBCSA can also include the cost of the buildings, the green initiatives implemented, and the percentage spent on green initiatives, etc. – basically a tool that will assist in convincing clients to consider green technology.