A pathway for apartment buildings
What is the Green Star Buildings Apartments Pathway?
As our cities grow denser, housing costs climb and climate pressures intensify, many Australians are choosing apartments not as a compromise, but as a conscious choice. People are on the hunt for homes that are well located, affordable and sustainable.
The Green Star Buildings Apartments Pathway is a roadmap within the Green Star Buildings rating tool, tailored to the needs of apartment buildings. It details a series of credits that matter most to apartment buildings and introduces new apartment-specific requirements.
The pathway ensures you’re on track to deliver an apartment that’s healthier, more efficient and better for the environment. An apartment that’s better for today, and tomorrow.
For the first time, the pathway offers independent unit level assurance as part of a building's certification, giving buyers, banks and tenants confidence that each home meets high performance standards answering not only the needs of consumers, but also providing the verification needed to unlock green financing.
Resources
Rise and thrive: Sustainable apartments for a resilient Australia
As our cities grow denser, housing costs climb and climate pressures intensify, Australians are redefining “home” by choosing options that align with today’s economic, social and environmental realities.
Estimate of energy savings in a typical 2-bedroom apartment with a certification
This paper was prepared to provide an estimate of potential energy savings of a Green Star apartment compared to a typical apartment for use in the publication “Rise and Thrive: sustainable apartments for a resilient Australia”
Who is the pathway for?
The pathway is designed for developers who need a straightforward, effective and achieveable roadmap to developing apartments which meet their own sustainability targets as well as the needs of consumers today and in the future.
The pathway is optional for Class 2 multi-unit residential projects including, build-to-sell, build-to-rent, affordable housing, community housing and mixed-tenure housing certifying under Green Star Buildings. It does not include student accommodation or hotels.
Submission guidance
The Apartments Pathway submission guidance document is available for download at the link below. They must be read in conjunction with the Green Star Building submission guidelines which are free for members and available for purchase for non-members in our shop.
Download the brochure for developers Download the guidanceWhy upgrade to the Apartments Pathway?
- Answers consumer demand: 81% of buyers consider sustainability features as 'critical' or 'important'
- Makes financial sense: Energy efficient apartments command a premium of 11.7%, whilst only costing on average an additional 1.3% of the project cost
- Unlocks financing: In addition to unlocking investor finance, the added assurance of the unit-level report will help your customers access green loans
For more information, please contact our Market Engagement team.
Email the team View our consumer page to learn more about the benefits
Frequently asked questions
Any multi-unit residential project that is registered for a Green Star Buildings certification is eligible to use the Apartments Pathway. Applicants can opt-in to use the Apartments Pathway as part of their Green Star Buildings registration when completing the online application. For projects that elect to use the Apartments Pathway there are specific marketing rules outlining how this commitment can be communicated.
Yes. Projects that are already registered under Green Star Buildings may notify the GBCA that they intend to follow the Apartments Pathway by submitting an Eligibility Query via the Green Star Manager online portal. The GBCA will then confirm whether the project meets the eligibility criteria.
For the first time, the Green Star Buildings Apartments Pathway will allow you to receive a report that verifies that each individual unit, not just the building it is in, meets the requirements. This means you can provide more assurance than ever before to buyers or renters that the apartment is a great home, in a great building.
The Green Star Buildings marketing guidelines set out how to communicate that your project is targeting or has achieved the requirements of the Apartments Pathway.
No. Your certification fee for Green Star Buildings includes completion of the Apartments Pathway if you decide to opt-in.
The Green Star Buildings – Apartment Pathway v1 outlines the full credit requirements and can be accessed via the Green Star Resources Portal. Applicants and project teams are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the credit requirements. Our brochure for industry summarises the benefits of using the pathway.