Green Star – Communities assesses the planning, design and construction of large scale development projects at a precinct, neighbourhood and/or community scale. It provides a rigorous and holistic rating across five impact categories.
Current rating tool: Green Star - Communities v1.1, released 13/09/2016
Updated rating tool: Green Star Communities v2, consultations closed.
Precinct and land development projects are complex and can take a long time to deliver. For this reason, Green Star – Communities certification lasts a maximum of five years, after which the project can recertify. This allows projects to re-assess their approach, improve on their approach, and be recognised for progress made in delivering on the ground.
While Green Star – Communities will continue to be updated, projects are recertified with the version of the rating tool under which they achieved their previous certification. As such, project teams are not subject to clarifications or amendments made as part of later revisions.
However projects may choose to upgrade to the most up-to-date version for their recertification.
Aims to encourage and recognise developers and projects that demonstrate leadership within the sector, by establishing and maintaining strong governance practices. The category promotes engagement, transparency, as well as community and industry capacity building. It also seeks to ensure that community projects are resilient to a changing climate.
Aims to encourage and recognise developments that deliver safe, accessible and culturally rich communities. The category encourages the development of healthy and active lifestyles, and rewards communities that have a high level of amenity, activity, and inclusiveness.
Aims to encourage and recognise projects that promote prosperity and productivity. The category encourages affordable living and housing, investment in education and skills development, and community capacity building. This category also promotes greater productivity through emerging opportunities in the digital economy.
Aims to reduce the impact of urban development on ecosystems. It encourages resource management and efficiency by promoting infrastructure, transport, and buildings, with reduced ecological footprints. The Environment category seeks to reduce the impacts of projects on land, water, and the atmosphere.
Aims to recognise the implementation of innovative practices, processes and strategies that promote sustainability in the built environment.
The Green Star – Communities Framework is a vision, a set of principles and aspirations to help guide and support the development of sustainable communities.
Green Star – Communities Framework
The Cross Claim approach has been developed for circumstances where there are buildings located within the boundary of a Green Star – Communities project seeking to be assessed under the Green Star – Design & As Built rating tool.
The approach recognizes that there are commonalities in the sustainability attributes that have been certified at a site wide level that are applicable at a building level. Where these commonalities apply the Cross Claim approach is intended to help streamline a buildings’ Green Star – Design & As Built certification.
The results of a Green Star – Communities assessment are applicable to all buildings located within the boundary of the related Green Star – Communities project.
The development of a Cross Claim Certification Technical Amendment document for your projects is a three stage process.
Download Cross Claim Approach: Green Star – Communities and Green Star – Design & As Built
It you would like to develop a Cross Claim Certification Technical Amendment document for your project please contact the Green Star Solutions team.
The purpose of the project inception checklist is to ensure that project teams embed the principles of the Green Star – Communities rating tool into the early project planning activities.
Download the Green – Star Communities project inception checklist
All projects are encouraged to use the latest version of the rating tool.
The following documents detail the process required for projects substituting credits or credit criteria from newer versions of the Green Star – Communities rating tool.
For all projects registered under a previous version of Green Star – Performance, search the Green Star Resources page to download all supporting resources required to complete your submission (a general overview of resources is provided on the Resources and Roles section of our website).
| Green Star – Communities | Release date |
|---|---|
| Version 1.1 | 01/08/2016 |
| Version 1.0 | 07/08/2015 |
| PILOT Version 0.2 | 01/02/2015 |
| PILOT Version 0.1 | 11/05/2014 |
| PILOT Version 0.0 | 14/06/2012 |
While Green Star – Communities will continue to be updated, projects are recertified with the version of the rating tool under which they received their previous certification, unless they specifically choose to upgrade to the most up-to-date version of the tool.
For more technical resources to support your submission for assessment visit the roles and resources overview page and the Green Star Resources portal.
Go the the Green Star Resources portal