A rating tool for existing buildings
Why Green Star Performance?
As consumers, employees and investors grow to expect higher environmental and wellbeing standards more and more companies are committing to taking climate action. This includes the buildings we work, sleep and create in.
While the last few years have seen a 'green gold rush' of new buildings designed and constructed to the highest environmental standards, new construction accounts for a mere 2% of our building stock every year. Most buildings were built decades ago with little thought given to environmental and social impacts.
Ensuring existing buildings operate to meet best practice standards is not only possible, but essential. And this is where Green Star Performance comes in.
This rating tool can help boost the operational performance of existing buildings. Whether it's a heritage building or a newly built stadium, Green Star Performance creates benchmarks and pathways that deliver healthy, resilient and positive places - helping you work towards better performance, today and tomorrow.
The Green Star Performance rating scheme is fantastic because it provides a framework to assess current sustainability performance and to then conduct a gap analysis on how performance can be improved over time. This translates into policy changes, behavioural changes, equipment upgrades, and more.
Marlon Kobacker, Technical Director of Sustainability, Mott MacDonald
Learn more about Green Star Performance v2
Transitioning to Green Star Performance v2:
- From 31 July 2024 when registrations opened, all projects are eligible to register
- From 1 January 2025, new projects must register under v2
- From 1 January 2026, all projects must submit under v2
Key features of Green Star Performance v2
Sets you up for a better building over time
Unlike other Green Star tools, projects certified under Green Star Performance can achieve a rating from 1 Star to 6 Star, empowering you to measure and benchmark your performance from wherever you are starting from and realise the benefit of more sustainable options over time.
Go beyond environmental performance
Green Star Performance v2 is a comprehensive tool that extends beyond managing energy, water and waste, and enables you to address the issues that will define the next decade of the built environment. The tool’s eight categories enable you to act on the areas of sustainability that matter most, resulting in buildings that are better, healthier and more responsible.
A clear path to reach your decarbonisation goals
Green Star Performance v2 includes the Climate Positive Pathway – a clear set of targets aligned with the IPCC recommendations, helping you deliver a climate positive building that is:
All Green Star Performance v2 rated buildings must be climate positive by 2040, and all world leading buildings must be climate positive by 2030
Meet tenant demands with a better standard in building performance
Green Star Performance v2 sets minimum standards for fresh air, adequate light, acoustic comfort and exposure to toxins, whilst also incentivising you to go beyond and reach higher benchmarks - so you can rest assured you're delivering a healthier building that will be sought after by tenants.
Make attaining your ESG ambitions easier with fast, simple reporting
Green Star Performance v2 s developed in line with local frameworks and international recommendations to address the challenges of the next decade, including:
- NABERS
- World Green Building Council's global megatrends
- IPCC recommendations
- World Economic Forum 2023 Global Risks Report.
Better performance, better returns
Compared to an average performing building, 4-6 Star Green Star Performance projects will:
- use 10-40% less energy
- use 10-75% less water
- produce less waste (e.g. 5-6 Star projects send less than 2kg/m2 of waste to landfill or incineration annually)
Access sustainable finance
Reporting with Green Star Performance v2 is easier than ever. The tool is aligned with leading investor and sustainable finance frameworks including:
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- The Climate Bonds Initiative
- GRESB
- The Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).
Be recognised for your leadership
Green Star certification is your opportunity to differentiate our brand in a competitive market.
Frequently asked questions
Meet Rating Expectations
For any project to be certified under Green Star Performance, it must meet a set of Rating Expectations that vary based on the star rating that the project is targeting.
Earn points
A project is awarded points for each credit achieved. The total points determine the star rating awarded.
Deliver on the Climate Positive Pathway
BY 2040, all projects certifying under Green Star Performance must meet all requirements apart of the Climate Positive Pathway, no matter what rating they are targeting. From now until then, Climate Positive Pathway requirements vary depending on the star rating the project is targeting, and are included in the Rating Expectations.
*Requirements to meet the Climate Positive Pathway change over time. Please see the submission guidelines for full requirements.
Recertify annually
Green Star Performance v2 rates the ongoing operations of a building. An awarded rating is valid for 12 months. To maintain a continuous rating, projects are required to register and submit each year, which includes paying an annual fee. A submission that goes through two rounds of assessment typically takes 6 months to achieve certification. Once a certificate has been awarded, it is valid for a 12-month period. This is known as the Annual Certification Cycle.
Green Star Performance v2 awards one type of certification, Green Star certified, with six levels of recognition ranging from 1 Star to 6 Star. A 1 Star rating recognises beginning the journey towards better building performance. A 6 Star rating represents World Leadership in building performance.
1. Access resources
Understand the requirements by reviewing the Green Star Performance v2 Submission Guidelines and accessing our additional resources from the Green Star Resources Portal
2. Register your project
Register your project directly using our online platform. Portfolios are required to upload a list of assets in Excel using this template. Please check that your project meets the eligibility criteria. If you have any questions, contact the Market Engagement team.
3. Submit your documentation
Get familiar with our submission guidelines and the documents needed to show your project meets our benchmarks, then submit them to us.
4. Get your project assessed
Our independent panel of sustainability experts will assess your submission, give feedback and/or confirm certification.
5. Promote your achievement
Once you're certified, you're ready to share your achievement with the world! Visit our promotion webpage for any marketing queries you may have.
6. Recertify every year and continually improve
Green Star Performance v2 is a continuous rating tool with an annual reporting and registration cycle.
Transitioning to Green Star Performance v2:
- From 31 July 2024 when registrations are open, all projects are eligible to register
- From 1 January 2025, new projects must register under v2
- From 1 January 2026, all projects must submit under v2
One of our key goals in developing Green Star Performance v2 is to streamline the submission process as much as possible. In the transition from v1.2 to v2, our digital team is working hard to optimise the Green Star Online submission portal so that it best serves your needs.
As at January 2025, project teams submitting portfolios for assessment under v2 have two options:
-
Submit manually
This involves preparing your submission using Word and Excel templates, and scorecard, and uploading them via the existing Green Star Submission portal. Project teams wishing to submit using this method should go to their Green Star Manager, select ‘My Requests’ and lodge a request to ‘Fix or modify a calculator / scorecard.’ Please include the details of the credits that you intend to target in your submission.
-
Submit using the Green Star Performance Online platform
Project teams also have the option to make a digital submission using the Green Star Performance Online submission platform. Once your project is registered with the GBCA, the online submission platform can be accessed via the Green Star Project Manager. Navigate to ‘My Projects’ then select the ‘Submission Portal’ button to enter the app.
Project teams submitting a single building project for assessment should plan to use the manual submission method as Green Star Performance Online is still under development for single buildings. Registered projects will need to request the submission templates and scorecard through the Green Star Manager using ‘My Requests’ to lodge a request to ‘Fix or modify a calculator / scorecard.’ Please include the details of the credits that you intend to target in your submission.
Project teams submitting for recertification under Performance v2 should also plan to use the manual submission method for the next few months, as Green Star Performance Online is still under development for recertifications.
We look forward to supporting your certification under Performance v2 and appreciate your understanding during this initial launch phase. Should you require any support, please contact the Technical Coordinator assigned to your registered project.
The GBCA expect to provide a further update on submission methods by 1 July 2025.
Start the journey towards better
If you're ready to start the journey towards a better performing future, email the Market Engagement team for more information or request a briefing.