29 Jul 2019
29 July 2019
As I travel around Australia to meet with members in my first 100 days, I’ve been inspired by the phenomenal engagement and passion for the GBCA and our mission.
Listening to the rich diversity of member views – whether that’s from product manufacturers or property owners, managing agents or consultants – I’ve been struck by your unique perspectives as we work together to build a better future. And I’m excited to be working with you.
It’s only by listening to these diverse perspectives that we uncover new opportunities to fine-tune our events and education, enhance our rating system or expand our influence into new areas, like reconciliation or modern slavery.
Member engagement is an evolutionary process, and I’m proud of our growing list of proof points – from greater participation at events to more feedback from members who identify areas where we can improve.
Alongside our mainstay members we are excited to see new portfolio registrations and volume certifications in new sectors like banking, grocery and fast-moving consumer goods.
Green Building Day attracted record attendance this year and our inaugural TRANSFORM conference exceeded delegate expectations.
We’ve recently concluded a series of breakfast events with local government members which uncovered fresh perspectives and new opportunities. Our profile with the Phill Raso gives an insight into how one local government is driving change.
And we received an unprecedented 100-plus responses to our Future Focus consultation paper. More than 600 people engaged with the consultation process – a powerful testament to the industry’s passion for the GBCA’s mission.
From this feedback we know that 96 per cent of our members support the new Future Focus framework, and the same percentage want 6 Star Green Star to align with net zero carbon.
We established the Future Focus Early Access Program to co-create the new Green Star for New Buildings rating tool with members. Among our members to sign up are Mirvac, who is test-driving the rating tool on a commercial office building. Stockland is trialling it on a mixed-use development and Charter Hall on an industrial project.
Some projects we are working with are chasing 6 Star Green Star ratings, which will help us to harmonise our ‘world leadership’ benchmarks with net zero. Others are targeting 4 Star Green Star which will aid our continued efforts to simplify certification.
We are on the hunt for more projects to work with us, particularly residential, retail and public buildings. A wider range of projects will guarantee that Green Star’s next generation benchmarks represent the depth and breadth of our industry.
We are also seeking member feedback on our next Future Focus Project: Green Star for New Communities. How can Green Star drive communities to meet the demands of the next decade and beyond? Please share your thoughts when we release this next consultation paper in the months ahead.
As we enter a new period of growth, we are excited to announce the appointment of Mirvac’s CEO and Managing Director Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz as our new Chair. Susan has driven an ambitious sustainability agenda at Mirvac and is passionate about broadening our scope to homes and social infrastructure. Susan assumes the reins from Frasers Property Australia’s chief Rod Fehring, and we thank him for his exceptional contribution over his two-year term.
We are very excited about the future, but that doesn’t mean we’ve taken our eyes off the opportunities in front of us today. It’s fundamental to our mission that we support you, our members, on the projects you are working on right now.
Working in partnership with all our members is at the heart of our vision for the future.