16 Dec 2020
2020 has seen our Future Focus program come to life with the launch of Green Star Buildings, the biggest overhaul of our sustainability rating system in 18 years. While the built environment responds to the challenges of climate change, our tools are being taken up by industry faster than ever before so it’s vital that we have the technology to support this uptake.
“Our purpose is to lead the sustainable transformation of Australia’s buildings, cities and communities, but to do this we need the technology foundations in place to support us and our users on this journey. This initial stage of Green Star Online is the first step in that direction,” said GBCA Head of Finance and Operations, Stephen Thatcher.
The digitisation of the Green Star process is being undertaken in partnership with Australian software developers and Microsoft partner, Build-Apps. We partnered with Build-Apps for not only their extensive experience on the Microsoft platform but for their sustainability experience and understanding of Green Star tool, “Build-Apps are extremely proud to have selected as the Microsoft Partner for the GBCA with the digitalisation of Green Star,” said CEO Liam Murray.
GBCA CEO Davina Rooney says Green Star Online will improve the customer experience of users progressing Green Star projects and streamline the service provided to members and project managers,“We know it’s important that the technology used to support Green Star evolves at the same pace as our rating tools. Green Star Online will help us achieve our technology goal to transform our data into an asset while enhancing the customer experience in the delivery of our products and services,” said Davina.
Green Star Online will be delivered on Microsoft 365 utilising the Power Platform, globally recognised for its exceptional reporting and data sharing capabilities. By working closely with Microsoft we can develop a highly customisable platform that is scalable, future proofed and user friendly, all within a familiar interface.
“Microsoft is committed to harnessing the power of technology to help everyone, everywhere build a more sustainable future. Our ongoing not-for-profit partnership with GBCA gives us the opportunity to work with an organisation making real change in the built environment.” said Tyrone Theodorides, Director Microsoft Technology Centre. Sydney.
The first stage of Green Star Online is the release of four online calculators that can be used to demonstrate a project’s sustainability attributes and the compliance with rating tool credits:
This agile approach will give users the opportunity to explore the new platform and provide us with feedback, helping to ensure the product is one they will take up and trust into the future.
The calculators can be accessed through the Green Star Buildings submission platform. Click here to access the submission platform. All projects that are registered for Green Star Buildings will have access to the online platform. Users that would like to explore the platform and calculators can create a demo project by clicking "Create Demo" here. The calculators can then be accessed through the relevant category and credit on your project.
Build-Apps is an Australian software developer creating apps that focus on the monitoring and reporting of data for the built environment, all within the Microsoft 365 platform. Whether it be your property portfolio or your next sustainable project, their team of solution architects, software developers, real estate and Green Star trained professionals can help you maximise performance data and achieve your sustainability targets.