04 Mar 2025
Just over two months into 2025 and it’s already shaping up to be another big year for the Green Star Strategy and Development team at the GBCA. Our role here is to deliver the Green Star rating tools and supporting resources to help you and your project team on the way to achieving a Green Star rating. No matter what Future Focus rating tool you’re using, we have something for you this year.
Excitingly, we have two new releases hot off the press. The Green Star Communities v2 Submission Guidelines are now available for download. Our updated rating tool for masterplanned precincts sets a pathway for low carbon, nature-focused outcomes. Sign up to the launch webinar to hear more.
Also recently launched was the Green Star Buildings – Apartments Pathway. Housing is a mainstay of political and media discourse for a good reason. Every Australian deserves a quality home, and this latest development in our Homes strategy gives everyday consumers access to a mark of quality that represents a clear set of sustainability outcomes in apartments.
The Green Star Performance v2 transition has begun in earnest, with the first of registration transition dates coming into play. For anyone working on the upgrade, there's a handy summary of the key changes between the two rating tools, and when you're ready for a deeper dive, you can book in for an Advanced Day course.
Development on the evolution of Green Star Buildings version 1.1 is well under way as we sift through and action your comments from the consultation we undertook in 2024. Over the coming months, we will be working with our Expert Reference Panels, Advisory Groups and the Green Star Advisory Committee to finalise the rating tool for release towards the middle of the year. And speaking of our governance groups, we’ll be seeking nominations later this year so if you’re interested in joining keep an eye out for the announcement.
And if that’s not enough, this year will also include the last major milestone of Future Focus – a program five years in the making – Green Star Fitouts. The recent consultation on credits had a huge response (thank-you!) so we’ll be taking on that feedback as work through the final stages of a rating tool that helps you deliver healthier and more circular fitouts.
The evolution of Green Star is a testament to our commitment to change, and to trusting the process – that goes for all our members too. Our commitment to keep pushing forward for a better built environment, and a more resilient tomorrow, is more important than ever. We are here to walk that path with you and support you along the way.
Hope to see you at TRANSFORM!
On 25 February we launched our media and consumer campaign for the Green Star Buildings Apartments Pathway, and the next day we held an industry launch hosted by Stockland.
The Apartments Pathway is a new set of requirements and targeted credits within the Green Star Buildings rating tool to help you deliver more sustainable multi-unit residential projects. For the first time, the pathway will offer independent unit-level assurance, giving buyers, banks and tenants confidence that each home meets high performance standards.
Guidance on use of the pathway is available on our website and in the resources portal.
On the 13th March, there will be a webinar Introducing the Apartments Pathway. Join us for an introductory webinar to gain insights into the development of the Apartments Pathway, its key drivers, features and benefits, and how it can create value for your next Green Star Buildings apartment project.
Look out for the announcement on technical training, coming soon!
Join our introductory webinarOn 27th February we released version 2 of Green Star Communities. GBCA have been developing the next version of Green Star Communities as a part of our Future Focus Program, setting a new standard for creating great places to live, work, and play
It focuses on practical, real-world solutions to create vibrant, low-carbon and healthy communities that are ready for the future.
Join us on the 12th March for a webinar on Green Star Communities v2. Register here.
Download the guidelinesThis leadership challenge encourages building owners or operators to consider how their building reduces its real-time grid electricity greenhouse gas emissions by changing time of energy use through load shifting and grid interaction. It was created in partnership with Buildings Alive, Positive Zero and CSIRO for buildings targeting a Green Star Performance v2, to support outcomes highlighted in the From net zero to zero: a discussion paper on grid-interactive efficient buildings.
Projects are awarded through three performance levels, from collecting interval data to successfully showing that the building’s load is shifting to between 9am and 3pm when renewable sources are making their largest contribution to the grid.
The built environment is a major contributor to resource consumption, accounting for approximately 50% of all materials consumed. Construction and demolition waste from buildings are also responsible for 40% of solid waste. The concept of buildings as material banks (BAMB) reframes buildings to be repositories of high value materials that can be reused rather than becoming waste at the end of the building’s life, aligning with a circular model.
This Leadership Challenge aims to incentivise buildings to be designed to maximise the potential for its elements to be reused at its end of life. It was created in partnership with Kennett Builders and dSquared Consulting for buildings targeting a Green Star Buildings v1 rating.
Do you know the updated requirements around Green Star Buildings?
We have introduced an update to the guidance around claiming the Green Star Accredited Professional criteria under Industry Development credit from Green Star Buidlings.
For in house training enquiries contact nicola.scudamore@gbca.org.au
Find more details in our FAQs Find upcoming dates for Green Star Buildings trainingCheck out our recently published resources that can help you on your next Green Star project.