Inside Green Star – 7th edition, June 2021
11 Jun 2021
Get ready for Green Star Buildings
In October 2020, Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) launched the first rating tool of our Future Focus program with the release of Green Star Buildings. It signaled the biggest overhaul of our sustainability rating system in 18 years.
In line with the release of Green Star Online, we will be publishing a maintenance revision of the Green Star Buildings Submission Guidelines alongside the release of the Online Submission Platform and Calculators. This revision will apply to projects already registered to Green Star Buildings.
Since the release of the tool, we have continued to receive invaluable industry feedback from our Early Access Projects and projects that have either registered or working towards registration with Green Star Buildings. The maintenance updates respond to this feedback by increasing the amount of pathways and guidance in the rating tool. They also align more closely with our Carbon Positive Roadmap. Finally, we will also be publishing the first three sector-specific credits, specifically for tenanted buildings: Upfront Fitout Emissions, Commitment to Performance, and Tenant Emissions. As announced at Green Building Day, the Circular Economy Leadership Challenge will be available for projects to target.
As the deadline for registrations with Green Star - Design and As Built v1.3 nears, we encourage Green Star Accredited Professionals to familiarise themselves with the Green Star Buildings rating tool and contact us with any questions.
Bookings are available for Green Star Buildings Advanced course via the GBCA website.
Improving your Green Star experience
We continuously strive to improve your Green Star experience. Here are just some of our most recent improvements to make your Green Star journey easier:
Green Star — Design & As Built - guidance on credit substitution with Green Star Buildings credits
If you’re interested to try Green Star Buildings credits on your Green Star - Design & As Built project, have a look at the Green Star Buildings - guidance on credit substitution, available on the Resources page.
Clarification of assessment comments
If, after receiving the results, the project team is unsure about how to address the Round 1 comments, the project team have the option to seek 'Clarification of assessment comments'. This is done by simply going to Green Star project manager and selecting the request 'Clarification of assessment comments', and follow the prompts. We recently updated the clarification form, so it’s simpler to fill out.
New GBCA website login
We are currently updating our digital platforms so we can better serve our members and Green Star projects, the update will deliver a seamless experience across the website as well as the ability to manage your Green Star project online.
Microsoft users (e.g. Outlook or a company email address that is associated with the Microsoft platform)
When you login to our website, using Microsoft authentication, you need to use the password associated with that email address rather than those you created when you first signed up to GBCA.
Non-Microsoft users
If you don’t use a Microsoft email address in your GBCA account, you can continue to use the email address and password you initially registered with – however you will need to set-up your password as a once off as we transition to using the Microsoft authentication platform.
We will have a transition period until 31 July 2021, after which you will no longer be able to login using your existing GBCA login details. Click here to find out more.
Want more information on Green Star? Go to our Resources page and also our Rating system page to find the latest information available to project teams on all Green Star ratings.
Homes consultation feedback overview
Everyday in the news and media we hear mention of Australia’s housing crisis.
Our homes are meant to be our castle, our sanctuary and a place to keep our family safe. Did you know that in Australia more people die from the cold than in Sweden? Our homes account for 57% of greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment and unfortunately have problems with mould. We also pay amongst the highest electricity bills in the world.
In answer, we have developed a rating system for measuring the health, resilience and efficiency of the home, The Green Star Homes standard. A Green Star Home requires high standards of design and construction to ensure a high standard of health and well-being for the inhabitants, but not at the expense of the environment or your wallet.
We released the draft Green Star Home Standard for consultation in July 2021. Over 50 written responses were provided. Key takeaways from the consultation include:
- More than 60% supported the minimum NatHERS (National Home Energy Rating System) of 7 Stars;
- There was a high degree of support for efficiency measures such as airtightness (over 75%), energy efficient appliances and renewable energy (more than 75%); and
- About 75% of respondents supported the certification pathways proposed (Design and Certified) and the strategy to target volume home builders.
What’s next?
We’re working with our Early Access Partners (Stockland, Mirvac, Metricon, Rawson Homes, LendLease, Ingenia Communities, Chatham Homes, Landcom, Development Victoria and the Passivehouse Association of Australia) to test and pilot the Green Star Homes Standard ahead of its scheduled release in August 2021.
We also know that we must make the case with consumers which is why we’re working with a consumer marketing company to help our partners develop key messages that resonate with consumers.
Supporting this program will also include independent cost study of the Green Star Homes Standard to respond to housing affordability concerns. We will publish the outcomes of this study later in the year.
We’re very excited about this next chapter in Green Star, because we believe that all Australians deserve to live in a home that is healthy, resilient and efficient.
Update on Green Star Online
Our purpose is to lead the sustainable transformation of the built environment, and our vision is to create healthy, resilient and positive places. Digitising our rating tools is one of our key strategic initiatives aimed at improving the customer experience and making better use of our Green Star data.
The digital transformation of the Green Star process will provide the technology foundations to support industry’s ability to rate buildings, communities and fitouts. In December 2020 we released four online calculators for Green Star Buildings as the first stage of Green Star Online. This includes;
- upfront carbon emissions;
- energy use;
- movement and place; and
- life cycle impacts.
We have been developing further features such as the Green Star submission manager, this includes submission forms, ability to upload and manage documentation and reporting dashboards. As we prepare of the launch of this platform we are seeking expressions of interest for user testing. Are you interested in testing Green Star Online?
Register your interestMore free FAQs
Have a question about Green Star? Check out our most recent FAQs below, or view and search all FAQs - they're free!
F-00189 - How can project teams target the DGNB ‘Integrated Public Art’ credit under 'Global Sustainability'?
F-00190 - Can projects target credit 25.1 Site Maintenance Procedures from Green Star - Performance under the Innovation category?
F-00183 - How should project teams demonstrate compliance with the Light Pollution credit using the time clock methodology?
F-00184 - Can project teams use alternative metrics to demonstrate compliance with flicker free LED lighting?
F-00182 - Do buildings need to be included in the scope of the LCA in the Green Star- Communities rating tool?