What to expect from the latest Green Star refresh
16 May 2019
The
sustainability goals and standards for
our
built
environment are changing. Fast.
When we talk about sustainability, we’re no longer talking just about
the environment but about society and the economy as well.
Governments, investors and communities are demanding improvements for
better environmental and societal outcomes across society, including in
the physical world around us.
At the
Green Building Council of Australia, we are responding to these
global trends with a transformation of the
Green Star rating system. We
want to ensure our built environment is not only sustainable, but able
to benefit the environment as well.
In just over a decade, Green Star has been a transformational force,
with more than 2250 projects now certified. To maintain that impact in
such a fast-moving landscape, we must continue to evolve our tools.
Thanks to continued support and feedback, we are preparing to introduce
changes that will set up the rating system to be even more successful
over the next decade in driving further transformation and at the same
time expand its uptake to new stakeholders.
What will change?
Green Star for New Buildings
builds on its environmental roots to deliver a better, more accessible,
and more relevant rating tool. It features the biggest overhaul to the
rating system since its inception, with an expanded scope communicated
through eight brand-new categories.
Its vision statement is simple: Healthy, resilient and positive places
for people and nature, built responsibly and showcasing leadership.
In addition, and in line with our Carbon Positive Roadmap, we are homing
in on carbon
emissions to encourage a net zero carbon future for the
built environment, harnessing
renewable energy and low-emissions
technologies. World-leading buildings are now expected to be net zero
carbon, so we are ramping up our requirements.
A 6-Star Green Star building will have to have a low energy demand and
use 100 per cent renewable electricity to meet certification
requirements in 2020. By 2023, 5-Star Green Star rated
buildings will also have to source their electricity from 100 per
cent renewables. We are also targeting the use of fossil fuels in
buildings, with requirements to reduce their use as much as possible and
offset the rest.
Under Future Focus, we will encourage the building to consider impacts
beyond just its own. For example, new credits will encourage a holistic
approach to address and minimise a building’s impact on neighboring
buildings. Not only that, but a new place making category will encourage
creating better places within our cities.
At the same time as we are encouraging the best to do even better, we
want to encourage those starting their sustainability journey to use
Green Star.
This includes setting clear requirements and building a library of clauses, contract examples, and additional tools to help deliver energy efficient, water efficient, climate change ready buildings with good indoor environment quality.
What won’t change
While some of the criteria and
benchmarks for Green Star ratings will change, our philosophy at the
GBCA will not.
Our goal is still to create healthy, resilient and positive places for
people to work, live and play. We believe we can achieve this through
the sustainable transformation of Australia’s buildings, cities and
communities.
Green Star-rated buildings will retain their competitive advantage in
the crowded commercial and residential property markets.
And Green Star-rated buildings will continue to save money, create
healthier environments and improve the nation’s environmental
sustainability – one building, or community, or fit out at a time.
After certifying more than 2250 buildings, 38 per cent of the country’s
office space, communities home to 420,000 Australians, and shopping
centres visited by more than 1.3 million people each day, we are
continuing to strive for improved sustainability across our built
environment.
How we got here
The GBCA has arrived at the
proposed new Green Star for New Buildings thanks to significant and
ongoing consultation across industry. For more than a year we have
liaised with industry representatives through panel discussions, face to
face meetings, and online seminars. Ten expert panels have provided
valuable feedback with over 130+ participants. We have tried to get the
balance right. Now we are asking for more help to refine the new way
forward. Consultation is open now, until 10 June, for the first of our
Green Star Future Focused rating tools: Green Star for New Buildings.
This article first appeared as an exclusive on The Fifth Estate. For
more information on Green Star Future Focus, including consultation
deadlines and partnership opportunities, head here,
https://new.gbca.org.au/green-star/future-focus/.
--ENDS--
Source: Green Building Council of Australia - www.gbca.org.au
Contact: N/A
External Links:
Green Star Future Focused rating tools: Green Star for New Buildings
Recent news by: Green Building Council of Australia