Currently there are 2 types of Green Star ratings - Green Star - Design rating and Green Star - As Built rating. The 'Design' rating assesses the environmental attributes of a prospective development whereas the 'As Built' rating assesses whether these environmental attributes have been adopted during the construction phase.
What happens to the Green Star rating once the building has been built? Is the building still 'green' if not managed and maintained in accordance with sustainable practice?
Whilst NABERS - the National Australian Built Environment Rating System - measures an existing building's environmental performance during operation and complements Green Star ratings, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) wishes to ensure that Green Star remains a credible rating tool.
On Monday 7 February the GBCA announced the development of a new green building rating system, called Green Star – Performance. Green Star – Performance rates the sustainability standards of existing buildings, and buildings that have already been Green Star accredited. This is an additional rating system, as the current rating systems only cover the sustainability of the design and construction of buildings.
Green Star - Performance assesses the operational impacts that buildings have following design and construction on the built environment.
Why another rating system category?
GBCA reasons that following feedback from stakeholder groups, a gap in the market was identified, being the lack of information as to whether existing buildings operate sustainably, and to ensure the continued integrity of the Green Star rating program. Anecdotal evidence suggest some property owners are beefing up buildings with certain features guaranteed to contribute to the Green Star rating of a building - then removing these features once the Green Star rating has been awarded.
The changes are in very early development stages, at Phase 1. A draft Green Star - Performance scoping paper is on the table and GBCA is inviting comments from the public. Following this, at the end of March 2011, feedback will be incorporated to the paper and Phase 2 will begin. Phase 2 will develop the actual technology and implementation strategies required for Green Star - Performance to be rolled out.
As Green Star - Performance is at very early stages of development, stakeholder feedback is required in order to develop the scoping paper into an effective rating system. Development of Green Star - Performance will likely take 2 years.
The Green Star - Performance scoping paper can be accessed at the link below.
http://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/rating-tools/green-star-performance-scoping-paper/3474.htm
For further information please contact:
T +612 8233 9796
Jane Wild | Associate
T +612 8233 9794
