As the Green Building Council of Australia begins to streamline its systems for rating a range of different building projects, the previous ratings tools have now been relegated to ‘legacy’ status. This means new projects seeking a Green Star rating won’t be using the legacy tools, but existing projects that have already applied for certification or register before December 2015 can continue under the older tools.
So what’s different under the new tools that the GBCA is rolling out?
Ten of the legacy tools have essentially been rolled into two new tools to simplify the documentation process and costs for compliance. Design & As Built was the first of the new tools to be introduced, followed by Interiors. The Design & As Built tool brought with it a range of improvements, including the ability to assess any building type, a greater focus on outcomes rather than specific solutions, and a redefinition of best practice.
The new Sustainable Products credit was introduced to encourage transparency and sustainability in product specification, such as those with re-used or recycled content or an ecolabel, for example. Depending on the tool used, projects can earn up to a maximum of three to 19 points within that credit. The credit works on the basis of the percentage of sustainable products by dollar cost used in a project. The value of a sustainable product is determined by the dollar cost of the product multiplied by a “sustainability factor” depending on the nature of the sustainability initiative.
For more details about how the new Green Star system works, read the full story at Sourceable.
Please note that this story represents GECA’s best understanding of how the system works. For any concerns or queries, please contact the Green Building Council of Australia directly.
