A push to net zero carbon buildings is among the raft of changes proposed in the next evolution of the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Green Star system.
In line with a 1.5C target in the Paris Agreement, any building seeking to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating will be required to achieve net zero, bringing to the forefront low energy buildings, powered by renewables to the highest of honours in sustainable building.
The new requirement is a highlight of the GBCA’s proposed future focused rating system. Building on Green Star’s success, Green Star for New Buildings goes beyond the traditional definition of green buildings to deliver a new vision for what buildings can be: Healthy, resilient, and positive places for people and nature, built responsibly and showcasing leadership.
GBCA’s head of market transformation Jorge Chapa said the Green Star rating system had transformed Australia’s built environment with the certification of more than 2,250 projects across the country since its introduction in 2003.
“Now, in consultation with industry, we want to build on this success and deliver the next generation of aspirational targets to ensure Australia’s built environment stays at the forefront of sustainability,” he said.
“The next critical decade needs ambitious actions. Green Star for New Buildings aims to promote ambitious action on carbon emissions with a drive towards net zero carbon and carbon positive buildings.
“In order to ensure our ratings continue to recognise Australia’s most sustainable developments, we want to introduce a new set of categories and credits that better reflect industry’s ambitions, and what it can achieve.
“We also want to continue to deliver an accessible entry point, so through Green Star for New Buildings we are proposing to maintain our existing entry-level standards for a best practice Green Star building while taking steps to make the process of achieving this outcome less complicated," Chapa said.
“As technologies transform how we build, we believe a Green Star rating will become more important to assure the delivery of what should be even more achievable sustainable outcomes on the ground.”
Other changes proposed include additional opportunities to promote exceptional achievement in performance, as well as sector specific credits to recognise issues relevant to particular building types.
The consultation paper for Green Star for New Buildings released today reflects 12 months of preliminary consultation with industry and stakeholders across the country. Ten expert panels have provided valuable feedback with over 130 participants.
Davina Rooney, general manager of sustainability at Stockland and incoming GBCA CEO said the consultation for Future Focus was exemplary.
“Green Star has been rethought from the ground up to deliver a relevant, accessible, and more valuable rating tool,” she said.
The consultation period is open until June 10, 2019.
Details at https://new.gbca.org.au/green-star/future-focus/