NZ updates Green Star rating tool

The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) has undertaken a major review of Green Star, the independent rating system that assesses the sustainability attributes of commercial buildings across a range of criteria. The council’s technical team has been working alongside industry to review four key categories: Innovation, Energy, Water and Materials.

NZGBC has made the Innovation category of the tool more flexible, acknowledging a project’s broad sustainable development principles as well as environmental achievements. As such, it will highlight and reward key industry shifts, such as designing for resilience; preserving culture and heritage; and financial transparency around measurable costs and benefits.

NZGBC CEO Alex Cutler said the council is introducing new Innovation Challenges which recognise initiatives that don’t currently fit into Green Star but which are important to encourage and recognise. She said, “We aim to reward project teams that put special effort into doing innovative research and sharing it with the market, and celebrate buildings that truly benefit the community.”

The eight Innovation Challenges are as follows:

• Adaptation and Resilience
• Contractor Education
• Culture, Heritage and Identity
• Financial Transparency
• Market Intelligence and Research
• Marketing Excellence
• Material Life Cycle Impacts
• Social Return on Investment

“The updated Innovation category meets the market’s need for flexibility in recognising original, visionary aspects of a project,” Cutler continued. “It also challenges the design and construction sectors to develop more inspiring solutions with sustainable outcomes.”

Updates to other key categories are as follows:

• Materials: This category is adapting to the big changes expected in this space over the next few years, particularly as life cycle analysis (LCA) comes within reach of more project teams. The changes will bring more consistency to how NZGBC assesses materials, and more flexibility is now offered within the Timber, Concrete and Steel credits. NZGBC has also created a Materials calculator to simplify the documentation needed to target these points.
• Energy: The link with NABERSNZ requirements is now more explicit, enabling easy ratings of buildings and office fit-outs. The Peak Energy Demand credit has been revised so it’s more attainable, resulting in a positive contribution to the management of New Zealand’s electricity grid.
• Water: NZGBC has introduced a new credit for Potable Water that consolidates previous credits, making it easier and faster to use. A new Water credit recognises a wider range of water-efficiency strategies, and there’s clearer guidance on water metering.

NZGBC has also streamlined documentation for the reviewed credits, clarified expectations for submission and produced resources to help project teams achieve Innovation points.

“There has been low achievement in some Innovation credits because projects didn’t address all the criteria, or because more explanation was needed on how to achieve the credits,” Cutler said. “We’re reducing the risk and cost involved by providing more information and making the process more collaborative.

“Green Star v3 consolidates the smaller improvements we’ve made to the tool since 2009, and offers flexibility to move with the market and aid future reviews. Green Star now acknowledges a broader range of ways to demonstrate sustainability, and we’re excited about how project teams will use the tool to create inspiring, world-leading sustainable buildings.”