Green Star Performance
Benchmarking the sustainable use of existing buildings
Emissions
Aims to assess the environmental impacts of 'point source' pollution generated by buildings to the atmosphere and local waterways, such as stormwater, refrigerant leakage, and light pollution..
Energy
Aims to reward buildings that reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy by being energy efficient, reducing energy peak demand, and using generation from alternative sources. This is a mandatory requirement.
Indoor environment quality
Looks at different indoor environment metrics to reward spaces that support the comfort and wellbeing of occupants, such as air quality, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and occupants’ satisfaction surveys.
Innovation
Aims to recognise the implementation of innovative practices, processes and strategies that promote sustainability during the operational phase of a building.
Land use and ecology
Aims to reward efforts to enhance the ecological value of the site and best-practice groundskeeping practices.
Materials
Aims to reward initiatives that reduce operational and refurbishment waste generated in the building, rewarding operations that have a higher diversion rate from landfill. This credit also rewards the use of sustainable procurement policies for consumables and refurbishment materials.
Transport
Aims to reward initiatives and building features, such as end-of-trip facilities, that encourage visitors and occupants of a building to use lower-carbon, more environmentally friendly transport options.
Water
Aims to reward initiatives that measure, monitor, and reduce the consumption of potable water with may include water efficient fixtures and water re-use. This is a mandatory requirement.
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Green Star recognises innovation and efforts to carve out new ways of building sustainably. Often these sit outside the current benchmarks laid out in the tool, however points are awarded under a seperate 'Innovation' credit. This recognises new initiates with a significant sustainability benefit.
Each project can submit up to 10 innovations to be considered for approval, for a maximum of 10 points towards a Green Star rating.
If you have an idea for an innovation in your project, we encourage you to talk to us as early in the process as possible.
How to claim Innovations
1. After reviewing the section for Innovation in the Green Star Submission Guidelines, your Green Star Accredited Professional will then need to registers a project’s interest in targeting an Innovation with the NZGBC.
2. You will then need to submit a completed Innovation submission using the template below. This outlines the initiative, its sustainability benefits and relevance in New Zealand.
3. Documentation will then need to be submitted for assessment after registration but before Round Two).
Project teams can provide partial documents or full documents in a 'Pre-Round One' or 'Pre-Round Two' review for each proposed innovation. If the innovation is granted conditionally pending further documentation, all the remaining documents need to be provided in either Round One or Round Two assessment. Innovations can't be targeted after Round Two.
Innovation Challenges
In addition to innovations claimed by projects, both Green Star and Homestar have published a list of innovation challenges. These recognise initiatives that don’t currently fit in to the main framework of these tools but that we believe are important to encourage and recognise. They cover environmental, social and economic sustainability initiatives. While some challenges only apply to some tools, others across all our tools. Several current innovation challenges were originally published by the Green Building Council of Australia for Green Star projects there, but have been adapted for Green Star and Homestar projects in New Zealand.
Click here to go see the Table of Innovation Challenges
You are welcome to submit a new challenge relating to sustainability issues you would like to address
Submission Template
The submission template is developed to assist your project with an innovation submission – these will be submitted to us by your Green Star Accredited Professional (GSAP)
Innovation Record
We’ve already recognised some incredible New Zealand buildings for innovative design and strategies.
Example submissions
These submissions, from NZGBC’s own office fit-out, will give you an idea of what NZGBC expects.
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