Green Star Technical Clarification Rulings
Technical Clarifications for Green Star represent our answers to Technical Questions submitted by projects, and provide further guidance and reference to others. The list is regularly updated.
There are two types of Technical Clarifications listed in the table below:
General Clarifications
These are extensions to the guidance provided in the Submission Guidelines. They clarify and sometimes supersede the original Credit Criteria or
Compliance Requirements. General Clarifications set precedent for future project teams to follow. Should a project team wish to apply a general clarification to its project, there is no requirement for further Technical Questions to be submitted. NZGBC Assessors will also use them as precedents to assess submissions.
Project Specific Clarifications
These are published as references for other projects but, unlike General Clarifications, they do not set precedent. They often relate to special
situations where multiple prerequisites exist for a particular project and are less likely to reoccur to another project. Therefore, rulings set for Project Specific Clarifications are often conditional and will likely vary for other projects. Each project still needs to submit its own Technical Questions and provides evidence relating to its own building in order to have a similar ruling approved for that specific building.
Should you wish to apply any Technical Clarification for legacy rating tools to your projects, please submit a Technical Question to the NZGBC to
explain why and how it applies. You can download the Technical Question form here
Clarification Type | Tool Version | Month Released | Credit Name | Sub-credit Name | Tool Category | Amendment/Approved Ruling |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General | DABv1 | 1/5/2022 | 9 - Indoor Air Quality | Ventilation System Attributes | ||
General | DABv1, DABv1.1 | 1/6/2024 | 26 - Light Pollution | Light Pollution to Neighbouring Bodies | ||
General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 18 - Potable Water | Sanitary Fixture Efficiency | ||
General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 14 - Thermal Comfort | Thermal Comfort | ||
General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 5 - Commitment to Performance | End-of-life Waste Performance |
In lieu of a 'make good' lease clause between the building owner and the tenant(s), the project team may provide another suitable formal commitment that indicates the building owner will undertake those commitments and responsibilities. The formal commitment must be a separate legal agreement and/or a memorandum of understanding (MoU), and address all the credit compliance requirements. |
|
General | DABv1 | 1/1/2021 | 9 - Indoor Air Quality | Provision of Outdoor Air | ||
General | DABv1 | 1/11/2020 | 11 - Lighting Comfort | Localised Lighting Control |
A project team may target the credit criteria Localised Lighting Control for a base building targeting a Green Star - Design & As Built rating, by installing a DALI system within the base building, which can then be utilized by the tenant to deliver localized lighting control. Project teams must provide a Tenancy Fitout Guide (or similar) to the tenant, which contains relevant information about the DALI system. |
|
General | DABv1 | 1/8/2021 | 29 - Innovation | Global Sustainability | ||
General | DABv1, DABv1.1 | 1/5/2024 | 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts | Comparative Life Cycle Assessment |
The default service life in all LCA calculations is to be 50 years (not 60) to align with NZBC and the DAB v1.1.1 Submission Guideline. |
|
General | DABv1 | 1/12/2020 | 15 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Greenhouse Gas Emissions |
The definition for Reference Projects is amended as below: |