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
| Technical Question Title | Clarification Type | Tool Version | Month Released | Credit Name | Sub-credit Name | Amendment/Approved Ruling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Factor of Luminaries | General | DABv1 | March 2023 | 11 - Lighting Comfort | General Illuminance and Glare Reduction | |
| 19B.3.2 Structure Reuse can use Structural Element Volume Approach | General | DABv1 | March 2021 | 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts | Life Cycle Impact- Building Reuse |
The structural element volume approach (see example below) used in Green Star legacy rating tools may be used in place of the gross building volume approach to demonstrate compliance to 19B.3.2 Structure Reuse for projects registered under Design & As Built. |
| Amended Clause for Prescriptive Thermal Comfort Requirements | General | DABv1 | November 2020 | 14 - Thermal Comfort | Thermal Comfort | |
| Reference Prohects to Achieve Same Level of Service as Proposed Project | General | DABv1 | July 2022 | 15 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Greenhouse Gas Emissions | |
| Default Design Occupancy | General | DABv1, DABv1.1 | November 2022 | 0 - General |
The use of default Design Occupancy from Green Star Legacy tools is not an acceptable method of calculating Design Occupancy for speculative developments. For speculative developments it is common for the developer / client to provide a Building Performance Specification or similar document which outlines the development’s requirements for the design team. The Design Occupancy referred to in the Building Performance Specification or similar should be used consistently as the basis for calculations for all relevant credits. |
|
| Alternative Compliance Requirements | General | DABv1 | July 2020 | 1 - Green Star Accredited Professional | Accredited Professional | |
| Energy Metering Distinct Uses off Demand | General | DABv1 | October 2019 | 6 - Metering and Monitoring | Metering | |
| Carpet Underlay is Flooring | General | DABv1 | November 2020 | 20 - Responsible Building Materials | Permanent Formwork, Pipes, Flooring, Blinds and Cables |
Is carpet underlay included as 'flooring' in Green Star? Yes, carpet underlay should be included as flooring for the purpose of the credit criteria Responsible Materials: Permanent Formwork, Pipes, Flooring, Blinds and Cables" |
| Toilet and EOT as Tertiary Spaces | General | DABv1, DABv1.1 | June 2022 | 0 - General |
For the Nominated Area, toilets and end-of-trip facilities should be defined as Tertiary spaces. |
|
| Climate Adaptation Plan | General | DABv1 | June 2021 | 3 - Adaptation and Resilience | Adaptation and Resilience |