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 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

How to most efficiently use this page:

  1. Filter for the relevant tool version
  2. If known, use the credit name field to search for credit keywords or corresponding credit number - please note, this field will ONLY search the "Credit Name" field
  3. Use your CTRL+F to search keywords on the page
Technical Question Title Clarification Type Tool Version Month Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name Amendment/Approved Ruling
Points Available in 19B Pathway General DABv1 November 2020 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts Life Cycle Impacts

Projects can target the 19B Life Cycle Impacts Prescriptive Pathway under Green Star - Design & As Built and claim up to 7 points instead of 5 points by following this alternative pathway:

 

Life Cycle Impacts Prescriptive Pathway

19B.3.1 Building Reuse - Façade:

•              3 points are available where at least 90% (by area) of the existing building façade is retained

19B.3.2 Building Reuse - Structure:

•              3 points are available where at least 90% (by mass) of the existing major structure is retained

 

Additional Point:

Where 6 points are achieved via the above pathways, one additional point from any other 19B Life Cycle Impacts pathway may be targeted.

 

Documentation Requirements:

Please provide the following in your submission:

•              Evidence to support the achievement of the alternative pathway

•              All other documentation as per the submission guidelines

•              A copy of this FAQ.
Supplementary or Tenancy Fitout Systems Review General DABv1 November 2020 29 - Innovation Improving on benchmarks

When pursuing the "Supplementary or Tenancy Fitout Systems Review credit” under the Improving on Green Star Benchmarks Innovation pathway, the following documentation requirements apply.

Design Review Submission

  • Submission Template
  • CV of the project’s Commissioning Agent; and
  • Confirmation from the building owner that indicates the building owner’s commitment to incorporate the Supplementary or Tenancy Fitout Systems Review as a part of the services and maintainability review. 
  • Scope of Works for the ICA.

As Built Submission

  • Supporting documentation to support a comprehensive services and maintainability review of supplementary or tenancy fitout systems, in addition to all nominated base building systems as outlined the design, construction, commissioning and tuning phases; including meeting minutes and commissioning plans;
  • CV of the project’s Commissioning Agent; and
  • A copy of the 'Service and Maintainability Report’ evidencing the tenant systems was included in the review.

All other requirements as per submission guidelines
Unconditioned Warehouse Spaces General DABv1 October 2019 2 - Commissioning and Tuning Innovation

Can unconditioned warehouse spaces be excluded from Air Permeability Performance Testing?

Yes. Projects may exclude unconditioned warehouse areas from the Air Permeability Performance Testing where these warehouse spaces are not conditioned by any equipment.

All other spaces, including offices or refrigerated warehouse spaces are considered as conditioned spaces and are considered applicable to the credit criterion.
Exempt Exterior Lighting General DABv1 June 2021 26 - Light Pollution Light Pollution to Night Sky

The following exterior lighting is exempt from the requirements, provided it is controlled separately from the non-exempt lighting:

  • specialized signal, directional, and marker lighting for transportation;
  • lighting that is used solely for façade and landscape lighting in MLO lighting zones 3 and 4, and is automatically turned off from midnight until 6 a.m.;
  • lighting for theatrical purposes for stage, film, and video performances;
  • government-mandated roadway lighting;
  • hospital emergency departments, including associated helipads;
  • lighting for the national flag in MLO lighting zones 2, 3, or 4;
  • internally illuminated signage.
Differing GFA pre and post Refurbishment General DABv1 September 2021 22 - Construction and Demolition Waste Construction and Demolition Waste

Where the pre vs post Gross Floor Area (GFA) of the project site differs for major refurbishments, the GFA before the refurbishment took place should be used when calculating the maximum allowable waste going to landfill in credit 22 Construction and Demolition waste.
Best in Class for Specialist Fixtures and Fittings General DABv1 June 2021 18 - Potable Water Sanitary Fixture Efficiency

Where specialist water fixtures and fittings are used e.g. anti-ligature in mental health faculties, project teams may still achieve points by demonstrating the specialist water fixtures and fittings are best in class, instead of meeting WELS requirements in the Submission Guidelines. A Technical Question should be submitted to justify accordingly.
DAB NZ v1.1 – 24.1 Ecological Protection credit can be used to assess for the DAB NZ v1 tool. General DABv1 October 2022 24 - Sustainable Sites Conditional Requirement: Ecological Protection and Highly Productive Land

The Design & As Built NZv1.1 – 24.1 Ecological Protection credit can be used to assess eligibility for projects registered under the Design & As Built NZv1.0 tool.  Where DAB v1.0 projects intend to adopt other DAB v1.1 credits for a registered project a TQ should be submitted to the Green Star team for review. If a project intends to use this credit they must make it clear in the Submission Template when they submit their Round 1 documents.  
Distance to Amenities to be measured in Real Walk Distance (not radial) General DABv1 September 2022 17 - Sustainable Transport Walkable Neighbourhood

To confirm amenities are within 400m or 800m of the project, the site plan should show the measured walking distance (instead of the radial distance) from the centre of the project following a designated path to the amenity to meet the credit requirement.  

Note: The name of the criterion is Walkable Neighbourhoods. Its intent is to show that the amenity can be reached within a walkable distance (400-800m).
Leesman Survey General DABv1 November 2020 29 - Innovation Innovation Challenge

Can I use a Leesman survey to measure occupant satisfaction? Yes, however a technical question to demonstrate your approach must be submitted to the NZGBC for review and approval. The NZGBC approves in principle the use of a Leesman survey as an alternative method of compliance, on the basis that the survey core question set is expanded to address in detail occupant satisfaction, including the assessment of occupant well-being and interaction with their indoor environment. 
Cooling Properties of Artifical vs Natural Water Bodies General DABv1 October 2019 23 - Ecological Value Ecological Value

Cooling properties of artificial water bodies are considered comparable to those of natural water bodies, both having beneficial urban cooling properties contributing to the outcomes of this credit.