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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 access the online Technical Question form here

Technical Question Title Tool Version Date Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name TC Link
Indoor Environment Quality credits DABv1 November 2020 0 - General, 9 - Indoor Air Quality, 10 - Acoustic Comfort, 11 - Lighting Comfort, 12 - Visual Comfort, 14 - Thermal Comfort General, Provision of Outdoor Air, Internal Noise Levels, Reverberation, Minimum Lighting Comfort, General Illuminance and Glare Reduction, Surface Illuminance, Thermal Comfort, Advanced Thermal Comfort, Glare reduction, Localised Lighting Control
Approved Ruling:

For the following Indoor Environment Quality credits, compliance need only be demonstrated across 95% of the nominated area:

  • Indoor Air Quality:
    • Provision of Outdoor Air
  • Acoustic Comfort:
    • Internal Noise Levels
    • Reverberation 
  • Lighting Comfort: 
    • Minimum Lighting Comfort
    • General Illuminance and Glare Reduction
    • Surface Illuminance
    • Localised Lighting Control
  • Visual Comfort:
    • Glare Reduction
  • Thermal Comfort:
    • Thermal Comfort
    • Advanced Thermal Comfort 

For residential buildings, please note that the 95% compliance criteria need to be met for individual dwellings, not as an overall GFA of nominated area. Refer to the submission guidelines for which space types are considered nominated area in each credit.