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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

Clarification Type Tool Version Month Released Credit Name Sub-credit Name Tool Category Amendment/Approved Ruling
General DABv1 1/10/2019 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. 

General DABv1 1/8/2021 24 - Sustainable Sites Contamination and Hazardous Materials

For the sake of clarity, "minor local contamination" should be interpreted as contamination that would not trigger soil remediation under the National Environmental Standard for Assessing and Managing Contaminants in Soil.

General DABv1 1/5/2021 17 - Sustainable Transport Sustainable Transport
General DABv1 1/5/2021 17 - Sustainable Transport Sustainable Transport
General DABv1 1/3/2021 17 - Sustainable Transport Reduced Car Parking Provision
General DABv1 1/4/2022 12 - Visual Comfort Daylight
General DABv1.1 1/7/2023 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts Comparative Life Cycle Assessment
General DABv1, DABv1.1 1/12/2022 9 - Indoor Air Quality Ventilation System Attributes

Link to TQ Ruling

General DABv1 1/7/2020 25 - Stormwater Stormwater
General DABv1 1/10/2019 11 - Lighting Comfort General Illuminance and Glare Reduction

The guidance reference for 'Office Spaces' in the Lighting Comfort - General Illuminance and Glare Reduction credit criterion is updated to Table E1 of AS/NZS 1680.2.2:2008 'Interior and workplace lighting Part 2.2: Specific applications - Office and screen-based tasks'.