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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
Intumescent paint DABv1, INTv1 April 2019 13 - Indoor Pollutants Paints, Adhesives, Sealants and Carpets
Approved Ruling:

The NZGBC acknowledges that the application of intumescent paint prior to weatherproofing may reduce the exposure of VOCs on a project however this is not sufficient reason for the paint to be excluded from this credit. The intent of credit 13.1 Paints, Adhesives, and Sealants is to reward project teams that demonstrate;
• No paints, adhesives, sealants or carpets are used in the nominated spaces; OR
• At least 95% of all internally applied paints, adhesives, sealants (by volume) or carpets (by area) meet the total VOC limits specified in 13.1.1 and 13.1.2 as applicable. Where exterior grade products are used in an internal application then these must also meet the requirements of the VOC limits specified in the Green Star - Design & As Built v1.2 Submission Guidelines. It is recommended that intumescent paint should be classified under the following category, which has a limit of 250g/l TVOC:
• Acoustic sealants, architectural sealant, waterproofing membranes and sealant, fire retardant sealants and adhesives.