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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Ventilation | DABv1 | May 2022 | 9 - Indoor Air Quality | Provision of Outdoor Air | Link |
|
Approved Ruling: Nominated areas within a conditioned space can be considered naturally ventilated if the mechanical equipment does not draw air from the atmosphere but instead from the nominated area/room to condition temperature. This definition can be applied for the purpose of the Natural Ventilation pathway, in the Provision of Outdoor Air criterion (9.2C in Green Star – Design & As Built and 8.2C in Green Star – Interiors). This includes units such as split systems or variable refrigerant volume (VRV) systems where air is conditioned via recirculation rather than through a supply of outdoor air. Nominated areas where air is only supplied via passive means (such as windows) that include equipment mentioned above are classified as ‘naturally ventilated’. Nominated areas which have both passive ventilation and mechanical equipment with the provision to supply outdoor air are defined as ‘Mixed-Mode Ventilation.’ This includes contiguous spaces separated by doors and/or windows. Nominated areas within a project with different modes of ventilation that have distinct spatial boundaries are not considered mixed mode and can demonstrate compliance separately. All compliance requirements remain as per the submission guidelines. |
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