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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
Alternative 7-point version of 19B Life Cycle Impacts Prescriptive Pathway DABv1 July 2021 19 - Life Cycle Assessment/Impacts Life Cycle Impacts
Approved Ruling:

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.