by Andrew Eagles, CEO
World Green Building Week is coming. It kicks off on 25 September. And what better way to lead up to WGBW than by successfully launching the brand spanking new version of Homestar® around Aotearoa in the last few weeks.
You helped us pack out events in Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Tauranga, as well as Auckland. Hundreds of people came through the doors to find out more about Homestar® v4. Over 200 attended Auckland, while 150 watched it live through Facebook.
I could feel a real appetite for Homestar® v4. And it’s no surprise why. It’s a cost effective way to demonstrate that the homes you deliver exceed New Zealand Building Code in quality, warmth and comfort.
With 10,000 Homestar® homes already confirmed or committed, Homestar® is rapidly becoming the new standard of choice for New Zealand. That’s great news for the quality of our homes. And it’s also great news for the health of our loved ones.
Matt Lagerberg, of Classic Group, said: “It’s great to see NZGBC creating a simpler and easier tool. We’re looking forward to using it."
A growing number of builders are now using Homestar®. Legacy projects have now completed four projects to Homestar without needing to meet requirements from local Government or others. We’re receiving requests from organisations with development sites for a list of builders and designers that have delivered Homestar®. A list is now available on our website here.
If you’d like your company details included, contact Jo.
Envirospec has a well-established service offering information for specifiers about products and materials that will assist towards Homestar® and Green Star ratings including information on points achievable using specific materials under our rating tools.
Increasingly, our sector is incorporating green elements into the way we work. In response to consumer demand, building suppliers are expanding product descriptions so customers can easily identify products that contribute to Homestar and Green Star ratings.
This month Masterspec released new sections to assist with specifying Homestar® and Green Star projects. This means that designers and architects can grab the latest tool when they are specifying and it can be incorporated directly into contracts.
Green Star Accredited Professional and LBC product specialist, Michelle Johansson sees the potential of how the new listings will assist project teams. She said: “These projects have special demands and requirements which need to be explicitly stated at tendering stage so the contractor can price and programme arrangements accordingly.”
So with a simpler but just as robust Homestar tool, developers signing up to deliver, product suppliers on board and new specificier support it looks like we’re set to transform the market.