The QandA kicked off with Sarah Turner who had worked at the Green Building Council in its early days.
Back then, she said, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) “wasn’t allowed; PVC wasn’t allowed. Carbon offsets were not permitted in Green Star, now they are.”
The GBCA later submitted a number of responses on changes in Green Star over time. Essentially there has been an evolution and deep investigation and analysis of practical progress. More detailed responses on PVCs, offsets and PEFC timber are below, with some in the article focused on the contributions from Ché Wall and Maria Atkinson.
Others pointed to Green Star not publishing submissions; Che Wall said the equivalent BREAM in the UK was open source.
Heritage and Section K of the NCC
We need more focus on existing/heritage buildings and upgrades and the way much good retention of embodied carbon risks non compliance with the code.
Simon Croft said:“I would love to see a Section K of the NCC dedicated to renovations and extensions. For too long, we’ve said it’s in the too hard basket.
Haico Scheppers: Discussion about operational energy in a building doesn’t include things like TVs and other equipment. “So it gets pretty murky” but the embodied carbon is completely missing, as are the refrigerants.
So taking a more holistic view of that with the code and being able to measure those parts might allow better trade offs
Building failure: If you get food poisoning from a restaurant the answer is not to change the menu. It’s probably getting the processes right.
Insulation and other materials: With all the models and the research, the certificates are not checked. How many practices have got some actually checking that the data sheet matches the records or the certificates?
PC Thomas: In India you can get ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code ) standards, super compliance, pedigree or excellent.
Where is the education piece? Where is the awareness piece?
Responses to changes in Green Star from the GBCA
In 2003, when Green Star started, that reflected our understanding of what world leadership and best practice was for buildings in Australia. Since then, we have tested multiple approaches, and managed issues like the evolution of issues from trigeneration to electrification.
The expectations of what leadership and best practice are have also changed to include climate resilience, upfront carbon, electrification, active transport, healthier spaces, responsible construction and management practices as minimum requirements, in addition to the original requirements on energy use and protecting sensitive land.
On timber: The first version of Green Star encouraged only the use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber by awarding it points. In 2010, after a long review, this was adjusted to also award PEFC and Responsible Wood. This was done, in part, to address the issue that illegal timber was potentially being used in construction in Australia. A risk that continues.
Since 2003, AS-NZS 4708, the standard Responsible Wood uses, has been redrafted several times. The last version in 2021 continues to improve. In 2020 Green Star Buildings revised how timber, and other standards, were recognised in Green Star through the Responsible Products Framework. FSC is scored higher in the Responsible Product Framework than Responsible Wood’s 2021 Standard (previous versions are not recognised).
On PVC: In early versions of Green Star, points were awarded for reducing their use of PVC (by 30 per cent or 60 per cent of cost) in pipes, conduits, flooring, finishes, blinds, cladding, and cables. This credit was also rarely achieved beyond 30 per cent in design, and much less in construction.
In 2010, GBCA performed a literature review of PVC, which indicated that the environmental impacts were like that of replacement materials, but that those impacts were still worth considering – hence the recommendation to acknowledge that Green Star recognise not just avoidance of PVC, but also, PVC that has been manufactured better. This is like the US review on PVC at the time.
Green Star Buildings projects that use PVC can make a claim if the PVC meets more stringent criteria than the 2010 requirements.
Other materials are subject to similar requirements, meaning that we are treating all fairly, and have an ongoing program to increase these requirements for all materials over time. See Responsible Product Framework for more information. This is also part of the work that we are doing in our international partnership on materials, to drive the uptake of better products