The Green Building Council of Australia has named the intersecting challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and affordability as key targets of its new four year strategy in the lead up to 2035, as well as launching its new Green Star Homes certification guide.
The GBCA said its 2030 and Beyond strategy is its vision for the Australian built environment as well as its priorities in achieving “climate positive, circular, nature positive, healthy and resilient” and connected to Country by 2035.
Ambitions include reducing upfront carbon by 60 per cent, tripling Australia’s circularity rate to 15 per cent and achieving at least 10 per cent in biodiversity net gain.
There’s been good progress so far. As of 30 June 2026, more than 9860 Green Star certifications have been issued across more than 4300 individual buildings, fitouts and communities.
More than 1.1 million people will live or work in Green Star certified communities, and 10 per cent of Australia’s workers can be accommodated in Green Star certified offices each day. In total, 77 million square metres of building space is Green Star certified.
GBCA chief executive Davina Rooney said the strategy reflects both how far the industry had come as well as “the scale of the transformation still ahead”.
“Twenty years ago, a highly sustainable building was the exception. Today, many of Australia’s leading organisations see sustainability as simply part of doing good business,” Rooney said.
“But the next decade asks more of us.
“We need to move faster on carbon, use resources more intelligently, restore rather than just reduce our impact on nature, and make sure the places we create can withstand a changing climate.”
Rooney said the organisation’s goal wasn’t just about a handful of buildings but “making what we know works…the norm” in homes, workplaces, schools, hospitals, communities and infrastructure that supports them.
“Australia shouldn’t have to choose between a more sustainable built environment and one that is affordable and productive.
“We need to deliver both, creating homes, buildings and communities that cost less to run, perform better and are healthier and more resilient for the people who use them.”
According to the strategy, its five priorities include:
- being the national authority on sustainability in the built environment
- shaping the sector’s response to climate action and resilience, circularity, nature and emerging megatrends
- ensuring Green Star continues to set the benchmark for sustainability leadership, expanding GBCA’s impact into new sectors and opportunities
- building a future-ready organisation
GBCA chair Anthony Boyd said the organisation and its members showed what was possible when an industry shares ambition – and the strategy will focus on where it can have the greatest impact.
The organisation said there will be greater focus on areas undergoing significant change, such as homes and apartments, data centres, healthcare and education, industrial and logistics, and supply chains.
Rooney said a spirit of collaboration was key to the ambitions.
“No organisation can transform the built environment alone. Our impact has always come from the collective ambition of our members and partners, and from an industry prepared to keep lifting the bar.
“Our new strategy is about taking that ambition into the next decade and making sustainable places the expectation everywhere.
Launch of Green Star Homes
The GBCA on Monday also launched its guide to help residential volume builders achieve its Green Star Homes certification with more consistency and efficiency.
The Practical Guide to Green Star Homes was informed by extensive industry engagement as well as projects that were early adopters of the certifications, which will work alongside the standard and submission guideline to “demystify” the certification and help deliver high performing homes at scale.
The new rating tool is designed for new homes that promote fully electric, renewable powered homes that have healthier indoor conditions, resilience to a changing climate, lower running costs and energy efficiency, designed for volume home builders that can then repeat the design or product line to deliver certified homes more efficiently across other projects.
The guide will also have guidance to help builders explain how residents can use their homes effectively.
The guide was produced after volume builders sought practical support for how to achieve the certification in the real world.
Notable inclusions in the guide include detailed explanations of certification categories, practical advice for each stage of the project, defined roles and responsibilities for each building stage, guidance on engaging early and avoiding costly redesign, step by step on the certification process, information on collecting evidence and advice on communicating the value of Green Star Homes to buyers.
