The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has released the draft credits for the new Green Star – Design & As Built rating tool for industry and public comment.

Calling on every part of industry and community to provide feedback, GBCA’s Chief Executive, Romilly Madew described the draft credits as a major milestone in the evolution of the Green Star program.

Green Star – Design & As Built, a next generation Green Star rating tool will be able to assess the sustainability achievements of most building uses in Australia with the exception of single-unit dwellings, and will cover single- and mixed-use buildings at both the design and construction phases.

According to Ms Madew, this is the first time GBCA has released an entire suite of draft credits for public comment. Submission templates that will accompany the rating tool have also been released to encourage industry feedback on the benchmarks, credit criteria and documentation requirements.

Ms Madew explained that their commitment during the development of Green Star - Design & As Built was to reduce the cost and compliance of certification and encourage innovation and world leadership in the delivery of buildings that are more sustainable and better for people too.

The credit review process has identified a number of credits that could be removed, and emerging issues that should be rewarded in new or substantially revised credits.

These credits include: Adaptation and Resilience; Sustainability Impacts from Transport; Reduction of Construction and Demolition Waste; Material Life Cycle Impacts; Responsible Sourcing of Construction Materials; Product Transparency and Sustainability; Sustainable Sites; and, Heat Island Effect Reduction.

Ms Madew said GBCA has positive proof Green Star-certified buildings produce 62 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, use 66 per cent less electricity and consume 51 per cent less water than average Australian buildings. Green Star buildings are also better places for people boosting productivity, health and wellbeing.

She concluded that the new Green Star – Design & As Built rating tool will make achieving a Green Star rating easier and cheaper than ever before.

The GBCA acknowledges the support of its 2014 Thought Leaders during the Green Star – Design & As Built development process: Australand, BlueScope Steel, Colliers International, Cundall, Grocon, Gyprock, Interface, Leighton Properties, Lend Lease, Mirvac, Norman Disney & Young, Stockland, Wood & Grieve Engineers and WSP.

The Green Star – Design & As Built draft credits and scoping paper can be downloaded separately or together from the GBCA website.

The feedback period is open until 31 July 2014.