by Brianna Crandall — December 22, 2010—The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) recently announced that revised credits for stormwater and commuting mass transport have been integrated into all of the tools for its Green Star rating system for buildings, and a revised credit for concrete has been released for stakeholder comment
The revised “Stormwater” (Emi-5) and “Commuting Mass Transport” (Tra-4) credits were released in May as part of the Green Star – Industrial v1 rating tool and have now been integrated into all other Green Star tools. GBCA says these revised credits are the first of many that will be incorporated into each Green Star tool, eventually resulting in a single online rating tool that can assess all building types, regardless of their space use.
The “Stormwater” credit, which replaces the “Watercourse Pollution” credit, will reward projects that use the most innovative products and scientifically advanced processes available. The revised “Commuting Mass Transport” credit will require less supporting documentation and support a consistent assessment approach to mass transport systems.
In addition, a revised Green Star “Concrete” credit, which aims to further drive demand for concrete with reduced environmental impact, has been released for stakeholder comment. GBCA reviewed four Materials credits in 2009: Steel, PVC, Timber and Concrete. The revised credit still encourages the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) and recycled aggregate in concrete, but also encourages the use of alternative fuels in cement kilns, alternative fine aggregate, and non-potable water in concrete.
The revised credits will be supported with templates and sample submissions to help project teams meet best practice benchmarks and prepare for Green Star assessment. Current projects registered to achieve Green Star ratings can use either the old or revised credits. Any project registered after January 1, 2011 will be required to use the revised credits.
