Green Star FAQs

Minimum Expectations

A Tenancy Fitout Guide and Model Lease Clauses can be used to demonstrate compliance with the Minimum Expectations in the following four credits:

• Responsible Resource Management
• Light Quality - Artificial Lighting
• Exposure to Toxins
• Verification and Handover - metering and monitoring (where the metering and monitoring strategy relies on connection of tenant meters)

Note: Refer to the Fitout Scope - Targeting Credit Achievement and Exceptional Performance section on page 32 and 33 of the Green Star Buildings Submission Guidelines and the guidance under each credit noting that some have additional compliance requirements to be met.

Credit Achievement and Exceptional Performance

For the points to be awarded in the following four credits it must be demonstrated that the outcomes have/ will be delivered in the majority of the building. This means that depending on how much of the building’s GFA is tenanted, project teams may need to demonstrate that most or all tenanted spaces meet full compliance with the credit requirements. The four credits are:

• Responsible Finishes
• Light Quality – Artificial Lighting
• Exposure to Toxins
• Connection to Nature - Plants

The following scenarios should be considered when determining how much tenanted spaces need to demonstrate full compliance. 

Scenario 1:

Where 20% or more of a building's GFA is leased to tenants, project teams must demonstrate compliance for at least 80% of the building's total GFA. 

Example

• The building's total GFA is 1000m2 (100%)
• 350m2 of the building's GFA is leased to tenants (35%)

For the 200m2 (350m2-150m2) of remaining tenanted spaces (i.e. 'excluded tenancies') project teams must provide a Tenancy Fitout Guide and Model Lease Clause for these spaces.

Scenario 2:

Where 20% or less of a building's GFA is tenanted, compliance must be demonstrated for all GFA within the asset owner's control. 

Example:

• The building's total GFA is 1000m2 (100%)
• 100m2 of the building's GFA is leased to tenants (10%)

For the 100m2 of remaining tenanted spaces, project teams must provide a Tenancy Fitout Guide and Model Lease Clause for these spaces.

Other credits with requirements related to tenants

The following credits do not require a percentage of floor space to meet the credit requirements, but have additional information or guidance related to tenant scope or communication with tenants:

• Clean Air
• Acoustic Comfort
• Grid Resilience
• Energy Use

Please refer to the credit detail for further information. 

General note

Some credits may make references to additional area percentage thresholds that need to be met for regularly occupied areas. For example, in Credit Achievement for Artificial Lighting, reference is made to demonstrating 90% area compliance, which is in fact 90% of the regularly occupied areas that are eligible for direct compliance from scenarios 1 and 2 above. In Scenario 1, this would translate to demonstrating 76% (0.8 x 0.9) of direct compliance for this part of the credit.

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