Green Star FAQs

The GBCA has no specific requirement as to when registered projects should submit for a Designed Assessment. Below is some guidance to help establish the best timing for your project. This supplements information provided in the rating tool Submission Guidelines. 

Purpose

A Designed Assessment (or Design Review under the Legacy rating tools) is an optional submission as an interim step towards certification. The purpose of the Designed Assessment is to have an Assessor guide you on the likely outcome of your future As Built submission. The Designed Assessment allows you to then communicate to your client and their stakeholders that your project is on track to be ‘Certified’. It is only applicable to the rating tools listed below:

• Green Star Buildings
• Green Star – Design & As Built
• Green Star – Interiors

Requirements

In a Designed Assessment submission, information must be provided showing that the broad strategies and processes to deliver a certain outcome have been established and agreed by relevant parties. A simple statement of commitment will not suffice to meet credit outcomes. The Assessor will award a credit at the Designed Assessment stage when documentation shows commitments and processes are in place to deliver the required outcome. A lack of documentation, or lack of detail will likely lead to credits being not being awarded. 

Early design stage documentation may be able to provide adequate detail to demonstrate compliance. However, if a Designed Assessment is submitted at an early stage of planning or design, sufficient evidence might not be available to demonstrate the project can reasonably achieve outcomes for all credits they intend to target for the desired rating. 

Credits in the rating tool need to be implemented at specific stage(s) for the most optimal outcome. The GBCA provides guidance for each credit at the "stage implementation" of the design strategy, construction and handover life cycle where the credit will have the most impact. Depending on the stage of the project's life cycle, the timing of the Designed Assessment submission may not align with these stages. Documentation should be provided to demonstrate that best efforts are in place to ensure the outcomes will be met for the credit at the relevant stage of the project.  

Timing

A Designed Assessment or Design Review must be completed prior to a project’s practical completion. While a Designed Assessment can technically be undertaken at any stage of project design, it is unusual for a project team to submit for a Designed Assessment prior to receiving their planning approval due to limitations in available documentation. At the Development Application stage consideration should be given to the costs involved in preparing a full Green Star submission relative to whether the planning approval is likely to be granted and if so, whether those conditions will require changes to the design that in turn impact the Green Star pathway. 

It is important to note that the Green Star certification fee includes one optional Designed Assessment. Project teams generally find it most beneficial to undertake the Designed Assessment at the detailed design or tender stage to ensure the project is on track to achieve the certified rating before proceeding to construction. Likewise, projects will receive more meaningful Assessor feedback and have more points awarded when there is sufficient documentation to demonstrate outcomes are in the process of being delivered. 

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