The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has launched the Green Star Buildings v1.1, an updated tool to rate sustainability measures undertaken within the built environment.
The updated tool was unveiled at the Green Building Forum in Brisbane and is applicable for both new buildings and major refurbishment builds.
Green Star Buildings v1 is already used by hundreds of projects across commercial, residential, health, education and public infrastructure.
The v1.1 iteration was developed in consultation with more than 700 project teams and aligned with global best practice.
“Green Star Buildings v1.1 is designed for what’s next,” GBCA chief impact officer Jorge Chapa says.
“It builds on the strong carbon outcomes of v1 and brings nature and circularity to the forefront – making it easier for teams to deliver buildings that are low-carbon, nature-positive and future-ready.”
The federal government recently set a national target to reduce emissions by 62–70 percent below 2005 levels by 2035. It indicated that one of the focus areas to reduce emissions is the built environment.
Green Star Buildings v1.1 introduces a Nature Positive Pathway, helping projects actively enhance biodiversity.
Under the new plan, from 2028, projects pursuing a 6 Star rating must demonstrate a 10 percent net gain in biodiversity, or no net loss where sites are greenfield.
All projects will be required to report nature-related metrics in line with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
A new Design for Circularity credit encourages smarter material choices, adaptability and reuse from day one. It helps project teams to improve asset resilience and reduce waste.
As part of the overall decarbonisation plans, GBCA has focused on issues ranging from refrigerants to energy flexibility with the new tool.
Green Star Buildings v1.1 will support upcoming regulatory moves including mandatory carbon disclosure (Scope 1 and 2), circular economy policies and National Construction Code updates focused on energy and performance. It also reportedly aligns with the NABERS upfront carbon tool, creating consistency across government and private sector standards.
Green Star Buildings v1.1 is already open for registration. The GBCA said it would provide a full suite of updated resources to help project teams make the switch to the new rating tool, including updated submission guidelines, calculators and tools and a refreshed training program.
Projects already registered under v1 can voluntarily upgrade to v1.1. The transition period to register projects under Buildings v1 will end 30 April 2026.
From 1 May 2026, all new projects will be required to register under the updated tool.
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