Diversified property group, Australand has signed on as the principal sponsor of the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) Green Star — Performance rating tool.

The performance rating is awarded for the transformation of existing buildings.

According to the GBCA chief executive Romilly Madew the principal sponsorship status emphasises Australand’s commitment to being a market leader in sustainable building practices.

“We are delighted to have Australand’s support for Green Star — Performance, which we believe will revolutionise Australia’s property and construction industry.

“Australand’s expertise and experience will be essential as we develop an holistic rating tool with environmental benchmarks for all types of buildings in operation,” Madew says.

Sean McMahon, Australand’s executive general manager — commercial and industrial, said:

“As a major diversified property group, we believe the tool will be of fundamental importance to the property industry in highlighting holistic environmental operational performance for all building types,” McMahon says.

“Closing the gap between Green Star Design and As Built is essential for the industry to ensure that green designs are translating into better performing buildings for owners, users and the community.

Madew adds: "Green Star has had a profound impact on the sustainability of new buildings in Australia. The Green Star - Performance tool will encourage building owners to monitor and improve the ongoing performance of their existing buildings."

“Green Star — Performance will provide best practice benchmarks that can be used to set targets to increase energy and water efficiency, reduce waste and improve factors that influence productivity, health and learning, such as indoor environment quality.

“The US Green Building Council’s rating tool for Existing Buildings’ Operations and Maintenance, LEEDEBOM, has driven more certifications in one year than all the other LEED tools have done in their history. We expect Green Star — Performance to have the same impact in Australia, and are thrilled to be working with Australand on this revolutionary project,” Madew concludes.

Testing of the draft Green Star — Performance rating tool will commence in early 2012. For more information, visit: http://www.gbca.org.au/green-star/green-star-performance/