The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has partnered with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) to promote sustainability, good health and wellbeing in the design, construction and operations of buildings, fitouts and communities in Australia.
The new guidance document compares and aligns the Green Star and WELL Building Standard (WELL) rating systems to support building owners looking to boost the sustainability of their assets as well as ensure the wellbeing of occupants.
‘Green Star and WELL Building Standard: Approaches to buildings or fitouts seeking a dual rating’ identifies the synergies between the two rating systems by mapping the Green Star credits and criteria that may be used for an assessment under the WELL Building Standard, and vice versa.
The GBCA’s Head of Market Transformation, Jorge Chapa observes that building owners and investors are increasingly looking to third-party certification to demonstrate transparency, accountability and a commitment to best practice; it’s therefore important to ensure certification is an easy and cost-effective process.
By mapping out the synergies between the two rating tools, the guidance document will help project teams avoid duplication of effort, and achieve both Green Star and WELL ratings faster, and at a lower cost. Building owners can target both health and sustainability in their buildings easily.
Chapa adds that the new guidance will provide industry with extra support to deliver buildings that are efficient, productive and healthy for the environment as well as people.
The document provides guidance specific to new buildings or new fitouts being rated under Green Star – Design & As Built or Green Star – Interiors. Future versions will include guidance specific to buildings seeking Green Star – Performance ratings.
The Green Star and WELL Building Standard: Approaches to buildings or fitouts seeking a dual rating, can be freely downloaded from the GBCA and IWBI websites.
