A Platinum rating from Livable Housing Australia (LHA) now provides automatic Green Star points under the Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA’s) rating system.
Multi-unit residential projects in which at least 10 per cent of the dwellings meet the Platinum Level of the LHA’s Design Guidelines will be automatically deemed compliant with the Green Star Mat-15 ‘Universal Design’ credit.
Project teams that can demonstrate LHA Platinum Level certification will now be automatically awarded one Green Star point within the Green Star – Multi Unit Residential rating tool.
According to LHA’s Executive Director, Andrew Aitken, this decision will make it easier and more cost-effective for project teams to achieve the Mat-15 credit, which in turn will drive a faster uptake of livable, versatile and flexible housing.
“We congratulate the GBCA for allowing projects to use the up-to-date Livable Housing Guidelines, which are being embraced by industry,” said Aitken.
“Very few projects previously claimed the Mat-15 credit because it was costly and difficult to achieve.”
“LHA offers simple and straightforward certification, and Platinum Level certification can be achieved at very little cost. The Guidelines are easy to apply to any housing project, and more than 250 individual dwellings have already achieved the seal of approval that attests to enhanced livability.”
“We are confident that many more project teams will seek LHA certification, and will be better placed to meet the evolving consumer demand for more livable homes,” Aitken concluded.
