An Upfront Carbon Report measures the emissions from making, transporting and building the materials in your project (life cycle stages A1–A5) and shows where to cut them. We prepare upfront carbon assessments for Green Star Buildings projects in Melbourne, Victoria and across Australia, while the design can still change.
Request a Fee Proposal →Send us your drawings, Green Star registration details and structural concept. We'll confirm scope and fee before you commit.
Structure, slab thickness, facade system and concrete specification carry most of a building's upfront carbon. By the time a contractor prices the job, those decisions are fixed. An upfront carbon assessment during concept and design development turns carbon into a design input, while the cheapest reductions are still on the table.
Structural systems usually dominate upfront carbon. Comparing options early, such as concrete mixes, transfer structures and spans, shows the reduction available before the engineer documents the frame.
Low-carbon products only count if they're evidenced. GBCA accepts product carbon footprints prepared to ISO 14067 or PAS 2050 alongside EPDs. We check the evidence before the specification relies on it.
A reduction claim needs a defensible reference. Green Star Buildings provides calculators and pathways for measuring the reduction, and we document the baseline so the assessor can follow it.
Upfront carbon is the greenhouse gas emissions from extracting, manufacturing and transporting building materials and constructing the building, covering life cycle stages A1–A5. An Upfront Carbon Report quantifies those emissions for your design, compares them with a reference and identifies the changes that reduce them.
In Green Star Buildings, upfront carbon is addressed through the Upfront Carbon credits. Green Star Buildings v1.1, which all new projects must register under from 1 May 2026, awards stepped points for Upfront Carbon Reduction and Upfront Carbon Compensation, recognises biogenic carbon storage and nature-based offsets, and aligns embodied carbon reporting with NABERS Embodied Carbon. GBCA publishes calculators for Upfront Carbon Reduction Pathways A and B.
The right time to start is concept or early design development. Upfront carbon is easiest to reduce while the structural system, facade and major material choices are still open.
Quantification of A1–A5 emissions for the proposed design against the Green Star reference, using the GBCA pathway that suits the project, with documentation for the credit.
Side-by-side comparison of structural, facade and material options, showing the carbon and practical trade-offs so the design team can choose with data.
An Upfront Carbon Report from Makao shows where the carbon sits, which elements drive it and what each reduction option is worth. It is structured for Green Star documentation and for the design decisions that come first.
A1–A5 emissions by building element and material, so the team can see which decisions matter most.
Tested alternatives, such as lower-carbon concrete, reinforcement, facade and structural changes, with the reduction each delivers.
Proposed design against the Green Star reference, using the GBCA calculator and pathway that suits the project.
Submission-ready reporting for the Upfront Carbon credits, with product evidence and assumptions set out for the assessor.
Upfront carbon is usually triggered by a Green Star rating, but the best time to measure it is before the design is locked. These are the situations we see most often.
Green Star credit — the most common trigger. We confirm the pathway, model the reference and proposed design, and document the reduction for submission.
Structural options — we compare upfront carbon for each option during concept, so carbon sits alongside cost and programme in the decision.
Version questions — GBCA's credit substitution guide lets many v1.1 credits be used in v1 projects. We check what applies to your registration.
Product evidence — GBCA accepts product carbon footprints prepared to ISO 14067 or PAS 2050. We review the evidence and how it can be used.
Climate Positive Pathway — higher ratings carry stronger carbon expectations. We plan the reduction and compensation strategy together.
Late substitutions — we quantify what a substitution costs in carbon and credit points, so the team can decide with the numbers.
Investor reporting — Green Star Buildings v1.1 aligns embodied carbon reporting with NABERS Embodied Carbon. We structure the report so it serves both.
“We're at concept stage. Is it too early to think about upfront carbon?”
Early is better. Most upfront carbon is set by the structure and facade. Measuring it at concept is when reductions are cheapest.
Architectural and structural drawings or concept, Green Star registration details and target rating. We confirm scope and fee before you commit.
A1–A5 quantities and emissions for the proposed design and the Green Star reference, using the relevant GBCA pathway and calculator.
Material, structural and facade options are tested with the design team, with the carbon reduction each delivers.
A clear report for design decisions, plus documentation for the Green Star Upfront Carbon credits.
Upfront carbon is the greenhouse gas emissions from extracting, manufacturing and transporting building materials and constructing the building, before it is used. It covers life cycle stages A1–A5.
Through the Upfront Carbon credits. Green Star Buildings v1.1 awards stepped points for Upfront Carbon Reduction and Upfront Carbon Compensation, and GBCA provides calculators for Upfront Carbon Reduction Pathways A and B.
v1.1 opened for registration on 21 October 2025, and all new projects must register under it from 1 May 2026. For upfront carbon, it introduced stepped points, recognised biogenic carbon storage and nature-based offsets in a tiered compensation credit, and aligned embodied carbon reporting with NABERS Embodied Carbon.
GBCA's credit substitution guide allows most v1.1 credits to be substituted into v1 projects. We check what applies to your registration before modelling.
Not necessarily. Product-specific data improves accuracy, and GBCA accepts product carbon footprints prepared to ISO 14067 or PAS 2050. Where product data isn't available, documented generic data is used.
At concept or early design development. Most upfront carbon is set by the structure, facade and major materials, and those are hardest to change after documentation.
Architectural drawings, the structural concept or drawings, your Green Star registration details and target rating, and any material specifications or supplier data available.
Advice aligned to the current GBCA rating tool, including the v1.1 Upfront Carbon Reduction and Compensation credits.
Upfront carbon prepared alongside Zero Carbon Action Plans and energy modelling, so materials and energy decisions work together.
Engaged at concept and design development, while structure and facade choices can still change.
EPDs and product carbon footprints reviewed before the specification relies on them.
Findings the design team can act on, and documentation the Green Star assessor can follow.
Local knowledge of Victorian projects, suppliers and the Green Star assessment process.
