Green Star certification
A 5 Star line in a tender becomes dozens of credits, each owned by someone different. The risk stays hidden at concept and shows up at submission, when a missing point drops the rating. We own the pathway, run the core calculations in-house and track the evidence from concept to certificate.
Tell us the rating you've committed to and your programme, and we'll show you the pathway and our fee.
[Why it matters]
The rating went into the brief, the tender or the funding agreement as a single line: "5 Star Green Star". Nobody priced what that line means. It means dozens of credits, each owned by a different consultant or trade. Each credit needs its own evidence: a drawing, a calculation, a specification clause, a test result or a signed contract. All of it is compiled to GBCA templates and assessed by people who never saw the building.
What you need is someone who sees that coming, owns the pathway, and keeps every party pointed at the same target. That is the role we take. You stay in charge of the project, and we make sure the rating you promised is the one you receive.
The risk rarely shows at concept, when the targets look comfortable. It shows during documentation, when a credit was never designed in.
It shows during construction, when the evidence was never collected.
And it shows at submission, when a missing point drops the rating below the commitment.
[What is Green Star Buildings?]
Green Star Buildings is the GBCA's rating tool for new buildings and major refurbishments. It works in three layers: a project must meet the minimum expectations; projects targeting 5 or 6 Star must follow the Climate Positive Pathway; and credits earn points, with the points total setting the Star rating.
Version 1.1 is now current, and it raises the bar. Version 1 registrations closed on 30 April 2026. From 1 May 2026, new projects register under v1.1. Under v1.1, all-electric buildings are a Minimum Expectation.
Several credits now have stepped points, including Responsible Structure, Responsible Envelope, Upfront Carbon Reduction and Compensation, Energy Use (performance pathways) and Water Use. A Nature Positive Pathway applies from 1 January 2028.
New projects registering from 1 May 2026 use Green Star Buildings v1.1.
Green Star Buildings offers an optional Green Star Designed precertification of the design.
[What you receive]
A recommended Star target, with cost and responsibility for each credit.
And liaison through to certification.
Briefs, specification and contract clauses, and design reviews at each stage.
Section J and energy modelling, daylight modelling, Upfront Carbon and life cycle assessment, climate risk assessment, the Sustainable Transport Plan, water and stormwater, and Zero Carbon Action Plan inputs.
From others, such as acoustics and commissioning. We tell you early who needs to be engaged.
Product data, environmental management, waste and commissioning evidence collected as the work happens.
And Round 1 and Round 2 responses.
Drawings, programme, target rating, and any planning conditions or funding requirements.
[When do you need Green Star?]
A Green Star outcome is often required by planning policy, a government brief or finance. Most projects have several of the problems below at once.
Some WA local policies and redevelopment areas tie approval to a Green Star outcome. The Town of Victoria Park's LPP 46 requires new non-residential buildings of 1,000 m² GFA or more to achieve at least 4 Star Green Star or equivalent. DevelopmentWA requires Tier 1 and 2 sites to show GBCA registration and certification evidence at working drawings, and certification after practical completion.
NSW Department of Education has committed to certifying all new school buildings over $10 million or 1,000 m². A Green Star Accredited Professional must be engaged on projects that certify.
GBCA states that v1.1 ratings are aligned with the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy criteria for new construction.
A credit-by-credit pathway that shows cost, responsibility and risk, so the target is a decision, not an assumption.
Credit requirements written into each consultant's brief, the specification and the head contract, so ownership is contractual, not verbal.
Design reviews at each stage, and in-house calculations that show early when a change costs points.
Construction-phase tracking of product data, environmental management, waste and commissioning, collected as the work happens instead of reconstructed later.
We compile it on the GBCA online platform using the v1.1 templates, and handle the Round 1 and Round 2 responses through to certification.
[How it works]
Drawings, programme, target rating and any planning conditions or funding requirements.
Credit targets, responsibilities and our scope, so you can see what the rating involves before you commit. Fast-track timeframes are available case by case; timeframes are confirmed at quote.
Briefs, reviews, in-house calculations and evidence tracking from concept to practical completion.
Submission, GBCA Round 1 (results in up to six weeks) and Round 2 if needed (up to four weeks).
Start with a pathway review. We map each credit against your design, budget and programme, and tell you plainly which target is realistic and what it takes.
New projects registering from 1 May 2026 use Green Star Buildings v1.1.
Yes. Green Star Buildings offers an optional Green Star Designed precertification of the design.
Under v1.1, all-electric is a Minimum Expectation. Check the Submission Guidelines for the exact scope.
Up to six weeks for Round 1 and up to four weeks for Round 2.
Only registered projects can say they are targeting a Green Star rating.
[Why Makao]
So credit risk shows up during design while it can still be fixed, not at submission.
Reviewed by Kelvin Mureithi, Founder, Makao · Green Star Accredited Professional, ISAP, Engineers Australia member.
