Navigating sustainability with GREEN STAR V2

Green Star is the African standard in holistic sustainability for buildings and precincts. GBCSA is the proud custodian of this constellation of specialised green building certification tools that have been deeply localised and are continually updated to reflect best environmental practice.

These certification standards have an option for everyone, from the small company setting out on its journey to become just a little greener, to the seasoned developer hungry for pushing the boundaries of world green leadership. Green Star tools are the fixed navigation points, like the stars that guided ancient trade ships across unknown waters, for your journey to a more sustainable future.

What is Green Star?

Green Star is a set of dedicated sustainability principles, collected into coherent groups (called categories) that inform a collection of different sustainability actions and outcomes (called credits) that a project can apply to its design, construction, operation or fit-out, which make that project meaningfully and materially green.

Some of these sustainability actions are the point of departure for green achievement, and these are called minimum requirements – the proof that your ship is sufficiently watertight to undertake its green journey.

The other sustainability actions have a number of points associated with them (usually one or two, but sometimes as many as 15), so that the collection of all the sustainability actions taken by a project, when viewed together, can produce a score that indicates the extent of green achievement of the project. Think of this as a way of measuring how far from the port of business-as-usual our green ship has sailed. The total of these points determines what level of sustainability performance the project has achieved, with 4-Star Green Star signifying Best Practice, 5-Star Green Star signifying Local Leadership, and 6-Star Green Star signifying World Leadership.

Green Star points are awarded only after an audited check of the detailed evidence submitted showing that each sustainability action claimed really has been taken.

Green Star certification tools

The Green Star family of tools provides tailored solutions for a range of different projects, scales and scopes:

• Projects that are new constructions, or a significant change to an existing building, can be certified with the Green Star New Build and Major Refurbishments tool. A significant change to an existing building in this case might include renovations to the facade or major systems like the HVAC.
• Projects that are occupied buildings, and which have been operating for at least 12 months can be certified with the Green Star Existing Building Performance (EBP) tool.
• Projects that deal only with interior fit-outs, and not the structure or the systems of a building can be certified with the Green Star Interiors tool.
• Projects that extend beyond a single building, like a neighbourhood or precinct development, can seek holistic certification with the Green Star Sustainable Precincts tool.

More information on these tools, and the unique benefits each one confers, can be found here.
Each tool relies on specific documents called Technical Manuals, which contain the details of each of the specific sustainability actions (or credits), that drive them. Until now, Green Star tools have relied on multiple technical manuals per tool, each tuned to a different category of building, like Offices, or Multi-Unit Residential (think apartment blocks). Green Star New Build Version 2 is taking a different approach. Unlike previous iterations, V2 has only one Technical Manual. The V2 Technical Manual is applicable to all types of buildings. Where there must be an exception for certain types, such as hotels, that note is added to the manual itself.

This means that Green Star New Build Version 2 as a tool is more streamlined and universally applicable than before, as well as simpler to work with.

The only type of building that cannot be certified using the Green Star family is a single building residential dwelling, a stand-alone house. This is because individual homes require different assessment criteria and considerations, informed by their difference in scale and range of variability.

Green Star in the South African market

Construction in South Africa is a complex industry, facing significant challenges locally. It would be easy to assume that no one here has time to focus on green building or sustainable development, but that’s far from the truth.

Historically a country of early adopters of new technology and ideas, South Africa has taken up certification enthusiastically. The number of Green Star certifications has increased every year since its introduction in 2009.

The Green Building Construction Cost Premium – the measure of how much more expensive it is to build green than business-as-usual – has been dropping over time, indicating a maturing green market. The average premium for Green Star-certified commercial offices was only 3.14% in 2022, with a 4-Star Green Star certification possible from only 0.4% extra.

Green-certified buildings are also gaining recognition as sound investments. MSCI’s South African Green Annual Property Index for 2023 found that, on average, a green-certified office had a total return of 150bps higher than comparable non-certified offices. Even more interesting is that the share of properties making up the MSCI index that is certified, versus not certified, has grown from just 20% in 2016 to 67% in 2023. More and more South African developers are recognising the value of green certification and making it part of their business strategy.

Introducing Version 2

While those stars that early sailors used to navigate by were fixed in the night sky, Green Star cannot afford to be static. The world is experiencing an intense period of change, challenge and uncertainty. From weather weirding to climate whiplash, the physical context in which buildings must operate is uncharted territory. The navigation systems of the past cannot carry us through this.

Sustainability for the built environment has also become more holistic, and ambitious in its reach, incorporating people, places and communities (https://worldgbc.org/article/social-impact-paper/). To meet today’s challenges, and support tomorrow’s hopes, Green Star needs to transform.

Starting with the Green Star New Build and Major Refurbishment tool, GBCSA has been leading a collaborative process of reimagining what a sustainable building in Africa can, and should, mean.

This reimagining has taken the form of a fundamental and intensive tool update, conceptualised in 2021. The first stage of the process was carried by green experts, who volunteered as the Transforming Tomorrow task groups to tackle pragmatic localisation of current sustainability best practices. In 2022 Balwin Properties pledged their support to this tool update process and funded the appointment of service providers – many from the original volunteer groups – to polish and detail the new set of sustainability actions and scope of change. Currently, GBCSA is taking the tool on a boot camp of industry engagement and pilot project testing, ensuring that its final iteration is market-ready and context-conscious.

These capture either a characteristic that V2-certified buildings must have (Responsible, Healthy, Resilient and Resource Positive), or something that they must protect and help to thrive (Places, People), or an action that they must embody (Leadership). These categories aim to enable buildings that balance traditional understandings of sustainability (like resource efficiency and healthy indoor environments), with the idea that a building is positive contributor to its neighbourhood, supports inclusion of diverse groups of people to create and use it, and acts as a steward for the ecologies surrounding it.

Most Green Star V2 categories have at least one credit – a sustainability action – that is a minimum requirement. This means that whatever combination of credits has been chosen by the project team for targeting, the developers, investors and occupants can confidently say:
“This building:
• protects the environment;
• is constructed responsibly to operate efficiently;
• is low-waste;
• has healthy and productive indoor spaces;
• is low-carbon;
• uses energy and water efficiently;
• connects with its local contexts; and
• is climate-aware.”

A green community story

“A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.” – Henrik Ibsen, playwright

The Transforming Tomorrow task groups provide us with a masterclass in green co-design. Their contributions of experience and expertise mean that the V2 tool update was, from concept to close-out, shaped by the community of Green Star Accredited Professionals who are going to apply it, and who have a deep understanding of exactly what it will need to accomplish.

Find a full list of the many members of the community who took their turn at the V2 helm here.

In addition to the task team volunteers, the sponsorship of the tool update by Balwin Properties was a critical step in bridging the gap between tomorrow’s sustainable theory and its real-world practice.

GBCSA acknowledges the tremendous support of the Green Building Council of Australia in proving its Green Star intellectual property and assisting GBCSA in adapting it for the South African Market.

The sponsorship by Balwin Properties allowed not only the formal on-boarding of key task group members, but also local service providers to contribute specialist expertise around the more innovative or intricate credits.

These providers included:
Arup: Tessa Brunette; Mike Kovaks; Mishlin Pillay
Ecocentric: Jutta Berns; Meera Chita
Ecolution Consulting: André Harms
Inclusive Design: Colette Fransolet
Property Point: Desigan Chetty;
Clement Makotanyane; Maphefo Sipula
Solid Green Consulting: Annelide Sherratt;
Adrie Fourie; Ranjita Pillay
Sow & Reap Green Building Solutions: Francois Retief
PJC + Partners: Yogesh Gooljar
MSSA: Marc Sherratt

Without these specialists, the tool would have lacked the specificity and technical grounding required for a truly impactful guide to implementing holistic sustainability.

From this point, Version 2 was ready to be tested for feasibility, functionality and robustness to the challenges of the construction sector. This testing is currently underway through the GBCSA’s V2 Pilot Project Programme.

Meet our maritime V2 pilots

The profession of the maritime pilot – a sailor with specialist knowledge of complex territory, like a winding river mouth, or rocky coastline with hidden currents – goes back all the way to Ancient Greece. They would temporarily board sailing vessels to guide crews through the dangerous waters.
Similarly, our V2 pilots are charting the complex territories of the tool, testing and refining credits, debating benchmarks and developing guidance and support for the projects that will sail this way. Their task isn’t an easy or peaceful one, but thankfully they are exceptionally good at it. We asked them what the most satisfying challenge of the pilot programme is/has been:

Pilot team: Ecolution Consulting
Maritime pilot: André Harms, Sustainability Engineer and Director
“The opportunity to apply the latest cutting-edge interpretation of what a green building means to an actual building design and construction is exhilarating and satisfying in that the boundary is pushed, issues are constructively navigated, the positive impact is greater, and the building will ultimately be better for people and planet.”

Pilot team: Sow & Reap Green Building Solutions
Maritime pilot: Francois Retief, founder
“Looking beyond the building in the V2 rating tool, which has involved engagement with many stakeholders, from urban design professionals to operations teams.”

Pilot team: Solid Green Consulting
Maritime pilot: Annelide Sherratt, Head of Department: Green Building Certifications (New Build and Interiors)
“Navigating uncharted territory – translating global best practices into a uniquely South African solution that achieves world-leading sustainability while balancing affordability and resilience.”

Maritime pilot: Jennifer Dean, Sustainability Consultant
“Getting to grips with the new V2 tool and knowing that my feedback is helping to shape something that will raise the bar for sustainable building in South Africa.”

Maritime pilot: Ranjita Pillay, Sustainable Building Consultant
“Being part of the behind-the-scenes effort that went into shaping it and feeling part of something bigger that is driving a meaningful change in the industry.”

GBCSA “Steering” team
Harbour master: Dash Coville, Technical Manager (Special Projects)
“Keeping all the moving parts pointed in the same direction while balancing the need for transformational solutions, with the need for actionable solutions we can get on the ground on time.”

Port agent: Abi Godsell, Research and Content Co-ordinator
“Getting into the depths of each category’s details to find the strategic wins that aren’t too challenging for industry, but will really mean something to the sectors and the people they impact!”