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Green Star Rating

On 12 February Brian Gabriel, Allan Beecroft, Matt Sanders and Demo Roussetos went to Sydney for a three day conference and accreditation on the “Green Star Rating“ of buildings. The course was held at The Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. We all thought it would be a bit of a junket but how surprised we were to find over 100 other confused people there, with the whole affair being very intense and informative.

Brian has since passed his exam and is now an accredited Green Star Professional, the others will follow shortly.

Management of Energy and understanding the rating system is what we learnt and generally a lot of the recommendations are already being carried within our designs such as :

• Collection and reuse of rainwater
• Energy efficient lighting
• Control of lighting and power consumption including metering
• Good commissioning of services on completion of the building
• On going building maintenance
• Sun control
• Efficient glazing solutions
• Environmental and Waste Management without pollution
• Reduction in use of materials such as PVC and Old Growth timber
• Clean water and air used within the building
• Use of recycled materials
• Use of natural lighting and ventilation
• Non use of pollutants such as asbestos, volatile organic compounds (VOC), mould prevention
• Providing a comfortable and safe environment
• Other issues include the use of push bikes and public transport instead of our V8 cars

We will be promoting the Green Star Rating of our buildings especially as some clients, like Government Departments, will only lease these approved premises.

There is an extra cost to the building but the long term energy savings will offset the initial cost. This is the future!

Find out more at: http://www.gbcaus.org/

Date Posted: 04/09/2007