New Zealand Gold Star Excellence for World Green Building Week

26 September 2016A central Auckland office building and a Northland kura kaupapa have achieved ‘New Zealand excellence’ Green Star ratings, and eight Housing New Zealand homes have achieved high Homestar ratings, in time to celebrate World Green Building Week 2016.World Green Building Week (September 26–October 2) is the flagship event of the world green building movement. Every year, events in dozens of countries highlight the many environmental, financial and social benefits of sustainable buildings. Celebrations in New Zealand are led by the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC).The three ratings illustrate how sustainability can be successfully incorporated into any building project, from commercial builds to residential developments. Benefits include lower running costs, a healthier indoor environment and a smaller environmental footprint. Green Star rates commercial buildings on a 4-6 scale: 4 Green Star indicates ‘best practice’ and 6 Green Star ‘world leadership’. Homestar rates standalone homes and apartments on a 1-10 scale: a rating of 6 Homestar or higher means a home will be warmer, healthier and cost less to run than a typical new home built only to Building Code.NZGBC chief executive Alex Cutler says World Green Building Week is a great opportunity to demonstrate just how valuable green buildings can be.“Putting sustainability at the centre of our built environment is all about making smart design choices, playing our part in tackling climate change, and creating better places for people to live, work and play,” says Ms Cutler.“Buildings have a surprisingly large impact on the environment in many ways – for instance, they use 25% of the world’s water, according to the United Nations Environment Programme – and green building can make a huge difference. Independent, scientifically rigorous rating tools are the best way to ensure a building performs well and has a reduced impact on the environment; we rate everything from offices and homes to schools and even a food warehouse.”Bayleys is the national sponsor of New Zealand’s World Green Building Week activities, and Bayleys Real Estate managing director Mike Bayley says their focus on sustainability reflects a growing desire in the market for better-quality tenancies and investments.“Tenants are increasingly looking for offices with lower running costs and healthier indoor environments, which green buildings offer. These offices are also cheaper to maintain and offer a better return on investment when sold. We’re proud to support World Green Building Week in New Zealand, and looking forward to moving into our own Green Star office early next year.”

Story by: Keelan McCafferty