The resource is divided into eight principles, each with a corresponding checklist and fact sheet. Also included are references to strategies, action plans, manuals and tools which provide further information.
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximise value for money | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Optimise | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
Provide income stream through infrastructure
| ✔ | ✘ |
|
| Public engagement | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Design
In the design phase of the project lifecycle, the following principles should be considered:
- project planning and building design to be informed by lifecycle costings for materials, systems and uses
- lower ongoing maintenance, benchmarked against equivalent projects and maximise value for money.
Construction
In the construction phase, staff should ensure they undertake a competitive tendering process aligned with City of Melbourne policies.
User management
In the ongoing use, maintenance and management of the building, the following should be considered and implemented:
- assess the project s value through post occupancy evaluation and research
- undertake lifecycle testing of the design ratings
- assess the value of energy generation to provide an ongoing income stream
- take a leadership role in environmentally sustainable design (ESD) through education and information exchange.
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimise ongoing energy use through siting and location | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Minimise ongoing energy use | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Provide low energy thermal control systems | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Provide renewal electricity generation system | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Offset carbon emissions | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Minimise energy use during construction | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Achieve cultural change with building users | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Principles
An overall minimum Five Star Green Star using the most appropriate green starOpens in new tab tool.
Siting
Design to achieve a minimum category score of 60 per cent in the transport section of the appropriate Green Star tool.
Minimise ongoing energy use through careful project siting:
- for optimum urban density and mixed land use
- concentrated around activity centres and associated infrastructure
- located along public transport lines and transit centres
- incorporating pedestrian paths
- including bicycle paths, lanes and parking.
Design
Design to achieve a minimum of 60 per cent of the available energy points or a five star rating under the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), as directed in the appropriate Green Star tool.
Minimise ongoing energy use through passive thermal control systems by:
- using passive heating, cooling and ventilation systems
- passive design in response to regional and micro-climatic conditions to reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling (for example, building orientation / planning, insulation / mass, window glazing and size, ventilation)
- specifying low energy appliances and switching systems
- efficient internal design and room use programming.
Minimise energy use through low energy active thermal control systems:
- using systems such as hydronic heating, automated night purge, geothermal, operable shading and ventilation systems
- installing low energy use cooling and heating plant(s).
Provide renewable electricity generation systems through:
- targeting to meet a proportion of the onsite energy requirements
- providing an ongoing revenue source.
Offset carbon emissions by incorporating landscaping (onsite and/or offsite).
Construction
Minimise energy use during construction with:
- efficient and continuous construction programming
- the use of local contractors, suppliers and subcontractors
- prefabrication
- thermally efficient temporary site accommodation.
User management
Minimise ongoing energy use through:
- user education programs
- ongoing monitoring.
Strategies, plans and resources
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adapt / reuse / recycle | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Use standard material sizes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Use low-embodied energy and water materials | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Use resilient non-toxic, low-VOC and local materials | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Minimise construction waste | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Educate users with appropriate manuals | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Design
Design to achieve a minimum category score of 60 per cent in the materials and emissions sections of the appropriate Green Star tool.
Minimise the environmental impact of building and landscape materials through:
- adapting and/or reusing existing features on site, and recycling the remaining materials
- using standardised materials and product sizes in design and selecting materials, finishes and components that:
- have low embodied energy in their manufacture
- have low embodied water in their manufacture
- are non-toxic and have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in manufacture and/or end use
- are resilient and require only intermittent maintenance
- are locally manufactured.
Construction
Minimise the environmental impact of materials use during construction through:
- careful planning of site works to avoid damage or incorrect ordering of materials
- use of shop drawings to ensure the correct ordering of material types, amounts and dimensions
- providing secure and appropriate storage of materials on site.
User management
Optimise the use and performance of materials by providing occupiers, users and maintenance staff with appropriate manuals and maintenance schedules.
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protect and enhance cultural significance and diversity, and foster a sense of community and belonging | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Protect and enhance indigenous heritage | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ensure contractors are aware of heritage-related obligations | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Design
Protect and enhance cultural significance and diversity through:
- conservation according to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Burra Charter for culturally significant buildings, landscapes, urban places and artefacts
- retention of existing urban fabric that contributes to the diversity and/or historic continuity of a place, even if the site itself does not have a formal heritage registration (such as a building which forms part of an historic streetscape)
- conservation that is sensitive towards and respects indigenous heritage, according to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Clth) and the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 (Victoria).
Foster a sense of community and belonging through design and development that:
- attracts public life and community appropriation throughout the day and week, inclusive of all age groups, cultures and interests
- preserves and enriches quality of life and well-being
- supports and promotes cultural vitality and social equity.
Promote cultural development through design excellence and innovation that contribute to community, culture and/or place.
Construction
Ensure that contractors are aware of:
- any items onsite that have heritage or cultural significance, and know how to protect them during all works
- their obligations to protect items of potential cultural significance that are discovered during the course of works.
Strategies, plans and resources
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protect and conserve remnant indigenous landscapes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Protect existing habitats and establish new ones | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Promote biodiversity on flora and fauna | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Design
Protect remnant indigenous landscapes, existing habitats and promote biodiversity through:
- landscape conservation
- plant species selection and their layering, layout and location.
Design and strategic siting of projects through concentrating development on brownfield sites as much as possible to retain undeveloped land for public open space, indigenous landscape regeneration, habitat and agriculture.
Design and management of sites near sensitive environments (such as water bodies and habitats) that:
- incorporate indigenous plant species
- remove onsite environmental weeds
- avoid the use of environmental weed species in new landscaping.
Construction
Ensure careful sourcing of building and plant materials by:
- avoiding the use of materials from exploited economies and/or remnant indigenous landscapes
- minimising the use of toxic materials and compounds.
User management
Ensure protection and conservation of habitats and improved biodiversity through ongoing landscape maintenance and management.
Strategies, plans and resources
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior natural light, glare, temperature control, and air quality, long distance views of exterior and passive surveillance | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Exterior sun/shade, wind protection, temperature and air quality, views to surrounding area and passive surveillance | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Minimise the environment impacts of construction and development | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
| User education and control of environment | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
Fact sheet
Design
Design to achieve a minimum category score of 60 per cent in the indoor environmental quality section in the appropriate Green Star tool.
Design site layouts, buildings and landscapes to:
- optimise access to sun and shade
- provide shelter from adverse weather conditions for both inhabitants and people in the adjacent public realm
- minimise onsite pollution (such as air, water and noise)
- maximise views (indoors and outdoors) without obstructing or degrading those of neighbouring and nearby sites.
Ensure that contaminated soil and hazardous materials audits are conducted early in the design phase.
Construction
Ensure construction work is carried out according to:
- an approved environmental management plan from City of Melbourne (to manage that site-generated noise and dust)
- a waste management plan.
User management
Through education and management plans, ensure that:
- smoking is prohibited within or surrounding the building or place
- users have ongoing access to individual environmental controls, outdoor green areas and outdoor views or windows.
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimise potable water consumption | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Use grey water and reuse | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Collection of rainwater and reuse | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Use black water and reuse | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Fact sheet
Design
Design to achieve a minimum category score of 60 per cent in the water section of the appropriate Green Star tool.
Minimise embodied water associated with design and development by:
- reusing existing landscape and structural features
- recycling remaining materials
- careful selection of materials and type of construction.
Minimise demand for potable water through:
- design according to regional and microclimatic conditions
- plant species selection
- plant species layout according to similar irrigation requirements
- land grading to collect stormwater for onsite irrigation
- installation of mulch to retain soil moisture
- the specification of low water use appliances and switching systems (note: fittings are to be a minimum WELS rating of five for basin and sink outlets and three for showers)installation of water tanks for the collection and reuse of grey water and rain water
- consider treatment and reuse of black water.
Construction
Reduce potable water consumption through:
- dust control using shields and sheets rather than water-based methods
- minimising the need for wet trades onsite.
User management
Minimise ongoing water use through ongoing:
- water efficient maintenance and management
- user education.
Strategies, plans and resources
Checklist
| Checklist items | Design | Construction | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protect and improve stormwater quality | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Minimise stormwater volumes and velocities | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Topography and drainage | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Location in the drainage catchment | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Fact sheet
Principles
Design and construction in consideration of the drainage catchment rather than municipal boundaries.
Design
Protect and improve stormwater quality and minimise stormwater volumes and velocities through:
- removing onsite environmental weeds and avoiding the use of environmental weed species in new landscaping
- selecting permeable ground surface materials that maximise stormwater infiltration
- grading land to entrap, filter and use stormwater as much as possible onsite
- incorporating rain gardens, pervious paving, swales and wetlands in design
- undertaking stormwater harvesting and where possible reusing this resource onsite (note: water treatment must be to a Class A standard unless sub-surface irrigation is used)
- regenerating habitat along water bodies
- minimising development along water bodies.
Construction
Ensure construction work is carried out according to:
- an approved environmental management plan
- a waste management plan.
Strategies, plans and resources
Climate resilience and your building
Climate change adaptation can help to manage risks, adjust economic activity and reduce vulnerability. For building owners and managers it can also improve long term business certainty.
In the design of new buildings and redevelopment of existing buildings, climate resilience should be part of the decision-making process. For practical steps you can take to increase an existing or proposed building's climate resilience see the following fact sheet:
