Construcciones Yamaro: A record year for Green Star certification
Green Star certification is stepping into new territory across the built environment. What began as a voluntary commitment to healthier and more efficient buildings has evolved into a marker of quality relied upon by government, investors, developers and occupiers.
The Green Building Council of Australia’s (GBCA) Green Star: A Year in Focus FY2024–25 report shows the scale of progress, with almost 2,000 certifications achieved across Green Star’s core areas of application, including buildings, communities, fit-outs and operational performance. The breadth of that activity reflects a sector that recognises the value of independent verification and is acting accordingly.
The momentum has carried through a period of global uncertainty and cost pressures. Instead of slowing, uptake has continued to grow across all building types, from commercial towers and mixed-use buildings to industrial facilities and sports venues. Demand is also strong in government projects, with more than 140 public assets now using Green Star Buildings to assess long-term performance. This trajectory is supported by policy settings, finance frameworks and community expectations.
Jorge Chapa, chief impact officer at GBCA, says this year’s report findings point to sustainability becoming embedded in the built environment – a new norm for the industry and the community.
“Whether it’s the certification of an all-electric aquatic centre or a community that highlights the best of adaptive reuse and high-performing homes, industry has taken the challenge of creating systemic change in the built environment, head on,” he says.
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That willingness is evident in the range of projects certified this year.
The Brimbank Aquatic and Wellness Centre demonstrates what can be achieved when operational performance is treated as a design priority. As Australia’s first 100 per cent renewable-energy-powered, zero-greenhouse-gas-emitting aquatic centre, it achieved a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating.
It also speaks to a long-standing challenge for councils managing aquatic assets, which are typically among the highest energy users in municipal portfolios.
Drew Hildebrandt, manager of Brimbank Leisure Centres, explains the thinking behind the project.
“Brimbank Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, and we have strong requirements for our facilities to meet highest possible sustainable design standards,” says Hildebrandt. “Our Climate Emergency Plan outlined a commitment to ‘assess the feasibility of electric alternatives to building new, or upgrading old, gas infrastructure in council buildings’. Council was determined to exceed this commitment by bringing this all-electric centre to fruition.”
Cultural projects are demonstrating ambition of the same calibre. Powerhouse Parramatta, delivered by Infrastructure NSW with Lendlease, is on track to become the first public institution in the country to reach a 6 Star Green Star Buildings v1 rating. Its design incorporates climate resilience, low-impact materials and an all-electric operational model supported by renewable energy. The museum’s submission gained more than 70 points across the rating categories and provides a reference for civic buildings seeking to demonstrate credibility, transparency and measurable outcomes.
As Carmel Reyes, head of climate action and sustainability at Powerhouse, says, “At Powerhouse Parramatta, we made a deliberate – and at the time, considered bold – choice to completely exclude gas and fossil fuels from our building operations.”
The project has been conceived as a long-term asset positioned for future energy, climate and cost expectations.
Industrial development is following a comparable path. Stockland’s Melbourne Business Park Stage 1 facility received a 5 Star Green Star Buildings v1.0 rating after the project team – Stockland, with builder partner Texco and consultants from Sustainable Development Consultants and Cundall – shifted from a 4 Star target to pursue higher performance. Low-carbon materials and waste diversion contributed to the result, and the project now anchors a logistics pipeline informed by the same standards.
“Our 5 Star Green Star rating is more than just a badge; it represents responsible and innovative commercial development, which is core to Stockland values and progress on delivering our ESG strategy,” says Anthony Osborne, senior development manager at Stockland.
GBCA CEO Davina Rooney reinforces the value that flows from these choices, stating, “90 Melbourne Drive has been designed and built with low carbon and low waste in mind, and then it does so much more. Operationally it’s a smart, all-electric, highly efficient building that will have a low impact on the environment and an ongoing positive impact for all who work there.”
Within workplace environments, the Interiors tool is prompting organisations to reconsider how their spaces support their people. Endeavour Energy’s 6 Star Green Star fit-out in Parramatta Square is a study in material selection, low-impact lighting and adaptive reuse. Repurposed power poles, preserved base-building materials and recycled components contribute to resource efficiency, while circadian lighting supports staff wellbeing. The project sits inside a Green Star rated building within a Green Star rated community, demonstrating how nested certifications can shape precinct-level outcomes.
Melissa Irwin, the company’s chief data, people and sustainability officer, links the certification to broader organisational goals.
“Achieving a 6 Star Green Star rating for Endeavour Energy’s Parramatta office fit-out reflects our commitment to sustainability leadership and innovation, aligns with our broader sustainability strategy, and supports our goal of reaching net zero by 2040 and achieving zero operational waste to landfill by 2030,” says Irwin.
“By designing a workspace that prioritises energy efficiency, resource conservation and employee wellbeing, we’re not only minimising our carbon footprint but also setting a benchmark for what’s possible as we drive the transition to a clean-energy future.”
Operational performance has become a lens through which asset management is now viewed. From heritage buildings to stadiums and commercial offices, Green Star Performance helps owners assess their assets, improve operational efficiency and work toward higher ratings over time. Green Star Performance v2, aligned with international finance frameworks, has seen rapid adoption from office owners, industrial landlords, student accommodation providers and retirement living operators. ESR Australia and NZ, a logistics real estate platform, certified more than 100 industrial assets under the updated tool, with climate resilience, decarbonisation initiatives and renewable-energy uptake guiding decisions.
A unifying thread across these achievements is the long-term direction set by GBCA’s Future Focus program, which has shaped the evolution of the rating system and positioned the sustainable built environment to meet present-day needs while responding to global megatrends and emerging challenges. The rating tools developed under Future Focus have pushed projects to consider embodied carbon, nature, resilience and circular outcomes in ways that were not common practice a decade ago.
Since the launch of the Future Focus tools in 2020, more than 700 buildings valued at over $20 billion have registered, collectively avoiding at least 4 million tonnes of carbon emissions. This uptake includes more than 140 government projects using the Green Star Buildings tool to future-proof their assets.
“Future Focus won the Australian Financial Review Sustainability Leader Award in Property and Construction,” says Rooney. “Led by the Market Transformation team, it was recognised for challenging industry to think differently about buildings and to stretch what’s possible by considering upfront carbon, designing with Country, nature stewardship and resilience.”
Taken together, the progress outlined in GBCA’s annual report reveals a sector approaching sustainability with increasing maturity. Project teams are treating certification as a planning tool rather than a last-minute addition. Government is integrating the approach into procurement. Investors are recognising its value in risk management and asset performance. And communities are experiencing the outcomes through healthier buildings, lower running costs and public places designed for longevity.
“The certifications that we are seeing are a result of industry valuing Green Star for all the benefits it brings,” says Chapa. “It has also been wonderful to see governments recognise that well-built, sustainable buildings that meet Australia’s leading standard provide value.”
After a year of record activity, Green Star certification is now a central part of how Australia builds, regenerates and adapts.
To date, GBCA has issued over 7,000 certifications. In practice, that means:
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