Green Building Council of Australia innovates and challenges the industry to change, too with its Green Star – Design & As Built rating tool

Be the change you seek. The GBCA wanted to see change, so they started with their programs.

Focused on the goal of encouraging the industry to create healthier, more productive buildings, the Green Building Council of Australia stepped up its game and released a rating tool for sustainable construction projects designed to be clearer, simpler and easier with less paperwork and fewer costs.

The Design & As Built rating tool replaces earlier Green Star rating tools for design and construction projects, forming a single tool for assessing and certifying all types of buildings, as well as major refurbishments. It places greater emphasis on evidence of As Built performance and less on Design requirements. The As Built assessment confirms completed projects deliver the sustainable outcomes sought in the design process.

The Design & As Built tool delivers assessment across nine categories:

• Management
• Indoor Environment Quality
• Energy
• Transport
• Water
• Materials
• Land Use and Ecology
• Emissions
• Innovation

We at EDGE Architectural applaud the new assessment tool and look forward to more innovative and truly sustainable Australian projects.

The “as designed” vs the “as built” challenge

The difference between “as designed” and “as built” can be small and insignificant or major and significant. Changes from the final plans of a project are often put in place during construction. Compromises are made and a performance gap results.

The window and door systems used in commercial projects contributes massively to the thermal performance of the building. When architects deliver specification documents that include phrases like “or equivalent” without detailed technical information on the required performance of the product, the project becomes vulnerable to inferior substitutions. The end result is a building with an “as built” performance that falls far short of the “as designed” intent.

By including technical performance details in a specification, an architect more effectively controls attempts to swap out product and protects the integrity of the projects “as designed” sustainable performance.

In addition to U-Values and SHGC, include in the performance specification of a high quality, highly energy efficient window system:

• Polyurethane thermal break
• No visible drain holes on transoms
• EDGE captive glazing bead
• Australian made and designed
• Frame & Components Make-up: Fabricate and install the window, and its components, so that the window is appropriate to the design wind conditions and window size specified and in accordance with AS 1170.2, AS 1288, AS 2047 and AS 4055.
• Design and install the windows to conform to the requirements of AS1170.2 in respect of Building Classification, Design Wind Pressure for the project for windows in their location, Air infiltration requirements, Water Penetration

If you want help in writing a window and door system specification that ensures your constructed project performs as you intend, meet with our Architectural Project Manager.