Green Star Projects

InfraBuild, the GBCA & the Green Star Ratings Tools

 

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has been driving sustainable transformation of the built environment for over 20 years, through innovative tools and initiatives, including the Green Star rating system.

InfraBuild has been a member of the GBCA for a substantial part of this time and is proud of our association with the GBCA and the relationships that guide us to develop solutions aligned to the GBCA’s Purpose.

InfraBuild has closely followed the evolution of the new Green Star Buildings tool, to ensure our products are best positioned to support customer and stakeholder needs.

We also continue to ensure our products have the certifications that are recognised in the older, yet still current, Green Star Design & As Built rating tool.

 

How do InfraBuild products support the ‘Green Star Buildings’ ratings tool?

 

Responsible Structure Credit

InfraBuild has two pathways that provide the highest possible recognition in the Responsible Structures Credit.

• InfraBuild’s select reinforcing bar and mesh products have Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) Certification, which provides an RPV of 15.
• Eight of InfraBuild Reinforcing’s steel processing sites have Level 2B certification to the Steel Sustainability Australia (SSA) Scheme, which provides an RPV of 15 in conjunction with InfraBuild’s EPD.

Both pathways deliver a ‘Best Practice Product’ outcome that can support a construction project’s ability to gain three or five Green Star points in the Responsible Structure credit.

 

Upfront Carbon Emissions Credit

InfraBuild’s SENSE 600® reinforcing bar range can deliver reductions in the upfront or embodied carbon of up to 39%, compared to InfraBuild’s standard 500N reinforcing bar range.

This provides an opportunity to support the Upfront Carbon Emission credit that seeks to deliver savings of 10%, 20% or 40% in the overall embodied carbon of the building’s frame.

InfraBuild’s SENSE 600® EPD can be used to support the potential reduction that it may deliver.

The Upfront Carbon Emissions Credit can deliver either three or six Green Star points towards a project’s Green Star rating.

 

How do InfraBuild products support the ‘Design & As Built’ ratings tool

 

InfraBuild continues to support projects that are being rated to the Green Star Design & As Built ratings tool.  Although the window for projects to register to this version of the Green Star tool was closed by the GBCA on 31 Dec 2021, we continue to supply steel to projects that are being constructed beyond that date.

The Green Star Design & As Built tool rewards projects where the steel used has come via a responsible and sustainable supply chain.

Select InfraBuild products meet the two mandatory Compliance Requirements for a ‘Responsible Steel Maker’ by complying with the following:

• InfraBuild has current and valid ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) Certification in place for the manufacturing facilities where the steel is produced.
• InfraBuild is a current member of the worldsteel Climate Action Programme (CAP).

 

There is one Green Star point available for projects via the Responsible Building Materials Credit for either concrete framed or structural steel framed buildings.  A project cannot claim both points, only one point is available in this Category,

• For concrete framed buildings, the GBCA recognises reinforcing steel and mesh products that have been produced using recognised Energy Reducing Processes (ERP).
• InfraBuild’s Warm Charging technique is a recognised ERP, which allows reinforcing bar and mesh products made using InfraBuild feed to be awarded the one Green Star point in this Category.

 

The Green Star Design & As Built tool also rewards projects via Credit 21.1 (‘Product Transparency and Sustainability).

• To support this Credit, select InfraBuild reinforcing bar and reinforcing mesh products have Certification to GECA’s ‘Steel & Steel Products’ Standard. The GBCA awards this GECA Certification with a “Level A” GBCA recognition via the 21.1D pathway, which provides the highest possible Sustainability Factor of 1.0.