POLICY STATEMENT

1    Intent

UTAS is committed to developing and working towards sustainable campuses by incorporating inter alia environmental sustainable design (ESD) principles in all new or refurbished built environments including undertaking assessment using the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Green Star environmental assessment (education) rating tool.

2    Scope

This policy applies to all UTAS staff and their consultants and contractors who are engaged in the designing of new and/or refurbished built environments on university campuses.

3    Objective(s)

The objectives are:

• to ensure that all new and/or refurbished built environments are to be designed in accordance with ESD principles, unless the project is specifically exempted; and
• in addition, for those building projects in excess of $5m budget (gross) to be designed to achieve at least a 5 star Green Star certified rating.

4    Definitions and Acronyms

5    Policy Owner

Director, Asset Management Services

6    Policy Provisions

ESD principles shall be incorporated into all aspects of the built environment, addressing but not limited to:

• Energy & greenhouse gases efficient use provisions
• Water including storm water management
• Indoor environment quality
• Sustainable transport provisions
• Waste & recycling management
• Biodiversity within and surrounding the project site.

The design team shall prepare an ESD Design Brief (and where applicable discussion papers) that outlines the various ESD principles to be adopted in the design, with clearly defined verification measures, its impacts where applicable, and articulates the lifecycle savings/payback period for the project.

For building projects with a budget exceeding $5m, to assist in achieving at least a 5 star GBCA Green Star rating, an environmental sustainability consultant shall be engaged as a member of the project design team that will follow through from the initial stage of the project until completion.

The management of the project construction shall be such that construction variations, if any, shall not affects the stated verification measures of the ESD principles and benefits, as well as achievement of the appropriate GBCA Green Star assessment rating.

7  Supporting/Related Documents

• UTAS Masterplan 2007 Vol 1 Section 2.6 - Sustainability
• AMS Design Guidelines
• BCA Energy Efficiency Provisions
• UTAS Environment Management Plan 2009-11

8    Key Words

• ESD
• Sustainable design
• Green Star

RESPONSIBILITIES

WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THIS POLICY?

• Entire University community involved in built environment project development.
• All project managers.
• Other stakeholders including the design consultant’s team and builder’s team.

EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS POLICY

• Environmental audit of project building as built and in use (resource use, emissions, carbon footprint) as compared with a non Green Star Deemed to Satisfy (BCA) building.
• Improvement in overall energy use and occupants’ awareness and satisfaction of the built environment on a project by project basis.
• Measure university community awareness of environmental action in new and/or refurbished buildings.

POLICY HISTORY