Green Star SA Certification is a formal process which involves a project using a Green Star SA rating tool to guide the design or construction process, during which a documentation-based submission will need to be collated as proof of this achievement. |
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 Most rating tools offer two different certifications: “Design” and “As Built”. A “Design” certification can be submitted for and awarded at the end of the design phase of the project. The intent is that the building can then be marketed as a Green Star SA certified building, having demonstrated the green building strategies to be included in the building. At the end of construction, a project can submit for and be awarded “As Built” certification, certifying that all green building strategies were in fact incorporated into the final building. The two types of certification are completely separate, and a Design certification is not a prerequisite for an As Built certification. Design submissions can be submitted as soon as the required evidence is available; this could be prior to commencement of construction. The Certified Rating can be achieved prior to practical completion, but must be achieved no later than 24 months after practical completion. As Built submissions must be submitted after practical completion, and the Certified Rating must be achieved no later than 24 months after practical completion.
Please click on the tabs below to learn more about the certification process. 
Registering a building project with the Green Building Council of South Africa declares the intent to pursue certification under a specific rating tool and is the first step in the certification process. Projects should register as soon as possible during the project, though there is no deadline during the design or construction process. Part one of the Certification Fee (50%) must be paid to the GBCSA upon registration of a project, and an executed Certification Agreement (sent to the project owner upon registration) must be received by the GBCSA to finalise a project's registration. Details of the Certification Fees can be found by clicking the 'Fees' link to the left. Please Note: Registering a project simply declares the intent to pursue certification and should not be confused with actual project certification which is awarded by the GBCSA once a project has demonstrated its achievement of a certain rating level. 
Once a project is registered, the project team should prepare documentation, drawings and calculations to satisfy the Green Star SA credit requirements. It is important to ensure that documentation for all claimed credits adheres to the Documentation Requirements outlined in the relevant Green Star SA Technical Manual. Assessor(s) will not award the point(s) unless it is demonstrated that all the requirements have been met exactly as detailed in the Technical Manual. Once all relevant documentation has been gathered, it is submitted to the GBCSA in one package in the form of one hard copy and four (4) identical digital copies. In order to provide clearer documentation, project teams must use the cover sheet below at the beginning of every credit. 
To ensure receipt of the Round 1 assessment results within six weeks of the submission date, the project contact must inform the GBCSA of the date of submission at least two weeks prior to the anticipated submission date. Due to the costs associated with arranging an Assessment Panel, any late submissions are subject to a penalty fee of R 1000. Once an initial submission date has been forfeited, a new date must be scheduled with the GBCSA. The same conditions apply to the revised date. Projects must also complete and provide with their submission the pre-submission checklist below. Green Star SA Pre-Submission Checklist Round 1 Part two of the Certification Fee (50%) must be paid to the GBCSA on or before the submission date. Please note that if a Credit Interpretation Request (CIR) has been submitted, an assessment cannot take place until it has been resolved. The GBCSA reserves the right to conduct a pre assessment review of a project submission prior to the commissioning of a review by the Assessor(s). A project may be required to resubmit if the pre assessment review suggests that the quality of the submission would result in an excessive number of credits denied or credits "To Be Confirmed". There is no fee associated with this additional pre-assessment. 
The GBCSA commissions an Assessment Panel, containing one or more third party Assessors and an Independent Chair, who will review the submission. Recommendations will then be made to the GBCSA. The GBCSA reserves the right to question the findings of the Certification Assessment Panel. The GBCSA will forward the results of the Round 1 assessment to the project contact. The project may accept the results as the final rating or request to resubmit documentation for credits "to be confirmed" for a Round 2 assessment. 
Upon receipt of the results of the Round 1 Assessment, the project may resubmit documentation for credits "to be confirmed". Each project has only one opportunity for resubmission, which may include:
In order to provide clearer documentation, project teams must use the cover sheet below at the beginning of every credit. Green Star SA Submission Credit Coversheet - Round 2 To ensure receipt of the Round 2 assessment results within four weeks of submission, the project contact must inform the GBCSA of the date of submission at least two weeks prior to submission. Due to cost of arranging an Assessment Panel, late submissions are subject to a penalty fee of R 1000. Projects must also complete and provide with their submission the pre-submission checklist below. 
Assessment of the Round 2 submission will follow the procedures outlined above for Round 1 assessment. 
After the second round, project teams are notified of their score based on the recommendation of the Assessment Panel and, if applicable, on the innovation credit awarded by the Green Building Council of South Africa. If a Certified Rating is awarded, the project will receive a certificate, award letter, Marketing Kit and relevant Green Star SA logos. If the desired Certified Rating is not achieved, the project may, in limited circumstances, be eligible to Appeal for a fee of R5000 per credit. |
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