Certifications
Sustainability certifications are meant to cut through the noise, but they vary enormously in what they verify. Some assess a whole building, some a single product, some only one attribute like thermal performance or embodied carbon. A logo on a product tells you a scheme has been met, but it doesn’t tell you what that scheme measures, or what it leaves out.
These guides set out what each of the major Australian and international certifications covers, what it doesn’t, and how much weight the mark deserves when it appears on a material, a home or a brand.
Whole building rating systems
A guide to Green Star by the GBCA – covering energy, carbon, materials, health, common misconceptions, and its role in Australian buildings.
NatHERS measures the thermal performance of Australian homes. Learn what it assesses, what it doesn’t, who it’s for, and how it fits into sustainable building.
NABERS measures the real operational performance of Australian buildings. Learn what it rates, what it doesn’t, who it’s for, and how it works in practice.
Product and material certifications
Catch up on the latest
Hempcrete and salvaged materials define this beach house
A 260-square-metre hempcrete beach house that runs on rainwater, solar and a palette of salvaged materials.
A wheat field arrives in the middle of a Perth office
This installation fills a Perth CBD office floor with a soundscape and Wheatbelt-inspired landscape under fluorescent light.
Symbolplus fits out its Tokyo office in earth and paper
Symbolplus’ Tokyo office is fitted out almost entirely in red-earth plaster and handmade paper.
Salty air and sand: Barwon Dunes House by Eliza Blair Architecture
Designed by Eliza Blair Architecture, Barwon Dunes House is a two-storey coastal house where blackbutt, rammed earth and stone have been chosen to weather against salt air and wind.
Plant Life: plant-based design comes to the NGV
The National Gallery of Victoria is bringing plant-based design to the public with Plant Life: The Nature of Design, a new exhibition opening free at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia on 28 August and running until 7 February 2027.
Deans Marsh House is built for now, and years to come
Designed by Tecture, Deans Marsh House is a rammed earth and timber home in rural Victoria, arranged as two pavilions either side of an earthen spine.
