_Large Boarding Houses And Sustainability Standards

1. Large Boarding Houses And Sustainability Standards Boarding houses are classified as Class 3 buildings in the Australian building code. However, there were several speculations among the developers about which tool should be used to assess the sustainability of boarding houses. Should the construction obtain a BASIX certificate before the DA/Development Approval stage or prepare a Section J report for presenting at the Construction Certificate stage? Large Boarding Houses: BASIX or Section J? Councils demanded both Section J and BASIX certificates for a single development. This created two potential issues: ● BASIX was designed for residential dwellings. The simulation software lacked the capability to correctly access boarding house buildings. Therefore assessors used the Class 2 buildings (multi-units) software. This led to skewed results.

2. ● Apart from the BASIX certificate, Section J was also required at the Construction Certificate stage. This resulted in two potentially different sets of sustainability requirements applied to one building. Both these conditions complicated the entire building's performance rating. Therefore, a practical solution was necessary. Also Read : 7 Star Rating: What Does It Mean and How To Achieve It ? The Solution: Sustainability Requirements For Large Boarding Houses The recent announcement of the NSW Department of Planning provides a solution to this unique problem. BASIX and Section J were combined in a way to complement each other. And this was known as the "alternative solution." Step by step guide provided by the NSW government for alternative assessment is as follows: ● In the first stage, the assessor will need to obtain a BASIX certificate by complying with energy and water standards for basics. Therefore, you will need to perform an energy and water assessment using the BASIX tool. ● To assess a large boarding house, you will need to select the alternative assessment option in the online software. ● After a BASIX certificate is generated, you will need to comply with BCA Section J for the Thermal Comfort section. The thermal comfort section deals with the sustainability requirements for energy needed to artificially heat and cool a residential structure. ● The thermal comfort compliance needs to be completed before obtaining a construction certificate. Regardless of your sustainability requirements, it is always recommended that you hire a professional building consultant for the BASIX certificate, NABERS energy assessment, NatHERS rating, Section J report, etc. What Are The Criteria To Qualify As A Large Boarding House Thermal Assessment? Any project with the following components qualifies as a boarding house ( which encompasses student accommodation):

3. ● It is designed to accommodate more than 12 individuals, and the total floor area is more than 300 m2 Minimum 80% of the dwellings are less than 35m2 It only encompasses residential flat buildings. ● ● Similar to the NatHERS tool, the energy performance of commercial structures can be measured using the NABERS energy assessment. Using this method, the commercial structures are rated between 1 and 6 stars, which signifies the energy performance of a building. One star denotes a starting performance, and six stars indicate the industry standard for energy efficiency. Wrapping Up With global warming and climate change, sustainability standards are becoming more stringent. Additionally, with the Australian government working towards a net zero carbon emission, energy-efficient buildings have now become a necessity. Hire a professional building consultant and start planning your project design that will comply with all the necessary sustainability standards. Contact Us Company Name: Eco Certificates Address: Suite 413, 33 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista, NSW 2153, Australia Phone: 1300 162436 Email id: info@ecocertificates.com.au Website: http://ecocertificates.com.au/