Existing buildings are central to the transition to a low-carbon, resilient built environment. As sustainability expectations, market demands and regulatory pressures evolve, owners and project teams face increasing pressure to improve performance, future-proof assets and unlock long-term value.
This practical, industry-led course explores how organisations are delivering successful building uplift initiatives across existing assets. Through real-world case studies and expert insights, participants will gain practical insights into the opportunities and challenges of improving building performance, reducing emissions and extending asset life through retrofit, refurbishment and building transformation.
What you’ll learn:
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Understand the factors driving investment in existing building upgrades.
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Evaluate different pathways for improving building performance and long-term asset outcomes.
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Explore how organisations prioritise and justify building uplift initiatives across their portfolios.
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Understand the challenges and opportunities of delivering upgrades in occupied buildings, including tenant engagement, project sequencing, operational continuity and construction logistics.
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Examine practical strategies for upgrading key building elements and systems, including HVAC and building services, façades and building fabric improvements.
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Identify the key stakeholders, project considerations and common challenges that influence successful delivery.
Join our experts including:
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John Bourne, Leader – Sustainability, A.G. Coombs
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Robyn Hyslop, Industry Leader and Property Sustainability Specialist
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Nick Hill, Senior Associate Sustainability, ADP Consulting
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Steven Peters, Chief Sustainability Officer, IFM Investors
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Adrian Taylor, Regenerative Lead, BVN Architecture
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David Collins, Partner & Managing Director, Cundall
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Susan Feltaous, Executive Director, Head of Sustainability, JLL
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Jess Roberts, Technical Advisor, Green Building Council of Australia
Ideal for:
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Property owners and asset managers
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Sustainability professionals
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Project and facilities managers
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Engineers, architects and consultants
This course was recorded in September 2026. This session runs for 3 hours.
Commissioning and tuning are some of the most important, and often overlooked, elements in delivering high-performing, sustainable buildings.
While commissioning is often viewed as a final project milestone focused on testing and handover, effective commissioning begins much earlier. When embedded throughout design, construction and project delivery, and complemented by ongoing tuning, it helps ensure buildings perform as intended, reduces operational risks, supports better occupant outcomes, and protects the long-term value of sustainable investments.
This Green Star course explores how commissioning and tuning can be used as strategic tools to improve project outcomes and support Green Star certification. Despite significant advances in sustainable building delivery, verification, handover and early operations remain stages where actual performance can vary considerably. Effective commissioning and tuning help bridge this gap, ensuring buildings continue to operate as intended after occupancy.
What you will learn:
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Understand the role of commissioning and tuning across the project lifecycle.
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Explore how commissioning and tuning support Green Star certification and improved building performance.
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Learn how performance verification, metering, benchmarking and tuning can improve accountability, reduce performance gaps at verification and handover, and strengthen project outcomes.
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Gain practical insights from a successful Green Star case study.
Speakers:
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Jeremy Mansfield, Founder/Director, Mansfield Advisory
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Conor Rawlins, Senior Engineer, Full Circle Design Services
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James Rodger, Commissioning Manager / ICA, Base Services Group
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Jim Ng, Technical Services & Initiatives Lead, Green Building Council of Australia
Ideal for:
This course is designed for sustainability professionals and project teams involved in delivering or supporting Green Star certified projects, including Green Star Accredited Professionals, consultants, engineers, developers, contractors and asset owners.
This course was recorded in September 2026. This session runs for 2 hours.
Healthcare facilities are among the most complex building types to design, deliver and operate. As sustainability expectations continue to rise, project teams are increasingly challenged to balance decarbonisation, resilience and occupant wellbeing with the operational demands of healthcare environments.
This session explores the key drivers shaping sustainable healthcare, including policy, Green Star certification and industry leadership. Through real-world examples and perspectives from across the project lifecycle, attendees will gain practical insights into the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs involved in planning, delivering and operating sustainable healthcare facilities. The session also examines the growing role of healthcare precincts and the future direction of the sector.
What you’ll learn:
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Understand the key policy, investment and market drivers influencing sustainability outcomes in healthcare infrastructure.
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Explore the planning, design, delivery and operational challenges involved in sustainable healthcare facilities.
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Learn from real-world healthcare projects, including practical approaches and key learnings
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Take a closer look at emerging trends in the sector, including a case study of a co-located research and healthcare precinct
Join our experts including:
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Liz Ingram, Sustainability Manager, Vital Healthcare
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Melissa Nouel, Sustainable Built Environment Manager, UNSW
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Mark Mitchell, Director, BLP
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Paul Curry, Director, Cox Architecture
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Ella Mudie, Market Engagement Lead, Green Building Council of Australia
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Alexander Sawicki, Senior Associate, Hassell
Ideal for:
This course is designed for sustainability professionals, asset owners, developers, architects, engineers, project managers, contractors, healthcare providers and government representatives involved in the planning, delivery or operation of healthcare facilities and precincts. It will also benefit anyone seeking practical insights into applying sustainability in one of the built environment’s most technically demanding sectors.
We will be exploring the contractor-centric credits and take a deep dive into the materials credits, such as Responsible Finishes and Joinery, Partitions, Fixtures and Equipment as well as the Low Toxin Materials credits. You’ll learn how construction materials must be vetted for compliance against VOC and Formaldehyde content as well as the responsible products framework that offers points for materials with higher consideration to environmental sustainability. Take away essential information to improve your processes, making them more efficient and effective.
Key areas of learning include:
• the what and how of Green Star – and how you contribute to a project
• what are the tools for the most effective approach to Green Star
• understanding Green Star requirements from start to finish
• the materials-related credits and how you demonstrate compliance
• hints and tips from past projects and how to ensure the best assessment outcome
This short course is designed for property and sustainability professionals who want a clearer, more practical understanding of what makes a good offset, how to procure them with confidence, and how carbon offsets fit within the context of Green Star. It will explain why the Green Building Council of Australia accepts offsets in specific circumstances, where they sit within Green Star, and why they are considered part of a broader decarbonisation strategy rather than a substitute for direct emissions reduction.
The session is designed to help participants answer these key practical questions: how do I recognise a credible offset, what should I look for in a scheme or supplier, and how do I buy with confidence in a market that can feel complex and contested?.
The session will guide participants in understanding how to assess quality and procure that choice confidently.
What you will learn:
Understand why offsets are accepted within defined Green Star contexts and how they support broader decarbonisation strategies
Identify the characteristics of a credible offset and the key criteria to consider when comparing schemes and suppliers
Recognise the practical steps involved in offset procurement, including common questions, challenges and decision points
Assess how quality, intent and procurement approach influence credibility and perceived reputational risk
Build confidence in communicating offset decisions to internal and external stakeholders
Who’s it for:
This course is targeted to professionals involved in sustainability, property, development, procurement, ESG, facilities management, and project delivery who need to understand how offsets can be used responsibly within a credible decarbonisation strategy. It is particularly relevant for those working on Green Star projects or organisational sustainability commitments who want practical guidance on assessing offset quality, engaging suppliers, and communicating offset decisions with confidence.
Our Speakers:
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Taryn Cornell, Senior Manager, Strategy & Development, Green Building Council of Australia
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Bruce Precious, Principal Consultant, Six Capitals Consulting
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Nick Baker, Manager, Carbon Investments, Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM)
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Paul Dettman, Founder and Director, Cassinia Environmental
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Sid Larwill, Director, Vegetation Link
This course was recorded in August 2026. This session runs for 2 hours.
Gas has long been the default for commercial kitchens, but that is changing. Kitchen upgrades, regulatory pressure, rising energy costs and new all-electric building requirements mean more tenants are facing electrification decisions.
For leasing and tenant managers, understanding electric kitchens means you can answer questions confidently and help tenants make informed decisions about their fit-out.
This webinar brings together practical insight and real-world examples to help you navigate the commercial kitchen electrification conversation with confidence.
What you’ll learn:
• The business case for electrifying commercial kitchens, including health, performance, and sustainability benefits
• Cost savings and payback periods for electric kitchens
• Case studies from Australian restaurants that have made the switch
• Common misconceptions about electric cooking and how to address them
• Practical resources to support tenant conversations and decision-making
Who is it for:
This webinar is designed for professionals involved in leasing spaces with commercial kitchens, including leasing managers, retail managers, and tenant managers. If you influence decisions made by existing or prospective tenants about their tenancy or fit-out, this session is for you.
Our speakers:
• Davina Rooney, CEO, Green Building Council Australia
• Andrea Au, Australia Programme Manager, Global Cooksafe Coalition
• Jilly Middleton, Head of Chef and Cooktop Engagement, Global Cooksafe Coalition
• Joseph Abboud, Owner and Chef, Rumi
Note this webinar offers 1 sustainable development point.
This course was recorded in August 2026. This session runs for 90 minutes.
In partnership with the Global Cooksafe Coalition
Nature is rapidly becoming a defining issue for sustainable property, with growing expectations for projects to protect biodiversity, restore ecosystems and demonstrate credible nature-positive outcomes. This short course will help sustainability practitioners, and built environment professionals understand what best practice looks like in nature regeneration, biodiversity and design and how to apply it.
Across three hours, our speakers will explore the GBCA Nature Roadmap, Green Star Nature Credits and practical approaches to designing, measuring and delivering biodiversity outcomes. Through a series of case studies, participants will see how nature-based solutions are being applied across urban design, precinct development and ecological restoration. This course will provide practical insights to help teams move from ambition to implementation.
What you’ll learn:
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Understand how Green Star is evolving to support nature-positive outcomes.
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A step-by-step guide to integrating nature via the Green Star nature credits.
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Explore approaches to nature measurement and First Nations engagement.
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Hear how leading projects are integrating nature and achieving biodiversity outcomes.
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Gain lessons from commercial, precinct and beyond-boundary nature restoration case studies.
Who is it for:
This course is designed for sustainability practitioners, Green Star Accredited Professionals, developers, asset owners, project managers, architects, landscape architects, ecologists, consultants and government teams seeking to strengthen nature, biodiversity and regeneration outcomes across built environment projects.
Our speakers:
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Stephanie Sirianni, Founder, Nature Collective
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Ash Knop, CEO, Wilderlands
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Angeliki Dimitriou, Head of Environment, Investa
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James Hayter, Director and Registered Landscape Architect, Oxigen
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Elham Monavari, Head of Green Star Strategic Delivery, GBCA
This course was recorded in August 2026. This session runs for 3 hours.
Australia is entering another period of hotter, drier conditions, with forecasts pointing to an emerging El Niño and renewed pressure on already constrained water systems. At the same time, shifting demand from high-intensity asset classes, particularly data centres driven by AI and digital infrastructure, is introducing added challenges.
Against this backdrop, water is fast becoming one of the defining resilience issues for the built environment. Yet it still too often sits in silos across planning, operations, sustainability and infrastructure, limiting the sector’s ability to respond strategically and optimise water use, performance and cost outcomes.
This session brings together industry leaders to explore how the sector is responding to evolving climate conditions, rising demand and increasing expectations around performance and transparency. It will highlight the shift toward integrated, water-sensitive approaches that move beyond individual buildings to precinct and catchment-scale thinking enabling more efficient allocation, reuse and management.
We’ll explore emerging approaches to recycled and non-potable water, the role of collaboration and how performance measurement and benchmarking are evolving to support better decision-making across assets and portfolios, including identifying opportunities to improve efficiency.
Whether you’re working toward stronger outcomes through Green Star, improving operational performance, or looking to future-proof your assets, you’ll gain practical insights[NS3.1] to support smarter, water-wise and more efficient strategies.
What you’ll learn:
• How climate conditions are reshaping water risk, resilience and demand across the built environment
• What water-sensitive and catchment-scale approaches look like in practice
• How to measure and benchmark water performance using operational data
• Practical strategies to improve water efficiency and resilience across the asset lifecycle
• How leading organisations are embedding integrated water strategies across portfolios
• The growing impact of emerging asset types, including data centres, on future water demand
• How the sector can better support waterway health, nature and long-term liveability
Speakers:
• Dr Layla Hosseini, Senior Project Manager, Sydney Water
• Pradeep Rajasekaran, Senior Sustainability Manager, Mirvac
• Ron Pulido, Head of Market Development, National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
• Ian Adams, Director, Organica Engineering
• Anna Davis, Senior Manager Green Star Technical Delivery, Green Building Council of Australia
This session is ideal for:
• Developers, asset owners and portfolio managers
• Sustainability, ESG and environmental professionals
• Engineers, consultants and design practitioners
• Government and precinct planners shaping policy and infrastructure outcomes
• Anyone involved in planning, designing, operating or managing assets where water plays a role
This webinar was recorded in July 2026.
The path to better buildings starts with better materials.
From embodied carbon to performance risks, material decisions are increasingly under scrutiny. Understanding what’s next in material innovation is now essential, not optional. This two-hour session is built for practitioners seeking insight into responsible material innovation and the market potential of emerging responsible products. Focusing on solutions and next-generation materials including bamboo, mycelium and PFAS-free alternatives, this session will equip participants to make smarter material choices, unlock new opportunities, and navigate key barriers to adoption
What you will learn:
Assess opportunities for emerging material use and innovation in responsible products to meet project requirements, design intent, and sustainability objectives.
Evaluate performance factors, risks, and trade-offs associated with materials such as bamboo, mycelium and PFAS-free alternatives when making specification and procurement decisions.
Apply insights from project examples to support informed material selection and stakeholder communication
Dissecting the roadblocks and opportunities for innovative products to reshape the built environment
Who you will hear from:
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Jennifer Snyders, CEO, House of Bamboo
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Jeremy Mansfield, Founder/Director, Mansfield Advisory
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Stephanie Sirianni, Director, Nature Collective
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Aidan Mullan, Sustainability and Lean Manager, Interface
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Yann Frampton, Senior Associate, Hassell
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Karie Soehardi, Director, Circular Design Thinking
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Katherine Featherstone, Senior Manager – Products and Materials, Green Building Council of Australia
Who’s it for:
This session is ideal for Architects, Designers, ESG Consultants, Project managers and those seeking practical insight into responsible material innovation and the market potential of emerging products.
This course was recorded in July 2026
The construction sector is projected to contribute around one-third of Australia’s total emissions, and that share is continuing to grow. As pressure increases to deliver lower-carbon projects, accelerating the adoption of low-emission construction practices has become critical. While many of the technologies and approaches needed to reduce site emissions already exist, uptake is often slowed by practical, financial, and knowledge barriers.
This session explores what decarbonising construction sites looks like in practice today, how solutions are being deployed at scale, and how organisations are measuring, evaluating, and justifying the impact of change as we seek to deliver on our sustainability goals. It also considers emerging developments in electric equipment and renewable diesel, and what they mean for future site operations.
What you will learn
• How low-emission construction practices are being implemented on live projects today, including real-world challenges, constraints, and successes across different site types.
• The range of practical solutions available to reduce construction emissions, including electrified plant and equipment, hybrid systems, and alternative fuels such as renewable diesel.
• How current and emerging electric equipment can meet operational requirements, including charging infrastructure, battery compatibility, and expected future developments in the market.
• How to measure construction-related emissions and assess the financial implications of low-emission site operations, including approaches used to support investment decisions and track performance improvements.
Who this course is for
This course is designed for construction and project professionals, developers, contractors, and consultants involved in delivering or influencing project outcomes, as well as sustainability practitioners seeking practical insight into emissions reduction, technology adoption, and cost implications in construction site operations.
This session runs for 90 minutes and was recorded in June 2026.