About the tool
It helps landscape designers, architects, planners and developers to implement green infrastructure and sustainability measures in proposed developments. Our hope is that it will help increase the amount of vegetation cover on private land in Melbourne.
Green Factor is the first online tool of this kind in Australia. Our environmental strategies have been used to prioritise the types of greening that will provide benefit to the public and the environment. The scoring of Green Factor is underpinned by the latest research into the environmental and social benefits of green infrastructure.
Green Factor will help new buildings to deliver benefits in the following areas:
- urban heat island effect reduction
- biodiversity and habitat provision
- stormwater reduction
- social amenity such as recreation and mental wellbeing
- urban food production
- aesthetic values.
How to use the tool
We’ve developed documents to support you in using the Green Factor tool.
Guidance Note: Green Factor tool
Provides an overview of green infrastructure and its key concepts, and a detailed explanation of the tool including how the parameters, weightings and workings contribute to a Green Factor score.
Case studies
This document will take you through a Green Factor tool assessment process using the case study of ‘The Bruce’ as a case study of the first ‘as built’ Green Factor tool project. The project is located at 14-26 Bruce Street, Kensington in the Macaulay Urban Renewal Area.
This document will take you through a Green Factor tool assessment process using the case study of a City of Melbourne project, narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services, located in the Queen Victoria Market precinct.
Access Green Factor online
Amendment C376: Sustainable Building Design
We're pursuing updates to Melbourne's Planning Scheme which encourage green infrastructure and sustainability measures for new developments.
Amendment C376: Sustainable Building Design is a key action from City of Melbourne's Green Our City Strategic Action Plan. It's designed to help prioritise sustainable design and green infrastructure in new developments through planning controls in the form of a Design and Development Overlay (DDO).
Amendment C376: Sustainable Building Design states that a Green Factor score of 0.55 should be achieved for new developments and large additions to existing buildings above 1000m2 gross floor area for the purposes of:
- accommodation
- retail
- office
- education
- research and development
- places of assembly.
A Green Factor scorecard must be submitted as part of the landscape documentation for all relevant planning permit applications.
We have undertaken rigorous technical and feasibility assessments with building industry users to test the viability of these requirements in future developments.
The Green Factor tool complements other requirements to achieve ratings in existing, industry recognised Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) tools, which demonstrate how developments can achieve industry best practice targets.
Submit feedback or ask questions about Green Factor
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