Absolute
In our data pages this refers to the total amount of the item being viewed, for example the total electricity, gas or water used in each property, or the total emissions. See also 'Normalised' and 'Rate of Change'.

Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR)
See NABERS Energy

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Average Time Lost Rate (ATLR)
The average time lost per lost-time incident reflective of the severity of injuries suffered. ATLR = Number of Days Lost / Number of Occurrences.

Base building
In our data pages this refers to a trend's first 12 months of reliable data.

Base year
The common area of a commercial building that is not leased to tenants. Base building services refer to those services provided by the landlord for tenants, such as air conditioning, water supplies, common area lighting, lifts and carpark services but excluding office lighting and tenant equipment.

Building Code of Australia (BCA)
The BCA contains technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures, covering such matters as structure, fire resistance, energy efficiency, access and egress, services and equipment, and certain aspects of health and amenity: www.abcb.gov.au.

Building Management and Control Systems (BMCS)
Usually a computer operated system to interactively manage the way a building works. BMS can manage hot water, air conditioning and internal air quality, lifts, security systems, fire monitoring and equipment, energy management for example.

Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e)
A method for comparing the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential. For example, one tonne of methane represents 21T CO2 because the global warming potential for methane over 100 years is 21 times that of carbon dioxide.

Commercial & Industrial (C&I)
Waste generated from the day-to-day operation of our buildings. Examples of C&I waste include paper, cardboard, glass bottles, aluminium cans and food.

Construction & Demolition (C&D)
Waste generated from infrequent construction and demolition activities. Examples of C&D waste include timber, windows, plasterboard, carpets, cabling and masonry rubble.

Department of Climate Change (DCC)
The Commonwealth Government's lead agency on climate change matters: http://www.climatechange.gov.au

Development Control Plan (DCP)
A document set down by planning authorities that specifies the rules, conditions and controls applying to various forms of development.

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)
According to the Brundtland Report Our Common Future: 'Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA)
The Australian-based representative of the World Green Building Council that promotes green building programs, technologies, design practices and operations: www.gbcaus.org.

Green Lease
The intention of a green lease is to develop a strong cooperative relationship between tenants and landlord so that both are encouraged to make improvements to the property and its performance. At Investa, a 'green lease' is a standard lease that additionally defines commitments regarding the building fit-out, plant and equipment upgrades and management processes to deliver improved environmental and sustainable performance. It can for example include elements such as air conditioning, lighting controls and waste and recycling processes. Reporting metrics improve accountability and results for all concerned.

Green Star
A rating system overseen by the GBCA for evaluating the environmental design and achievements of buildings. There are a range of Green Star rating tools for use in assessing the environmental performance of buildings in a specific sector (office, retail, healthcare, education) at a distinct phases in the development cycle (design, construction, and operation).

Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning (HVAC)
The three principal base building service elements used to provide comfortable conditions for tenants. HVAC generally accounts for the majority of a base building's energy consumption and a substantial proportion of water consumption.

Height of Buildings
Given as the number of storeys of office tenancy.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
The quality of the air and environment inside buildings, based on pollutant concentrations and conditions that can affect the health, comfort and productivity of occupants including temperature, relative humidity, light, sound and other factors: www.epa.gov/iaq/

Injury and Illness Statistics Score (IISI)
Determined by multiplying the LTIFR with the ATLR.

Light & Power (L&P)
'Tenant L&P' and 'Base Building L&P' both describe energy supplied for lighting and plug-in electrical devices. Light & Power generally represents the second biggest component of a base building's energy consumption after HVAC. Lifts, hot water and carpark services come under their own separate categories.

Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR)
The number of lost time injuries for every one million hours worked.

Mandatory Disclosure
The Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure legislation, known in the Australian property sector as ”Mandatory Disclosure” is expected to come into effect on July 1, 2010. Headline energy efficiency ratings disclosed under this legislation through the NABERS rating scheme will not include GreenPower purchased.

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
A performance-based rating system for existing buildings that rates a building from one to five stars on the basis of its measured operational impacts on the environment. Current best practice in the Australian market is five stars and the average is 2.5 stars: www.nabers.com.au.

Net Lettable Area (NLA)
The sum of the areas presented on each of a building's individual leases plus any lettable vacant area. Areas in Investa buildings are measured in accordance with the Property Council of Australia's current method of measurement for Lettable Area, or equivalent.

New South Wales (NSW)

Normalised
This option in our data pages shows values perdivided by building floor area (in metres squared, m2) to provide a common basis for comparison. See also 'Absolute' and 'Rate of Change'.

NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Certificates (NGACs)
Tradable abatement certificates recognised under the GGAS. 1 NGAC = 1T CO2-e emissions avoided.

NSW Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (GGAS)
A greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme operating in NSW and the ACT that requires individual electricity retailers, and certain other parties who buy or sell electricity, to meet mandatory benchmarks based on the size of their share of the electricity market. If these parties, known as benchmark participants, fail to meet their benchmarks, then a penalty is assigned:
www.greenhousegas.nsw.gov.au.

Occupant Thermal Comfort
There are four environment variables and two human variables that determine perceptions of thermal comfort. They are:

• air temperature (°C)
• radiant surface temperature (°C)
• water vapour pressure in ambient air (Relative Humidity %),
• relative air velocity (m/s), and
• activity / metabolic rate (Met)
• clothing insulation (Clo)

Typically building managers regulate occupant comfort in buildings by changing the 'set-points' of plant and equipment to primarily manage air temperature.

Queensland (QLD)

Rate of Change
This option in our data pages shows monthly values relative to their corresponding month in the base year, thereby limiting the influence of seasonal trends on the visualisation. See also 'Absolute' and 'Normalised'.

Safety, Health & Environment (SH&E)

SASSI
Site Automated Safety Sign In (SASSI) system is an on-site computer system installed across our commercial office portfolio to track contractors and improve Health and Safety at work.

Size of Building
Represented by a building's Net Lettable Area (NLA).

South Australia (SA)

Tenancy
The part of a commercial building that is occupied, or able to be occupied, by tenants. Tenancy services refer to those services that are not provided by the landlord such as office lighting, tenant equipment and supplementary air conditioning.

Victoria (VIC)

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)
Gases emitted or 'off-gassed' from materials such as building products, paints and lacquers, cleaning agents, furnishings, photocopiers, glues and adhesives via evaporation at room temperature. VOCs may have adverse health effects and are not always associated with an odour.

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
A design approach that integrates water cycle management into urban planning in a way that attempts to mimic the natural water cycle.

Western Australia (WA)

Workforce Levels
Executive level includes Senior Executives
Management level includes Senior Managers, Middle Managers
Non-management level includes Professional, Admin, Sales & Sales Support