A CIBSE TM31 Logbook is often a mandatory compliance requirement for a building seeking Green Star certification, particularly under the Management or Verification and Handover categories of the raiting tool. 

While Green Star (managed by the Green Building Council of Australia, or GBCA) is a sustainability rating tool, it incorporates best practice standards from around the world, making the CIBSE TM31 Logbook its preferred mechanism for information handover.

Green Star Credit and Compliance

The requirement for a CIBSE TM31 Logbook falls under the specific Green Star credit designed to ensure a smooth transition from construction to operation, which is essential for maintaining a building’s sustainability performance as assessed under any of the Green Star Rating tools:

• Green Star Buildings (GS Buildings): applicable to new buildings and major refurbishments across all non-residential sectors (office, health, education, retail, industrial).
• Green Star Performance (GS Performance): certifies the operational performance of existing buildings, rating their actual energy, water, waste, and indoor environment quality over a 12-month period.
• Green Star Interiors: certifies the sustainability outcomes of interior fit-outs, such as office tenancies or retail spaces within a building.
• Green Star Communities: certifies the planning, design, and construction of large-scale precincts, neighbourhoods, and master-planned developments.

CIBSE TM31 Logbook Compliance within Green Star

Green Star explicitly mandates the use of the CIBSE TM31 standard as its criteria directly support the long-term, verifiable sustainability goals of the Green Star rating system:

• Operational Performance: provides the framework for logging annual energy and water consumption data against design targets
• Design Intent Preservation: clearly documents the design philosophy and optimal setpoints, ensuring the FM understands how to run the building to save energy.
• Maintainability: provides a summary of maintenance needs and is linked to the full O&M Manuals, which Green Star requires for effective long-term asset management.
• User information: serves as a single, accessible reference point for staff and operators, supporting Green Star’s objective of bridging the gap between design intent and actual use (the “performance gap”).

In essence, the CIBSE TM31 Logbook is used by Green Star as auditable evidence that the building owner has received the necessary, simplified instructions to operate the building in a way that retains its achieved star rating over time.

Essential Content and Logbook Structure

The CIBSE TM31 Logbook provides a standardised structure to ensure industry consistency and usability. The document is intentionally kept concise, typically running between 20 to 50 pages for a large building, though smaller premises may have a logbook of 5 to 10 pages. Key areas of content that must be summarised include:

• Building Overview: providing foundational information, including the official site address, a description of the building’s function, typical occupancy levels, and the overall architectural and engineering design philosophy. Crucially, it summarises any incorporated passive design measures (e.g., thermal mass, external shading, natural light strategies) and how they are intended to contribute to low energy consumption.
• Design and Performance Data: which establishes the initial energy benchmark for the building.  This section provides the core numbers against which the FM must compare actual energy use in the future, identifying the ‘performance gap’.
• Building Services Summary: providing a high-level overview of all major fixed plant and equipment installed, focusing on the systems that consume or conserve energy. It includes simplified key system diagrams (not full schematics) for major services (e.g., boilers, chillers, air handling units, and primary electrical distribution). The summary details the key control philosophies, interlocks, and lists the optimal operational setpoints and seasonal switchover procedures to ensure efficient running.
• Metering and Energy Strategy: detailing all energy and water meters, sub-meters, and billing meters physical locations and function. More importantly, this section details the established protocol for logging and monitoring usage data over time, setting up the framework for the FM to gather the data needed for the annual review and energy reporting.
• Maintenance Summary: a simplified, non-technical list of essential routine maintenance checks and schedules for the main plant (distinguishing weekly/monthly checks from annual services) with links to the detailed O&M Manual maintenance processes and procedures. This is designed to be easily accessible for planning and scheduling. It also includes general safety notes and precautions specifically related to accessing and isolating the building services systems.

Relationship to Other Documents

It is important to note that a CIBSE TM31Logbook does not replace other mandatory documents but functions as a critical high-level reference to them. It is distinct from the comprehensive O&M Manuals, which contain the in-depth technical specifications, maintenance procedures, and manufacturer details.

Responsibilities, Handover, and Lifetime Use

A defining characteristic of the CIBSE TM31 Logbook is its dynamic nature; it is intended to be maintained and updated throughout the operational life of the building.  The CIBSE TM31 Logbook is increasingly delivered in a digital format (often a hyperlinked PDF or structured data file) to facilitate easy searching, reference, and most importantly, updating.

This crucial, ongoing process involves logging actual building performance data (like energy and water consumption) against the design targets, and recording any system modifications, plant replacements, control changes, or minor refurbishments. This regular update cycle is essential, as it provides an invaluable historical record of performance and changes, allowing management teams to effectively benchmark energy use, troubleshoot discrepancies, and ensure the building continues to be operated efficiently in line with its original regulatory compliance requirements.

Outsourcing Technical Documentation

For contractors and project managers, e technical authoring of a CIBSE TM31 Logbook  often presents a significant challenge due to time pressure, technical expertise and need to focus on on-site duties. Outsourcing to specialist technical writing experts becomes invaluable in these situations to ensure that documentation is accurate, concise, delivered on time and cost effective.

Why Choose Dewick & Associates?

Dewick & Associates’ team are fully knowledgeable in the stringent requirements of the Building Regulations and associated construction documentation requirements. By choosing to outsource to us, contractors achieve three key advantages:

• Technical Knowledge: our inhouse Chartered Engineers (CIBSE CEng / CPEng Eng Aust) technically author all of out CIBSE TM31 Logbooks, This expertise is crucial for accurately translating complex commissioning and calculation data (TER/BER figures, control sequences and installation details) into the concise, high-level, and non-technical language required.
• Time & Cost Efficiency: freeing up expensive on-site management time
• Guaranteed Compliance: delivering the complete, verified document necessary for timely Practical Completion and successful handover.
• Complete handover package: proactive document management and early-stage compilation throughout the project lifecycle, preventing last-minute information scrambles and reducing the risk of delays to Practical Completion.

We are able to transform complex, fragmented site data into an accessible, auditable, and high-quality documentation for your project handover.

Coupled with providing fully comprehensive construction documentation, including Building Handover Manuals, O&M Manuals, Commissioning Plans, Building Tuning Plans and Building User Guides, CIBSE TM31 Logbooks complete the mandatory documentation provision at handover for your projects. Outsource this to the experts so you can concentrate on the pressing onsite works to complete the project to the high standard required.