But its chief executive has already suggested the environmental building accreditation might not be a top priority for the council.
The ORC plans to move into a new Dunedin base at the end of next year.
The council-owned Port Otago bought the former Maclaggan St Warehouse site in Dunedin’s city centre and there is a $5million budget to remodel it.
ORC chief executive Sarah Gardner said there had been talks with the port company about what would make the building fit for purpose.
‘‘We don’t want a crystal palace,’’ she said last month.
Good heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and lighting were priorities.
‘‘We’ve talked about the green building thing.
‘‘What costs you with the green building thing is not just what you put in, but it’s also the registration or the licensing of the green building, and achieving that.
‘‘We are mindful that we should be sustainable where we can be, but we wouldn’t necessarily think we need to seek the status of being a five- or six-star building, for example.’’
An ORC spokesman later said decision-making would involve the port, the council, and the council’s internal steering group.
‘‘Our early scoping includes sustainable options for the new headquarters, but it is too early in the process to confirm a position on certification,’’ he said.
His comments follow an announcement from Climate Change Minister James Shaw and Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash last week that major new government buildings would be at least five-star buildings on the Green Star system from next year.
