BREEAM
WHAT IS BREEAM
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is the worlds leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance.
Aims of BREEAM
- To mitigate the impacts of buildings on the environment
- To enable buildings to be recognised according to their environmental benefits
- To provide a credible, environmental label for buildings
- To stimulate demand for sustainable buildings
Objectives of BREEAM
- To provide market recognition to low environmental impact buildings
- To ensure best environmental practice is incorporated in buildings
- To set criteria and standards surpassing those required by regulations and challenge the
- market to provide innovative solutions that minimise the environmental impact of buildings
- To raise the awareness of owners, occupants, designers and operators of the benefits of
- buildings with a reduced impact on the environment
- To allow organisations to demonstrate progress towards corporate environmental objectives
Building projects are assessed at the design and post-construction stages using a system of environmental issues grouped within the following categories:
- Management
- Health and Wellbeing
- Energy
- Transport
- Water
- Materials
- Waste
- Land Use & Ecology
- Pollution
- Innovation
BREEAM Scoring & Rating
The assessment of the building results in a final report and BRE Global BREEAM certificate detailing the performance of the assessed building against the environmental issues covered by Standard. The building’s performance is expressed as a BREEAM rating of PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD, EXCELLENT or OUTSTANDING.
BREEAM is developed, operated and maintained by BRE Global Ltd and the operation and direction of the method is overseen by an independent Sustainability Board, representing a wide cross-section of construction industry stakeholders. Further information about BREEAM, including copies of the BREEAM standards, can be found at www.breeam.org
Each of the BREEAM categories listed above contains a number of environmental issues, which reflect the options available when designing, procuring and constructing a building.
BREEAM issues and credits
Each environmental issue has a set number of ‘credits’ available and these credits are awarded where the building demonstrates that it complies with the requirements of that issue after review by a licensed assessor.
There are more environmental issue and therefor credits available than are required to achieve a particular Building Performance and the project team thus has an option as to which environmental issues it requires to be assessed. The credits are tradeable.
Minimum standards
A number of issues within a category have set minimum standards, i.e. a minimum number of credits that must be achieved in order for a particular BREEAM rating level to be met.
Innovation credits
Innovation credits provide additional recognition for a building that innovates in the field of sustainable performance, above and beyond the level that is currently recognised and rewarded by standard BREEAM issues. Innovation credits are awarded for either complying with pre-defined BREEAM issue exemplary level requirements, through the appointment of a BREEAM Accredited Professional or Suitably Qualified Assessor or via application to BRE Global to have a particular building feature, system or process approved as ‘innovative’.
Environmental weightings, final score and BREEAM Rating
Once each BREEAM issues has been assessed the category percentage scores are determined (based on the number of credits achieved over those available within a category), and an environmental weighting applied (as shown below).
The weighted category scores are then totalled to give an overall score, and any additional score for innovation is added to give the final BREEAM score which is used to determine the BREEAM rating.
BREEAM In Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to improving the sustainability of new buildings in Wales in order to reduce their impact on the environment and to tackle climate change. The Assembly Government published a new national
planning policy that expects most new developments to meet a sustainable building standard as part of the planning application process. Clause 4.11.4 of the planning policy states
“To move towards more sustainable and zero carbon buildings in Wales, the Assembly Government expects that the following standards will be met:
• Applications received on or after 1st September 2009 for non-residential development which will either have a floorspace of 1,000 m2 or more, or will be carried out on a site having an area of one hectare or more28, to meet the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) ‘Very Good’ standard and achieve the mandatory credits for ‘Excellent’ under issue Ene1 – Reduction of CO2 .
Project recieving Welsh Government funding are required to achieve a BREEAM Score of Excellent.
BREEAM and The Planning Process
Planning Policy is supported by Technical Advisory Note’s TAN’s. Planning Policy requires that most planning applications are supported by a Design and Access Statement laid out in accordance with TAN12. TAN 12 requires some that consideration is given to the sustainable credentials of a project. The reccommended method of completing the sustainability review is to undertake a BREEAM Pre-assessment. The BREEAM Pre-assessment consideres all the likely options available against the BREEAM stipulated isues for the type of scheme and lays out a template for the detailed design. It is usually prepared with the licenced BREEAM assessor and the design team.
Projects that are successful in their application under the planning process are granted approval with conditions, in relation to the sustainable aspects of the project the conditions are that a BREEAM Design Stage assessment and certificate will be issued prior to commencement on site and a BREEAM Post Construction Certificate issued prior to beneficial use. These assessments are undertaken by the licenced BREEAM Assossor.
There two routes to a full assessment; Design and Procurement or Post Construction. The process of assessments is the same however Design and Procurement commences with detailed design and prior to construction and allows an iterative design process and trade off of credits to value engineer the scheme. An interim certificate is issued once the scheme design is completed and a final certificate when construction is complete. A Post Construction assessment takes place immediately after construction and is limited in its ability to trade off issues. Using this alternative process is less likely to produce an specific result. In comparison to a Pre-assessment full supporting documentation is required for every credit awarded in the form of an audit chain.
Our BREEAM Services
Michael Cox and Company has established 2050 Environmental Assessments as a division to provide BREEAM assessments . We can undertake BREEAM Pre-assessments in all schemes and auditing for BREEAM Offices, BREEAM Bespoke, BREEAM Prisons, BREEAM Courts, BREEAM International, BREEAM Data Centres, BREEAM Commercial, BREEAM Multi-residential, BREEAM Industrial and BREEAM In Use. We were one of the first In Use assessors in the country.
For more information about any BREEAM process or scheme please contact us.