BREEAM

BRE’s the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is the world’s 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. Since its establishment, (i.e. from 1998 — 2009) over 116,000 buildings have been certified and around 714,000 buildings have been registered.

BREEAM provides clients, developers, designers and others with:

  • market recognition for low environmental impact buildings
  • assurance that best environmental practice is incorporated into a building
  • inspiration to find innovative solutions that minimise the environmental impact
  • a benchmark that is higher than regulation
  • a tool to help reduce running costs, improve working and living environments
  • a standard that demonstrates progress towards corporate and organisational environmental objectives

Due to demand by owners/developers for green building assessment tools which account for differences in European construction standards and practices, BRE Global have created a bespoke BREEAM method for use specifically in the region: BREEAM-Europe. This new standard has been issued in several schemes, including BREEAM-Europe: Retail 2008 (adopted by the International Council of Shopping Centres); Industrial 2008; and Offices 2008.

These schemes enable owners/developers to evaluate, improve, demonstrate and compare the environmental credentials of their buildings in different European countries. Based on the UK BREEAM system of independent assessments of building environmental performance, BREEAM-Europe awards a number of credits corresponding to the actual performance levels achieved. A set of European-derived weightings reflecting country-specific priorities are applied to each performance section which enables weighted scores to be added up to produce a single score for the building. The score is then translated into a 1-5 star rating with 5 stars representing the highest level of performance.

BREEAM-Europe scores buildings compared with a national baseline. Therefore, an excellent rated building in Sweden will likely be different from a building with the same rating in Romania, for instance. BREEAM-Europe recognizes local context and priorities, which allows designers to develop their own local best practices, codes and standards. Another system used for determining if other local best practices can be recognized has also been implemented.

BREEAM-Europe assessments must be carried out by an independent licensed BREEAM International Assessor.

BREEAM "In Use" is a new form of certification for existing buildings encompassing an enabling tool which helps to identify improvements or changes which can result in improved performance, akin to that of New Build Green buildings.