BREEAM is one of the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods and is a brilliant framework for building a better future. It:
- Sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and construction
- Is used to describe a building’s overall environmental performance
- Addresses several life-cycle stages such as New Construction, Refurbishment and In-Use
- Is measured in credits within nine different categories: management, health & wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use & ecology, and pollution. These credits accumulate to give you a final score that determines your rating of Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding.
“We spend a lot of time supporting people like you through the process. Our focus is on demystifying the BREEAM assessment requirements, working with you to ensure you are clear on what practical processes and procedures need to be implemented on site,” says Michael Brogden, operations director at Darren Evans.
To ensure sustainability is fully embedded into the design and way of working, engage your BREEAM Assessor early in the design stage. This avoids it becoming a more expensive ‘add-on’ later in the process. This will enable you to gain as many credits as possible and help you achieve the highest possible rating.
Watch out for:
BREEAM 2018 is very different from the 2014 requirements.
“For example, the 2018 standards require calculations to be done much earlier in the process, and in some areas require calculations that many projects will not have considered before. Technical specifications have also changed, so what you’ve done before is not always relevant,” says Michael.