BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent third party certification of the assessment of the sustainability performance of individual buildings, communities and infrastructure projects. The BREEAM assessment tool was developed by the Building Research Establishment, and launched in 1990 to help reduces the harmful impacts of building development on the environment. BREEAM has since been a key force in the drive for greater built environment sustainability in the UK and elsewhere, and is now the most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings, infrastructure and communities in the world.

About Building Research Establishment (BRE)

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is a centre of building science in the United Kingdom, owned by charitable organisation the BRE Trust. It is a former UK government national laboratory that was privatised in 1997. BRE provides research, advice, training, testing, certification and standards for both public and private sector organisations in the UK and abroad. It has its headquarters in Garston, Hertfordshire, England, with regional sites in Glasgow, Swansea, the US, India, the Middle East and China. 

Programmes 

BRE is now funded with income from commissioned research, commercial programmes and by a number of digital tools for use in the construction sector.  

BRE’s certification arm – BRE Global – is an independent, third-party certification body responsible for sustainability certification schemes such as BREEAM (for buildings and communities), CEEQUAL (for infrastructure), the Home Quality Mark (for housing) and LPCB certification (for fire and security products and services). 

BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment lifecycle, from new construction to in-use and refurbishment. 

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BREEAM does this through third party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE. This means BREEAM rated developments are more sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them, help protect natural resources and make for more attractive property investments. 

How the BREEAM Certification works

BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent third party certification of the assessment of the sustainability performance of individual buildings, communities and infrastructure projects. 

Assessment and certification can take place at a number of stages in the built environment life cycle, from design and construction through to operation and refurbishment. 

In the case of BREEAM, third-party certification involves the checking – by impartial experts – of the assessment of a building or project by a qualified and licensed BREEAM Assessor to ensure that it meets the quality and performance standards of the scheme. At the heart of this process are certification bodies – organisations with government approval (through national accreditation bodies) to certificate products, systems and services. 

How to get a BREEAM rating

Pre-Approval Process

Assessments carried out in accordance with BREEAM schemes rely on evidence to demonstrate compliance with the relevant requirements. This evidence usually relates only to a specific development (e.g. building, extension, refurbishment, etc). However, some clients use a standard design and specification across multiple builds. 

In response to this, BRE Global set out to develop a process whereby these clients could have the relevant evidence assessed and audited once for future use on multiple projects. The BREEAM Pre-Approval process does just this, and as a result can save time and money. 

How does it work?

The first step in the process is for the client and licensed BREEAM Assessor to determine if BREEAM Pre-Approval is suitable for the assessments being undertaken. The Assessor will then make an application using the Acceptance form & instructions in GN45 below. After a review of this information, the Assessor is invited to provide evidence and references that confirm compliance with the relevant credit issues that are to be pre-approved. BRE Global then conduct a review of the evidence provided i.e. conduct a Quality Assurance (QA) audit. Once the proposed credits and their associated evidence has been audited and there are no nonconformances, a confirmation of the pre-approval will be issued. For the next three years, the pre-approved credits can be used in up to 100 BREEAM assessments, saving the client and Assessor time and money when assessing projects of a similar design and specification. 

BREEAM measures sustainable value in a series of categories, ranging from energy to ecology. 

Each of these categories addresses the most influential factors, including low impact design and carbon emissions reduction; design durability and resilience; adaption to climate change; and ecological value and biodiversity protection. 

Awarding BREEAM credits 

Each category is sub-divided into a range of assessment issues, each with its own aim, target and benchmarks. When a target or benchmark is reached as determined by the BREEAM assessor, the development or asset score points are called credits. The category score is then calculated according to the number of credits achieved and its category weighting. Once the development has been fully assessed, the final performance rating is determined by the sum of the weighted category scores. 

Results: BREEAM’s performance rating and stars 

The main output from a certified BREEAM assessment is the rating. A certified rating reflects the performance achieved by a project and its stakeholders, as measured against the standard and its benchmarks. 

The rating enables comparability between projects and provides reassurance to customers and users, in turn underpinning the quality and value of the asset. 

The BREEAM ratings range from Acceptable (In-Use scheme only) to Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent to Outstanding and it is reflected in a series of stars on the BREEAM certificate.