BREEAM is a sustainability assessment method for assessing, rating and certifying master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. Founded in 1990, it brings sustainable value to construction developments, not only across the UK but worldwide.
Over 2 million BREEAM registered buildings worldwide
With BREEAM operating globally, there are reported to be around 550,000 BREEAM certified developments, and a staggering 2.25 million buildings registered for assessment, since the birth of BRE in 1990. In 2016, BREEAM reported its use in 77 countries!
Who uses BREEAM?
Design Teams, Facilities Manager, Planners, Clients, Property Developers, Architects, Property agents, etc. Whether they are using BREEAM to promote the developments sustainable credentials and benefits to end users, or using BREEAM to specify sustainability performance of the buildings.
The Cost of Quality | “buildings actually achieved 21% premium on prices”
Many consider the costs of being sustainable too much and often shy away using cheaper, less sustainable resources. However, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) published a study that found Sustainable Buildings actually achieved a 21% premium on prices and an 18% increase of rent prices. This could be due to the increased quality of sustainable builds, especially under BREEAM methods.
What BREEAM Services and methods are there?
BREEAM is used in a wide range of sectors, and requires different methods for each:
- 2014 New Construction
- 2014 Refurbishment & Fit-Out
- 2011 New Construction
- 2008
- Industrial
- Offices
- Education
- Bespoke
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Multi-residential
- International
- In-Use
BREEAM Ratings
BREEAM is used to assess various processes including procurement, design, construction and the actual operation of a development. To do this they are measured against performance benchmarks and can only be carried out by licensed assessors, like BREEAM specialists Encon Associates BREEAM Sustainability Consultants.
Once the score is known, the builds are normally referred to by the classification of a pass, good, very good, excellent or outstanding.
The Core categories of BREEAM methodology
Assessed via 9 main sustainability categories, each section has different weightings. They include pollution, land use & ecology, waste, materials, transport, management, health & wellbeing, energy, and water. Depending on the required rating will depend on how important each section is.
The highest level of Assessor: Accredited Professional (AP)
The BREEAM AP qualification allows specialists to enhance their skills in sustainability and design and demonstrates an extremely high level of competence in the BREEAM process. Encon Associates offer this specialist service across all platforms of BREEAM.
IES TaP for BREEAM Assessors
Encon Associates use IES TaP (a project management software), which gives them the capacity to take on around three times the number of projects when compared to their previous reporting methods, without needing to increase the workforce. The IES TaP tool allows BREEAM Assessors and their clients to track evidence and submissions process more efficiently.
Related pages
To see more from BREEAM related info from Encon Associates, click below
