B R E E A M Assessing the Environmental Performance of Buildings

B R E E A M

Assessing the Environmental

Performance of Buildings

Roy Stewart

Introduction

• What is BREEAM?

• Aims

• Building types

• Key drivers

• How it works

• BREEAM as a requirement

• BREEAM as a commitment

• Capital Cost

• Great to go green

What is BREEAM?

Building Research Establishment

Environmental Assessment Method

Measures the environmental

impact of a building

• Provides comprehensive method of measuring environmental performance.

• Differentiates developments with higher environmental performance

• Quality mark stating that a building is ahead of regulations.

• Low running costs and improved health and well being for occupants.

• Method of demonstrating environmental credentials to funding organisations, client, investor, planning authority etc.

Aims of BREEAM

Two main types:

-• BREEAM for Offices

• EcoHomes

Types of BREEAM

But also:

-• BREEAM Retail

• Industrial BREEAM

• BREEAM Schools

• NEAT (Health Buildings)

• Bespoke BREEAM

BREEAM

• Certification scheme

• Voluntary

• Independent &

credible

• Holistic

• Customer focused

• New houses and flats at the design stage.

• Existing houses and flats during major refurbishment. • Sheltered homes with

individual servicing. • Sheltered Homes with

communal servicing.

• But not Existing houses and flats.

What does it cover?

• Existing vacant offices

• New Build and refurbishment • Existing and occupied

• At stages:

-– Core building performance – Design & procurement

– Management and operation

• To demonstrate a sustainability commitment to partner organisations e.g. residents, communities, funding

organisations, planning authorities

• Reduced maintenance costs

• Reduced running costs

• Provide affordable warmth

• Healthy and comfortable internal environment

• Increased level of occupant satisfaction

• Reduced dependence on private car ownership

• Outperforms market housing - increased saleability

• Improved developers image with public and investors

EcoHomes - How it works

• assessment at the design stage

• single environmental rating

• performance assessed against a broad range

of environmental criteria

• the award of a ‘visible’ certificate and detailed

report

• carried out by independent assessors

– trained and licensed by BRE

Assessment Stages

Stage 1

-Specification House TypesStage 2

-Stage 3 - Site assessment

Formal certification

The issues

Performance assessed against a broad range of

environmental criteria

• Land use & Ecology • Health and well being

The issues - examples

Energy

• Minimise CO₂ emissions • Improve the efficiency of

buildings over whole life

Transport

• Encourage use of public transport

Pollution

• Reduce potential of

pollution/global warming

Materials

• Encourage use of timber from sustainable sources

Water

• Reduce water consumption

Land use & Ecology

• Ecological enhancement of sites

Health and well being

• Energy

• Transport

• Pollution

• Materials

• Water

• Land Use and ..Ecology • Health and well being • Energy • Transport • Pollution • Materials • Water

• Land Use and ..Ecology

• Health and well being

Assessment Credits

Single Score

EcoHomes Rating

Single environmental rating

Pass

Good

Very Good

Excellent

But why an environmental rating?

Energy Labelling

But why an environmental rating?

Office of Government Commerce

Common Minimum Standards for the procurement of built

environments in the public sector Released 12 October 2005

Where a business case for a new programme or project includes a construction element, departments

should ensure that this is undertaken with full reference to the CMS

Standards for construction procurement mandated with

But why an environmental rating?

“An appropriate environmental assessment process such as BREEAM … must be carried out on all projects”

“When BREEAM is used all new projects are to receive an ‘excellent’ rating and all

refurbishment projects are to achieve at least ‘very good’ rating”

BREEAM as a Requirement

English Partnerships

• BREEAM ‘VERY GOOD’ and ‘EXCELLENT’ for all

new developments involving their land

Office of Government Commerce (OGC)

• BREEAM rating of ‘EXCELLENT’

Housing Corporation

• EcoHomes ‘GOOD’ mandatory from April 2005 • Potentially ‘VERY GOOD’ from April 2006

Local Authorities

• Incorporating Environmental standards as

part of supplementary planning guidance.

• Including in Section 106 agreements

Regional Development Agencies

• SEEDA Sustainability Checklist

• NWDA are doing the same + Sustainability

Guidance

Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders

• Elevate - EcoHomes ‘VERY GOOD’ on all

developments

Private Developers

• “Countryside Properties is committed to

building all of its new homes to a minimum standard of 'Good', with the intention of

achieving 'Very Good' on all of its new homes over the next 10 years.”

NGO’s

• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)

• One Million Sustainable Homes (OMSH)

• Campaigning for EcoHomes ‘VERY GOOD’ to

be set as the CSB standard

Code for Sustainable Buildings (CSB)

• Sustainable Buildings Task Force (SBTF)

recommended the code should be based

on BREEAM / EcoHomes

• ODPM concentrating initially on housing

• First version due Jan 2006

EU Initiatives

COMING SOON………..

• EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

– Modifications to Building Regulations Part L (2005)

– Energy Performance Certification

• Early days to know how this will be implemented in the UK

• May stimulate a market in existing buildings (public buildings initially)

Capital Costs Research

• Social Housing

– Using Research by Sustainable Homes

– Published in a document called: ‘A Guide to EcoHomes’ (2003)

• Private Housing

– ‘Putting a price on sustainability’ - BRE Trust (BRE & Cyril Sweett) 2005

– Part of this study considered the capital cost

implications of achieving the different BREEAM / EcoHomes ratings

Social Housing: Costs to achieve each rating

Rating Favourable site Unfavourable

site

Pass £ 0 £ 30

Good £ 0 £ 111

Very Good £ 1430 £ 1680

Excellent £ 1760 £ 3040

Rating Good Location Poor Location Pass £ 0 £ 76 Good £ 228 £ 684 Very Good £ 988 £ 2356 Excellent £ 3192 £ 5244

Based on Private house of £76,000 capital cost

RICS makes the commercial

case for green buildings

http://www.rics.org/Builtenvironment/Sustainableconstruction/Green%20value.html

7 reasons why the RICS says green

buildings are great to go green

Building – 28/10/05

7 reasons why the RICS says green

buildings are great to go green

RICS Green Value Report

• They secure tenants quicker

• They bring in higher rents & prices • They keep tenants for longer

• They cost less to operate & maintain • They can attract grants & subsidies • They improve business productivity

• They return 10 times the money that you invest in making them green

BREEAM

• www.breeam.org

BRE

• www.bre.co.uk

Centre for Construction Innovation

• www.ccinw.com