There’s a lot to consider if you’re thinking about building or renovating. But topping the list should be the impact you will have on the environment. BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Methodology) is the foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for master-planning projects, infrastructure, and buildings. So what does it take to achieve an excellent BREEAM rating?
Most planning applications require an energy strategy and a sustainability statement as supporting evidence. In fact, BREEAM may actually be a specified requirement.
At the very beginning of the design and procurement process. BREEAM comprises a design assessment and a post-construction assessment, but a pre-assessment will allow you to:
Ideally, you don’t want to review your design and introduce changes retrospectively. This will have a significant financial impact and cause an unwelcome delay.
As a benchmark rating scheme for new construction and refurbishment fit-out projects, BREEAM provides comparisons with other BREEAM rated buildings.
The scheme has ten environmental performance sections, where credits are awarded for each based on evidence of best practice performance levels. (Note: there are differences in weightings and credits available between new construction and fit-out projects.)
A qualified BREEAM assessor will audit your building in accordance with the assessment criteria for the ten performance sections and their categories.
This score is compared to the BREEAM rating benchmark levels to give the official BREEAM rating. To achieve an ‘outstanding’ BREEAM rating, the overall section score needs to be greater than 85%.
Even if your score is greater than 85%, you must still achieve all of the following minimum standards:
Your local authority may have specific requirements, so you’ll need to check.
However, all other aspects of BREEAM need to be covered and are valuable. To help you gain maximum credits you should also try to include:
Energy accounts for the largest amount of section credits (31) and has the joint-highest section weighting (15%).
Compliance with the Building Regulations Part L is required for an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), so designing for an EPC ‘A’ rating is a good starting point.
CHP, otherwise known as cogeneration, and trigeneration systems (for heat electrical and chilled water generation) can significantly improve your energy efficiency. This will reduce your CO2 emissions and reduce your energy costs.
BREEAM category Ene 01 has up to 12 credits for a building’s energy performance ratio, and CHP units are proven to be one of the best ways to minimise primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions in this category.
An additional 1% is added to your BREEAM score for each ‘innovation’ credit (up to maximum 10%). So what is classed as innovation? One example would be if you used an alternative fuel for a CHP unit, such as Biogas or Anaerobic Digestion gas, which may achieve an extra innovation credit. However, the security of this type of fuel supply can minimise the attraction of this in the market.
It’s important that any construction phase works are completed in line with the design brief. This ensures evidence is available for the post-construction BREEAM assessment.
The Central Bank of Ireland’s headquarters is an example of a building that achieved a BREEAM ‘outstanding’ rating at design stage.
It received scores of 91.3% for energy and 88.89% for pollution by specifying a high-efficiency CHP system and an advanced ventilation system for the building. The building also achieved an 88.89% rating for its transport design.
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