BREEAM standards - commercial property must meet 'green' requirements
01/04/2009
By Joanne Wright, Senior Associate in Commercial Property & Development.
One of the key ways in which the Government is proposing to tackle climate change and reduce carbon dioxide emissions is through greater energy efficiency across a number of sectors including buildings.
The Government's aim is that new non-domestic buildings should be zero carbon rated by 2019. Many steps have already been taken to improve energy efficiency in non-domestic buildings such as 'green leases' and using the British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM).
BREEAM standards
BREEAM was established in 1990 as a voluntary tool to measure the sustainability of new non-residential buildings in the UK. On 1 August 2008, BREEAM 2008 came into force. This new version represents the most radical overhaul of BREEAM since it began and it has become the world's most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. In the UK alone there are almost 100,000 buildings certified and over half a million registered for assessment. Requirements such as Energy Performance Certificates and initiatives such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment Scheme are already encouraging businesses and the public sector to address emissions from their buildings. Over 180 builders, local authorities and related delivery partners have signed up to the zero carbon commitment to meet the Government's target.
Sectors of operation
BREEAM now operates in the following sectors:
- hospitals
- offices
- retail
- leisure
- schools
- transport & infrastructure.
The aim of BREEAM is firstly, to improve internal performance of buildings and secondly, to improve the internal environment for occupants. An environmental assessment method based on BREEAM called the Code for Sustainable Homes is now in place to assess residential buildings.
Assessment process
BREEAM 2008 introduced a two stage assessment and certification process with certificates given for both the design stage and post construction. Critics of the previous BREEAM regime claimed that some developers' poor construction practices were rendering worthless the potential benefits of a good design.
A BREEAM assessment currently involves inspections by a licensed BREEAM assessor who measures the performance of the building in the following areas:
- management
- health and wellbeing
- energy
- transport
- water
- materials
- land use
- ecology
- pollution.
The assessor awards credits according to the performance of the building against these criteria - pass, good, very good, excellent or, since 1 August 2008, outstanding. Although the areas of assessment remain largely the same under BREEAM 2008, greater weighting will be given to the categories of energy, transport, materials and waste. The aim of the new system is to make it more difficult to achieve the points required to obtain BREEAM Excellent or BREEAM Outstanding.
New public sector requirements
Although BREEAM 2008 operates in the private sector, it is developers who operate in the public sector who will be most influenced by BREEAM 2008. Since 1 July 2008 the Department of Health stipulate that all new healthcare buildings requiring specific approval must achieve either BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding. The Department for Children, Families and Schools now requires that all major new school build and refurbishment projects achieve at least BREEAM Very Good to qualify for capital funding. Furthermore, BREEAM 2008 has introduced new methods for assessing shell only buildings.
Conclusion
The Government has already earmarked BREEAM 2008 as being a key factor in the migration towards more eco-friendly energy efficient non-domestic buildings, so they will continue to be important in both the private and public sector.