BREEAM: The World’s First Sustainability Rating Scheme for the Built Environment

What is BREEAM?

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) was the first established sustainability rating scheme for construction and refurbishment. BREEAM helps clients measure and reduce the environmental impacts of their buildings and in doing so create higher value, lower risk assets.

What are the aims of BREEAM?

• To mitigate the life cycle impacts of buildings on the environment
• To enable buildings to be recognised according to their environmental benefits
• To provide a credible, environmental label for buildings
• To stimulate demand and create value for sustainable buildings, building products and supply chains.

Why choose BREEAM?

BREEAM assessments are a fantastic way to validate sustainability efforts with a worldwide trusted accreditation. With sustainability initiatives on the rise, the interior outfitting industry is evolving in order to accommodate these demands. Many planning authorities now require commercial buildings to meet BREEAM standards and publicly funded buildings will normally be required to be assessed under BREEAM. By actively proving the sustainability of Refurbishment & Fit Out projects thorough BREEAM, you are helping to raise the standards of both your business operations as well as industry expectations. 

BREEAM UK Refurbishment and Fit Out

The Refurbishment and Fit Out Scheme is a performance based assessment method and certification scheme for existing building refurbishment and fit-out projects. This aims to promote the delivery of sustainable refurbishment and fit-out, in order to mitigate the life cycle impacts of existing buildings on the environment in a robust and cost effective manner. This scheme is suited to commercial builds, public sector, multi-residential accommodation/supported living facilities, and other public use buildings.

BREEAM measures sustainable value in a range of categories: 

• Energy
• Health & Wellbeing
• Innovation
• Land Use
• Materials
• Management
• Pollution
• Transport
• Waste
• Water

For the full breakdown of assessment issues, please see the BREEAM UK Refurbishment handbook. 

BREEAM Rating

Each category is sub-divided into a range of assessment issues, each with their own benchmarks. If a benchmark is reached within a category, the development or asset score credits. The category score is then calculated according to the number of credits achieved and its category weighting. Once all categories have been considered, the final performance rating is determined by the sum of the weighted category scores.

The BREEAM rating benchmarks enable a client and all other stakeholders to compare the performance of a refurbishment or fit-out with other BREEAM projects. The overall rating of a project if reflected by the scores below: 

Getting Assessed:

1. Appoint a licenced BREEAM Assessor
2. Register your project for assessment through your appointed Assessor
3. Carry out a pre assessment 
4. Track and update the progress of your project with your Assessor
5. Determine final project compliance with Assessor
6. Submit assessment to certification body for certification decision 
7. Receive your listed BREEAM certificate

If you are planning multiple projects (which follow the same specification), BRE Global have developed a Pre-Approval process whereby relevant evidence is assessed and audited once for future use on multiple projects, saving time and money. All information about how BREEAM works is detailed and signposted on the BREEAM website, including finding licensed Assessors & APs. 

How Can We Help?

At Workplace Interior Shop, we supply from a comprehensive range of manufacturers who produce certified products which contribute positively when aiming to achieve BREEAM Certifications. For example, British Gypsum achieves BES 6001 ‘Excellent’ rating for UK manufactured Gyproc plasterboards, Glasroc specialist boards, Thistle plasters, Gypframe metal and Gyproc Cove. This means that British Gypsum can offer a full system solution, enabling customers to receive more points (3.5 out of 4) in environmental certification schemes such as BREEAM. 

Whatever you project requires, we can help you find sustainable solutions. If you can’t find what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Our product library is constantly growing and evolving and, due to our having great relationships with our suppliers, we can often source what you are looking for, even if it isn’t on our website.