Concrete @ your Fingertips

Environmental assessment (BREEAM)

What does BREEAM mean?

Answer

The BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is a comprehensive tool for analysing and improving the environmental performance of buildings from design through to management. Conceived as a tool to encourage a market for more environmentally friendly buildings, it is now widely accepted and used as a property specification tool, a design tool and as an environmental review tool.

BREEAM is a widely used means of reviewing and improving the environmental performance of buildings (their consumption of energy, water and building materials, etc.) and the health and comfort of their occupants. The scheme assesses buildings against a range of issues and awards credits where the building achieves a benchmark performance for each.

The method covers a range of standard building types with assessment being carried out by a network of registered assessors. BRE are also able to use the methodology to carry out one-off assessments of other buildings.

BREEAM is aimed at commercial buildings. The companion product for homes is Ecohomes.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society

Other references:BRE Report 207: BREEAM Version 2/91 An environmental assessment for new superstores and supermarkets
BRE Report 252: BREEAM/New Industrial Units Version 5/93 An environmental assessment for new industrial, warehousing and non-food retail units
BRE Digest 446 : Assessing environmental impacts of construction - Industry consensus, BREEAM and UK Ecopoints
Digest 452 : Whole life costing and life-cycle assessment for sustainable building design
BRE Digest 350: Climate and site development Part 3: Improving microclimate through design
BRE report 370 : BRE methodology for environmental profiles of construction materials, components and buildings