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.