BREEAM & Code for Sustainable Homes

BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes are the government’s chosen assessment methods for rating the environmental credentials of buildings in the UK. It is likely to become mandatory for all buildings in the next few years and as such, it is in the interests of all those concerned to become knowledgeable about how it works. By employing a BREEAM assessor early in the planning process, the costs of achieving a good BREEAM rating are minimised* and a higher rating can potentially be achieved.

There are standard BREEAM schemes for many building types e.g. offices, schools, higher education, multiresidential, industrial, retail, data centres, etc. Where there is no standard scheme or where a building has a variety of functions then ‘BREEAM Other Buildings’ will be used. In this case the assessment criteria are developed specifically for the particular building by the BRE (Building Research Establishment)

Buildings for Tomorrow can carry out assessments for all building types.

* Important Note:
BREEAM 2008 has 2 free Innovations credits available for appointing a BREEAM Accredited Professional at or before the start of RIBA Stage B(Strategic Brief), inviting the assessor to all design team meetings and including them in the circulation of meeting minutes. Buildings for Tomorrow can offer a BREEAM Accredited Professional to provide this advice and to achieve the 2 credits.