Great news! Our team member, Amelia Ku-Neale, has achieved her assessor certificate for BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). This achievement enhances our ability to help clients create resilient and environmentally responsible buildings for the future.
BREEAM
Similar to the US-led ‘LEED’ certification, BREEAM is a leading green building certification system developed in the UK by BRE. It evaluates buildings on a wide range of sustainability-related categories, including water, waste, energy, and health and wellbeing. The assessment covers projects from strategic definition to handover and close-out, ensuring sustainability is prioritised throughout the development journey.
There are also strong commercial reasons to strive for BREEAM assessment. A BREEAM certification can increase property value, improve operational energy efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure a higher standard of indoor conditions. All of which are attractive to future tenants and building occupiers.
BREEAM credits are awarded to a project, based on how well a development can achieve the criteria in each category. The result, if successful, is a rating from ‘pass’ to ‘outstanding’. The Assessors’ role is to ensure credits are calculated correctly and to gather evidence from the design team to support that. In contrast, a BREEAM Accredited Professional can offer advice on how to achieve the most credits possible. This is an important distinction to make when appointing a professional to assist you.
The Licensed Assessor
Becoming a licensed BREEAM Assessor under the UK New Construction Scheme means Amelia can undertake assessments for non-residential construction projects across the UK. It covers many building types such as retail, offices, and commercial buildings. She now plays a pivotal role in quantifying environmental performance. In turn, this allows funders, architects, project managers, and contractors to significantly reduce their carbon footprint and visibly demonstrate a commitment to a sustainable built environment.
In the UK, we pledged to reach net zero by 2050. This is part of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at improving sustainability and human welfare. The most relevant to BREEAM is perhaps that of Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. Notably, many cities across the country, including Leeds, Manchester and London are aiming for much earlier than 2050.
Sadly, the built environment is responsible for 40% of global emissions. Therefore, making sustainable changes to industry practices has a substantial influence on overall CO2 levels and achieving the tough goals the UK has set itself. By setting a benchmark for sustainable development, BREEAM and other green certification systems are helping the built environment decarbonise and move towards a low carbon future.
If you need any help achieving BREEAM or obtaining an assessment contact us today.