BREEAM background
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is a widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. Developed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), BREEAM addresses wide-ranging environmental and sustainability issues, using a specially-developed scoring system, and enables developers and designers to prove the environmental credentials of their buildings to planners and clients. For example, to score points for water efficiency, credits are awarded based on the improvement over standard specification of water fittings and are calculated using the BREEAM water calculator.
BREEAM can be used to assess the environmental performance of any type of building (new and existing). Standard versions exist for common building types and less common building types can be assessed against tailored criteria under the Bespoke BREEAM version. Buildings outside the UK can also be assessed using BREEAM International.
- BREEAM Bespoke (for buildings that fall outside the standard BREEAM categories).
- BREEAM Courts
- BREEAM Ecohomes (precursor of Code for Sustainable Homes)
- BREEAM EcohomesXB (existing buildings)
- BREEAM Healthcare
- BREEAM Industrial
- BREEAM International
- BREEAM Multi-residential (eg halls of residence, sheltered housing)
- BREEAM Prisons
- BREEAM Offices
- BREEAM Retail
- BREEAM Education
- BREEAM Communities