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Glossary
BREEAM
BRE's Environmental Assessment Method began as an environmental
assessment method for buildings. The BREEAM brand has been expanded
over the last few years to the BREEAM family of assessment methods and
tools which are all designed to help construction professionals
understand and mitigate the environmental impacts of the developments
they design and build.
BREEAM Buildings is the aspect of the BREEAM family that this website
focuses on and is used to assess the environmental performance of any
type of building (new or existing). Standard versions of BREEAM exist
for common building types and less common building types can be
assessed against tailored criteria using the Bespoke BREEAM version.
Buildings outside the UK can also be assessed using BREEAM
International.
Other BREEAM Tools include; BREEAM Specification: The Green Guide,
BREEAM Envest, BREEAM Smartwaste, BREEAM Developments and BREEAM LCA.
Further details on these tools can be found on the BRE website (www.breeam.org)
BREEAM
Assessor
A BREEAM assessor is someone who has been deemed qualified by BRE,
through training and examination on one of BRE's recognised BREEAM
assessor courses and who is working under their company's BREEAM
licence. BREEAM assessors are trained in specific BREEAM schemes
relating to particular building types. Assessors tend to be from a
building or construction background often with experience of the
construction and building industry.
BREEAM
Assessment
A BREEAM assessment is the audit process through which a building is
assessed and can achieve a BREEAM rating and certificate. The
assessment consists of information gathering, a review of the
information (by a BREEAM assessor) and a report indicating how the
building performs which is quality assured by BRE. It is recommended by
assessors and BRE that the BREEAM assessor is also appointed at an
early stage to assist with pre-assessment consultancy, particularly
where there is a requirement for a certain score or rating as the
assessors are experienced in finding cost effective solutions, however
this consultancy is an optional part of the formal process. A BREEAM
assessment can only be undertaken by a BREEAM assessor.
BREEAM
rating
This is the score achieved at the end of the assessment. The rating
will either be a Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding
rating.
BREEAM
Offices
BREEAM Offices is the world's most widely used means of reviewing and
improving the environmental performance of office buildings. BREEAM
Offices assessments can be carried out on both new and existing office
buildings either using a design stage or an operational stage
assessment.
BREEAM
Retail
BREEAM Retail can be used to carry out environmental assessments for
most types of retail development, and for a number of different
stakeholders ranging from developers to individual tenants, managing
agents and landlords. Assessments can be carried out on single units or
whole developments at four different stages in the building life cycle:
new build, major refurbishment, tenant fit-out, existing building
(occupied): called 'Management and Operation' assessment
BREEAM Retail can assess the following types of retail developments:
* General display and sale of goods: For example Shopping Centre, DIY
stores, showrooms and all general retail outlets
* Food retail: For example supermarkets, general stores with a food
retail section and shops selling food for consumption off the premises.
* Customer service retail: For example bank, post office, dry cleaners,
travel agency etc.
Currently BREEAM Retail cannot assess restaurants that do not form part
of a wider retail development.
BREEAM
Education
BREEAM Education helps schools, LEA's, further education buildings and
funding bodies to set environmental targets for new and refurbished
education buildings. It also serves as a useful tool for designers by
demonstrating the environmental performance of their designs.
Assessments can be carried out at the design and post construction for
primary and secondary schools including new schools, major
refurbishment projects and extensions. Assessments can also be carried
out on any new further education building including colleges and
vocational training facilities. This method does not cover higher
educational buildings as these tend to have more complex needs such as
research facilities, laboratories and accommodation. Higher Education
buildings are assessed using the BREEAM Bespoke scheme.
BREEAM
Industrial
BREEAM Industrial can be used to assess the environmental impact of
storage and distribution, light industrial units, factories and
workshops. Buildings assessed under BREEAM Industrial will be broadly
categorised into one of the following types:
* Speculative: This category covers the assessment of speculatively
developed buildings with an unknown end occupier or
* Fitted Out: This category covers the assessment of buildings (i)
designed and fitted out for a known end occupier, or (ii) where the end
occupier is unknown but the operational area is being fitted out.
BREEAM Industrial assessments can be carried out for new buildings,
design stage and post construction stages and buildings undergoing
major refurbishment.
BREEAM
Multi-Residential
A number of multi-residential homes do not fit into the standard
EcoHomes or Code for Sustainable Homes schemes due to their shared
services and facilities, BRE therefore developed a bespoke version of
EcoHomes called BREEAM Multi-Residential
In addition to the issues covered by EcoHomes, BREEAM Multi-Residential
looks at communal services and the management of communal areas within
the building such as catering facilities, lounges, dining rooms, health
and leisure areas, offices, meeting rooms and other support areas (e.g.
laundries).
Buildings that may be assessed under BREEAM Multi-Residential are
typically: student halls of residence/key worker accommodation,
sheltered housing for the elderly (but not care homes with extensive
medical facilities), supported housing for mentally/physically disabled
persons, hostel type accommodation (such as for the homeless, women's
refuges etc.)
BREEAM
Courts
BREEAM Courts was developed on behalf for the Department for
Constitutional Affairs to assess the environmental impact of courts in
England and Wales. This BREEAM version can assess both new build and
the major refurbishment of court buildings. This BREEAM version can
assess the following type of court buildings: Crown, Criminal, County,
Magistrates, Family, Youth, Combined Courts and Civil Justice Centres.
BREEAM Courts assessments are certified through the BREEAM Bespoke
version and are therefore only carried out by licensed BREEAM Bespoke
assessors.
BREEAM
Prisons
BRE has developed BREEAM Prisons in association with the National
Offender Management Service. BREEAM Prisons can be used to assess the
environmental impacts of new build and major refurbishments projects
that form a part of one of the following types of prison
establishments: High security prisons (normally holding category A
prisoners), standard secured prisons (normally holding category B
and/or C prisoners), young offender institutions, local prisons
(receiving prisoners directly from court on remand or newly sentenced)
and women's prisons (closed prisons only).
BREEAM Prisons can be used to assess any of the following building
types where they form a part of one of the above types of
establishment: House/segregation block, Visitors centres, Workshop,
Education & Training, Gatehouse, Reception building, Kitchen,
Sports hall/gymnasium, Healthcare unit, Multi-faith building, Laundry,
Main stores, Estates building
BREEAM Prisons assessments can only be carried out by our licensed
Bespoke BREEAM assessors or a BREEAM Prisons assessor.
BREEAM
Healthcare
BREEAM Healthcare was added to the BREEAM family of assessment schemes
as part of the 2008 BREEAM update. This scheme was commissioned by the
Department of Health and the Welsh Health Estates and will replace the
existing NEAT (NHS Environmental Assessment Tool) which is now out of
date. NEAT was a self assessment tool developed in 2002 by BRE on
behalf of the NHS Estates.
As of 1st of July 2008, the Department of Health will require that, as
part of the Outline of Business Case approval, all new builds achieve a
BREEAM Excellent and all refurbishments achieve a BREEAM Very Good
rating under BREEAM Healthcare or another appropriate BREEAM scheme.
BREEAM Healthcare can be used to assess all healthcare buildings
containing medical facilities, and at different stages of their
lifecycle: new builds, major refurbishments, extensions and existing
buildings in operation. To assess existing Healthcare building BRE
Global have developed BREEAM Healthcare XB, a self assessment tool
which looks at both the building and how the building is managed and
operated.
BREEAM
Bespoke
A BREEAM Bespoke assessment can be carried out on any building which
falls outside the standard BREEAM versions. Assessment criteria, based
on the standard schemes, are specifically tailored to the building
type, once the criteria are developed, the assessment proceeds as a
standard assessment.
A building constructed outside the UK can be assessed using BREEAM
International which is a type of Bespoke assessment but has a separate
BREEAM heading as some aspects of criteria development differ from a
typical bespoke assessment e.g. the international assessment will need
to also take account of local climate and building standards.
Examples of buildings that have been assessed using the BREEAM Bespoke
scheme include; hotels, laboratories, leisure facilities, shared
accommodation
BREEAM
International
BREEAM International can be used to assess a single development or BRE
can also assist in creating a BREEAM version for a country or region.
Bespoke Assessment
Sometimes this requirement is led by a multi national company wanting
to rate its entire stock using the same environmental indicator
(wherever in the world buildings are located), this can be carried out
using the international bespoke assessment route.
Accredited Scheme
A region or country may wish to develop an accredited BREEAM based
system for its own circumstances, this can be covered by the BREEAM
International accredited scheme.
The benefits of BREEAM International:
* It can be tailored to suit local circumstances
* It addresses all key environmental issues
* It enables developers and designers to prove the environmental
credentials of their building to planners and clients
* It enables a straightforward scoring system that is transparent and
easy to understand
* It has a positive influence on the design, construction and
management of buildings.
* It sets and maintains a robust technical standard with rigorous
quality assurance and certification
Current accredited schemes that have been developed and are already in
use include;
* BREEAM Gulf
* BREEAM Europe Retail
* BREEAM Europe Offices
* BREEAM Europe - Industrial
Code for
Sustainable Homes
In April 2007 the Code for Sustainable Homes replaced EcoHomes for the
assessment of new housing in England. The Code is an environmental
assessment method for new homes based upon BRE's EcoHomes and contains
mandatory performance levels in 7 key areas. The Code aims to protect
the environment by providing guidance on the construction of high
performance homes built with sustainability in mind
The Scope of the Code is similar to EcoHomes with new mandatory minimum
levels of performance, a six level scoring system (Code Level 1 - Level
6), and a two phased approach (i) an initial assessment and interim
certification at the design stage and (ii) final assessment and
certification after construction.
On the 27 February 2008 the Government confirmed that from 1 May 2008
it would be mandatory for all new homes to have a rating against the
Code. Please note that the new regulations for providing for mandatory
ratings does not apply to properties (individual or as part of an
ongoing development) where the initial notice, full plans or Building
Notice have been received by the relevant Local Authority Building
Control body prior to 1st May 2008.
EcoHomes
EcoHomes is a version of BREEAM for homes. It provides an authoritative
rating for new, converted or renovated homes, and covers houses, flats
and apartments. EcoHomes balances environmental performance with the
need for a high quality of life and a safe and healthy internal
environment. Many of the issues are optional, ensuring EcoHomes is
flexible enough to be tailored to a particular development or market.
EcoHomes assessments can be carried out at both the design stage or
post construction for new build and major refurbishment projects
In April 2007 the Code for Sustainable Homes replaced EcoHomes for the
assessment of new housing in England. EcoHomes 2006 will continue to be
used for refurbished housing in England and for all housing in Scotland
and Wales.
EcoHomes
XB
EcoHomes XB is a stock profiling tool based on EcoHomes. For details
please visit BRE's website www.breeam.org.uk.
Supporting
Sustainable Design and Construction
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