BREEAM
BREEAM is the world's leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It addresses a number of lifecycle stages such as New Construction, Refurbishment and In-Use. Globally there are more than 561,300 BREEAM certified developments, and almost 2,263,300 buildings registered for assessment since it was first launched in 1990.
Broader Benefits of BREEAM
Reduced operational costs
Research carried out by construction consultants Sweett Group and BRE found that office developers typically invest up to 2% more when targeting higher BREEAM ratings, and recover that additional investment in two to five years through savings in their energy and water bills. The same research found that achieving lower BREEAM ratings can incur little or no additional cost. This research has been published in the report, Delivering sustainable buildings: Savings and payback. A property industry survey carried out by research and consultancy organisation BSRIA with Schneider Electric, and supported by BRE, gathered clients’ views on value. This found the number of clients saying they had paid a green premium to develop a sustainable building was fairly evenly matched, with 49% of clients saying they had incurred significant extra costs to reach their BREEAM target rating, while 41% said they did not. One survey respondent commented, “We would have done it all anyway as we are driven by what the market wants, and sustainability features highly on this.” The full survey conclusions are published in the report, The Value of BREEAM.
Helping to limit investor and developer risk
Climate change and evolving regulation are posing increasing challenges for existing buildings and their owners and investors. Buildings that are not equipped for the future may face the risk of devaluation and could eventually become stranded assets. For example, commercial property network the Better Buildings Partnership has highlighted the risks for investors in England and Wales of the forthcoming Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, which will in the future require rented homes and commercial property to reach a minimum energy performance standard. This notes that properties falling below the standard may potentially be subject to, “a negative impact on collateral value and a consequent increase in the loan to value ratio.” Further information is contained in the Better Buildings Partnership report, Sustainability bites? – The Impact of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for Commercial Real Estate Lending.
Creating a more productive and healthy workplace
Sustainable buildings can have a host of benefits for the people who work in them. Standards like BREEAM help to create workplaces with good indoor air quality, good lighting and daylighting levels and higher perceptions of comfort than average offices. As an example of the impact such factors can have, research by the World Green Building Council says better indoor air quality can help improve staff productivity levels by as much as 8-11%. Their report, Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices, was sponsored by JLL, Lend Lease and Skanska.
There is a growing body of evidence to support our claim that BREEAM adds value to any given development. Please view the published documents below to read for yourself how external bodies have benefited from using our standards and processes.