Since BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) was introduced in 1990 its popularity has grown significantly as an aid to deliver greener buildings. Last year alone around 7000 projects used BREEAM assessment, some buildings achieve high BREAAM ratings such as ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’ and this can mean more than just providing businesses with the means to demonstrate environmental commitments. BREEAM assessment can potentially add value to a project by achieving a building that is cheaper to run for little, if any, extra cost.
Research has been carried out to investigate whether the cost of BREEAM assessment is a major factor in the choice to opt out into having a BREEAM-accredited building and to gather the different views people have on it in the industry. Overall, the majority think the concept is good but that there is room for improvement, in particular making the scheme simpler and more flexible. The main reasons for firms opting for BREEAM assessments were company policy and to boost CSR (corporate and social responsibility), planning requirements and for procurement purposes. There does not appear to be a significant link between the amount of cost increase and the level of BREEAM sought. A factor that influenced the cost of a project was when BREEAM assessment was included in the design process and that the earlier a decision was made, the better chance there is of keeping the costs down. If extra costs are incurred it is not likely seen as an issue as BREEAM is an investment for the future with a payback coming from the reduced running costs of the building. However it is important to consider that for buildings to maintain their rating, energy-efficient solutions have to be managed and monitored as over time they can become less efficient and effective.
