This time we are continuing our series on sustainability assessments for office and non-domestic fit-out & refurbishment projects. Missed part one? You can catch up here.
Last time we outlined the benefits that achieving a Ska Rating during an office fit-out or refurbishment project can boost the sustainability of your business. This week we turn to BREEAM, the globally acknowledged sustainability assessment framework from the Building Research Establishment, to discover how achieving a favourable BREEAM rating can boost the sustainability, appeal and value of your planned fit-out or refurbishment.
What is BREEAM?
BREEAM is the world’s longest established method for rating, assessing and certifying the sustainability of domestic, commercial, industrial and public buildings. Established in 1990 by the Building Rersearch Establishment (BRE), BREEAM is now utilised in over 70 countries worldwide thanks to its adaptability to both local and climatic conditions. In fact, there are over 545,000 BREEAM certified developments across the globe, giving BREEAM a massive 80% share of the sustainability assessment market.
BREEAM and office fit-outs and refurbishments
Due to a surge in demand for a comprehensive assessment method for the refurbishment of existing non-domestic buildings, 2014 saw the BRE launch a new BREEAM rating scheme specifically for these project types. The resulting scheme, BREEAM Non-Domestic Refurbishment and Fit-Out, was designed to address this demand and provide a reliable and thorough way to assess and improve the sustainability of UK refurbishment and fit-out projects.
The scheme works on a four-part modular approach, which give a range of certification options:
- Part One deals with the building, fabric and structure
- Part Two looks at a project’s core services
- Part Three assesses local services
- Part Four looks at interior design
Your refurbishment or fit-out project can be assessed against one or all of the four parts, or any combination, depending on which are relevant to the project itself.
The scheme also introduced assessment criteria that reflects the split between tenant and landlord responsibilities and the limitations and opportunities for improving existing buildings.
With the new scheme’s introduction, BREEAM established performance benchmarks that reward improvements made to poorly performing buildings, whilst also giving recognition for buildings that already perform well against the scheme’s criteria. In fact, BREEAM Non-Domestic Refurbishment and Fit-Out includes a number of criteria aimed at making existing buildings fit for the future with areas that focus on climate change resilience and a building’s functional adaptability.
What are the benefits of BREEAM for fit-outs and refurbishments?
The BREEAM Non-Domestic Refurbishment and Fit-Out scheme provides a wide range of benefits to your prospective project. Because BREEAM offers such a comprehensive and flexible assessment method, this means that there are so many positives to be gained from assessment via the scheme. We asked our sustainability and engineering consultant Umer Uzair to outline the main benefits of BREEAM’s refurbishment or fit-out assessments:
BREEAM helps reduce operating costs and mitigates risk
Recent research undertaken by Sweett Group and the BRE has shown that achievement of a BREEAM rating adds value to a development with little or no additional cost. Breaking this down, the cost of achieving a BREEAM Very Good rating can be as little as a 0.13% increase in capital cost. This small increase in costs during a project is easily outweighed by savings made through the reduction of operational costs (including energy and water efficiency) and staff performance improvements.
BREEAM enhances the comfort and productivity of occupants
BREEAM covers an array of ‘working environment’ issues which are directly related to occupant health and well-being; ranging from the quality of indoor air and thermal comfort, to good day lighting. This is a considerable benefit for organisations as buildings perform better in use, and occupants are generally happy, healthier and more productive. For example, a new report published by the World Green Building Council has found that better air quality in offices can improve staff productivity levels by up to 11%. With staff accounting for around 90% of an organisation’s expenditure, the financial savings gained through BREEAM’s criteria for improvements in staff health and well-being are certainly tangible.
BREEAM minimises CO2 emissions
Recent analysis of BREEAM assessment data shows that BREEAM assessed buildings achieve an average 22% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to buildings designed to regulatory minimum performance requirements. Aiming for a high BREEAM rating? BREEAM Excellent buildings enjoy on average a more than 30% reduction in CO2 emissions, and BREEAM Outstanding rated buildings in excess of 50%.
BREEAM can be used for all building types
The BREEAM UK Non-Domestic Refurbishment and Fit Out scheme seeks to minimise the environmental impacts associated with internal works to the buildings including the first fit-out of a newly constructed building or re-fitting an existing building. This remit is further enforced by BREEAM’s adaptability to all in-use building types, from those freshly constructed to Grade 1 and 2 listed buildings. This ability to assess buildings based on their relative performance makes BREEAM an attractive sustainability assessment proposition for those in the commercial fit-out and refurbishment sector.
So which assessment method is the best fit for your refurbishment or fit-out project?
While there are many positives to both BRE’s BREEAM and RICS’s Ska Rating, it can often be difficult to decide which is better to suited to a particular project or project type… especially if you are unfamiliar with the nuances of either scheme, or have little experience of leveraging sustainability and environmental responsibility into an in-use project.
To help you navigate through the plethora of terms, criteria and aims of each assessment scheme, next time we’ll be carrying out. a side-by-side comparison of both schemes and their effectiveness when utilised in a real world fit-out or refurbishment project, as well as comparing the long term benefits of both.
In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about any aspect of BREEAM, from the assessment criteria for commercial fit-outs to how BREEAM provides assessment, guidance and a framework for sustainable development throughout all stages of a project’s lifecycle; contact one of our BREEAM experts today.
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