BREEAM New Construction / BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-out

What is BREEAM New Construction and BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-out? 

BREEAM New Construction (BNC) and BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-out (BRFO) schemes are among the most recognised global environmental assessment tools for property developments. 

These environmental measurement tools enable developers and design teams to integrate the highest standard of environmental sustainability in their specifications during design and construction stages. 

There are several BNC and BRFO schemes and their applicability will vary depending on the location of your asset. Each of these schemes follow a common approach, assessing credits in the same following categories:  

• Management 
• Health & Wellbeing 
• Energy 
• Transport 
• Water 
• Materials 
• Waste 
• Land Use and Ecology 
• Pollution
• Innovation 

Evidence outlining how the criteria in these categories are met, is collected at two different stages in a building’s lifecycle:

1. Design Stage (DS): influence the design strategy to ensure that they embed best practice environmental measures.
2. Post-construction stage (PCS): ensure that the contractor maintains the same level of environmental stewardship during the construction phase.

An asset’s score is then calculated based on its performance relative to the BREEAM credits and their requirements. Each credit and its associated best practice measure have a different impact on the overall rating. 

Why obtain a BREEAM New Construction and BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-out certification?

Applied in over 69 countries, BNC and BRFO provide developers with an internationally recognised third party accreditation to guide, assess and monitor the sustainability of their design and construction practices.  

• BREEAM is the European leader in green building certification, accounting for more than 80% of all sustainable commercial certifications in Europe. 
• Certification increases your GRESB (Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) score. 
• Reduce operational costs of the finished asset, through reduced energy and water use and related CO2 emissions. 
• Increase asset market value and attract tenants’ health and well-being. 

How can Longevity help you with your certification? 

Longevity can support you at every stage of your BNC or BRFO certification, from the concept design phase through the development stage or the post construction stage. We can:

1. Produce a pre-assessment to determine all requirements to meet your desired certification rating.  
2. Manage the BREEAM certification process. 
3. Utilise our experience of global assessors and certification projects to advise on all matters related to sustainability and energy 
4. Access our network of professionals that can help meet the requirements of the various credits.  
5. Perform specific studies such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Climate Resilience for BREEAM compliance.  

When to engage with us?

It’s best to get in contact as soon as you know you have a new development in the pipeline! We can advise you on what certification scheme will best fit your needs, carry out a pre-assessment and start to frame the key design decisions that need to be incorporated even at the earliest concept design stages.