BREEAM

[2] BREEAM is an assessment undertaken by independent licensed assessors using scientifically-based sustainability metrics and indices which cover a range of environmental issues.

Its categories evaluate energy and water use, health and wellbeing, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management processes.

[1] It was created to educate home owners and designers of benefits involved in taking its approach, which has a long term focus, and to let these parties make further decisions along the same line.

In 1998, there was a major revamp of the BREEAM Offices standard, and the scheme's layout, with features such as weighting for different sustainability issues, was established.

An extensive update of all BREEAM schemes in 2008 resulted in the introduction of mandatory post-construction reviews, minimum standards and innovation credits.

[5] In 2015, the Building Research Establishment announced the acquisition of CEEQUAL following a recommendation from their board, with the aim of creating a single sustainability rating scheme for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.

Developers and their project teams use the scheme at key stages in the design and procurement process to measure, evaluate, improve and reflect the performance of their buildings.

This scheme makes use of assessment criteria that take account of the circumstances, priorities, codes and standards of the country or region in which the development is located.

[8][9] It is aimed at helping construction industry professionals to design places that people want to live and work in, are good for the environment and are economically successful.

Where such measures do incur additional costs, these can frequently be paid back through lower running expenses, ultimately leading to saving over the life of the building.

A Maastricht University document, published by RICS Research,[14] reported on a study of the effect of BREEAM certification on office buildings in London from 2000–2009.