Sustainable Construction: scope and issues
for BREEAM Schemes for higher & further
education
EAUC 12th Annual Conference
Virginia Cinquemani, BRE Global
Ben Rouncefield, Faber Maunsell,
Dennis Hellyar, Austin Smith Lord LLP
Sarah Cary, Turner and Townsend
Summary
• Sustainable development
• What is BREEAM
• BREEAM’s aims
• Issues covered
• The assessment process and costs involved
• BREEAM FE and HE
• Brainstorming exercise on HE
• Case Studies: Pembrokeshire College and University Campus
Suffolk Building
What is Sustainable Development?
Economic Success
Sustainable
Development
Economic Loss
Local issues
•
Images here
• BRE Environmental Assessment Method for buildings
• Nationally and internationally recognised
• Updated annually in line with best practice and legislation
• Independent
• Certification scheme
• Credit based
• ISO9001 / UKAS accreditation
References to Industry Guidance and Codes
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CIBSE: ventilation rates, lighting levels, legionellosis, thermal comfort,
energy modelling, commissioning.
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HVCA: Maintenance and commissioning requirements.
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Environment Agency: Pollution, ecological protection.
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BSRIA/CIRIA/BRE: Commissioning regimes; Construction site
management; Construction waste, construction materials, energy
management
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Considerate Constructors Scheme and other similar independently
auditable schemes
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FSC/PEFC: Timber certification
Regulatory minimum
Number of buildings
Mass market
Minimal
Environmental Standards
Aspirational
What is BREEAM?
Which building types can be assessed?
• Homes
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• Crown Courts
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• Offices
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• Shopping Malls
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• Job Centres
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• Light Industrial
Buildings
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• Heavy Industrial
Buildings
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• Schools / FE
• Health Buildings
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• Sports Facilities
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• Prison House
Blocks
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• Libraries
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Types of BREEAM Assessments
Scheme
D&P
Fit-Out
PCR
M&O
Offices
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Schools
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Retail
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Industrial
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Healthcare
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Bespoke
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The stages of the BREEAM assessment
• Covers:
• New build
• Major refurbishments, i.e. building works that would significantly
change the environmental performance of the building, like
changing the windows, substituting part of the fabric, adding
insulation, changing the services
• Extensions
• Existing buildings in operation
BREEAM Issue Categories
• Management
• Energy
• Health & Wellbeing
• Transport
• Materials
• Water
• Waste
• Land Use &
Ecology
• Pollution
BREEAM Scoring
• Management
• Water
• Materials
• Waste
• Land Use and
Ecology
• Pollution
Single Score
• Transport
Environmental Weightings
• Energy
Issue Category Scores
Assessment Credits
• Health and
Wellbeing
BREEAM
Score
PASS
GOOD
VERY GOOD
EXCELLENT
OUTSTANDING
30%
45%
55%
70%
85%
Environmental Weightings
BREEAM Weightings
• Management
12
• Health & Wellbeing
15
• Energy
19
• Transport
8
• Water
6
• Materials
12.5
• Waste
7.5
• Land Use & Ecology
10
• Pollution
10
Any questions?
Management
• Effective Building Operation
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Commissioning
Construction Impacts
User Guide
Life Cycle Analysis
Publication of Building Information
Shared Facilities
Development as a Learning Resource
Maintenance
Consultation
Security
Health and Wellbeing
• Indoor Environment
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View out
Thermal Comfort
Natural and Artificial Lighting
Air Quality
Acoustics
Microbial Contamination
Drinking Water
• Occupant Control
• Occupant Satisfaction
Energy
• Reducing CO2 Emissions
– NCM’s kgCO2/m2 calculation
• Activity
• Geometry
• Construction / Materials
• HVAC systems
• Hot water
• Artificial / natural lighting
• Renewable energy sources
– Improvement above Part L2 of Building Regs
– Linked with EPBD and DEC
• Sub-metering of energy
• External lighting
Transport
• Reducing CO2 Emissions from
travel
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Access to Public Transport
Cycling Facilities
Pedestrian and cyclist safety
Green Travel Plan
Water
• Reducing Water Consumption
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Low water consumption fittings
Water recycling
Metering
Leak detection
– Maintenance
Materials
• Reducing Material Use
– Reuse of Structure / Façade
– Designing for Robustness
• Reducing the Impact of Materials
– Timber/Glass/Concrete/Insulation…
– Key Building Elements
Waste
• Recyclable Waste
– Storage recyclable waste
– Aggregates / Construction Waste
Land Use and Ecology
• Brownfield / Contaminated
Land
– Reuse of land
• Ecology
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Ecological enhancement
Ecological value
Local Wildlife Partnerships
Consultation with Students and Staff
• Protection of Ecological
Features
– Long term impact
Pollution
• Minimising Harmful Pollutants
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Refrigerants
Insulation
NOx Emissions
Renewable and low CO2 Emission Energy
Sources
– Flood risk
– Watercourse Pollution
– Night Light Pollution
Any questions?
Assessment Process
Independent Licensed Assessors
Builder, Developer,
Owner, Occupier
Assessment Process
Independent Licensed Assessors
Builder, Developer,
Owner, Occupier
Pre-BREEAM
Advice
Formal Assessment
Assessment Process
Independent Licensed Assessors
Builder, Developer,
Owner, Occupier
Consensus
Standard
Pre-BREEAM
Advice
Quality
Control
Formal Assessment
Assessment Process
Independent Licensed Assessors
Builder, Developer,
Owner, Occupier
Consensus
Standard
Quality
Quality
Control
Control
Pre-BREEAM
Advice
Formal Assessment
Issue Certificate
How do you get the higher BREEAM ratings?
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Early
Forward planning
Know BREEAM
Build relationships
Capitalise on project
opportunities
– Cost effective credits
– Consider weighting
• Takes time
• Pre-Assessment Estimator
BREEAM
The price of sustainable schools
• BRE and Faithful+Gould – funded by BRE Trust and DCSF
• Information Paper IP 1/08: ‘The price of sustainable schools: how
much does it cost to achieve BREEAM schools ratings?’
• Summary of the capital cost implications of achieving BREEAM
Schools ratings and low/zero carbon for:
– Primary school
– Secondary school
• IP now available from BRE bookshop £9
www.bre.co.uk/brebookshop
Summary of results
• Percentage increase in capital cost to achieve a BREEAM Schools rating:
Pass
Good
Very Good
Excellent
Zero/low
carbon
Primary school
0 – 0.2
0.5 – 0.8
1.4 – 2.5
4.5 – 7.6
2.1 – 9.8
0 – 0.1
0.2 – 0.7
1.0 – 2.6
4.1 – 5.6
2.7 – 15.3
Secondary
school
Putting a price on sustainable schools
• Publication FB15: ‘Putting a Price on Sustainable Schools’
• Detailed outline of capital cost per BREEAM Schools credit and
cost of low/zero carbon solutions for two case studies:
– Primary school
– Secondary school
•
Available April 2008
Any questions?
Scope of BREEAM FE
• All further education / adult / vocational colleges, standalone sixth form
buildings and 14-19 schools with vocational facilities.
• The LSC has stated:
‘To qualify for LSC capital funds all proposals will need to address
Sustainable Development by ensuring that the completed development
meets the criteria to achieve 'Very Good' Building Research
Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating.‘
Further Education Tool
Credit Criteria
Function Areas
Applicability of the
credits: whole site
/ function area
BREEAM update 2008
• From May ‘08, BREEAM Schools and BREEAM FE will be
incorporated in one scheme, BREEAM Education
• Filtered credits
• One assessment tool / one manual
• This might also include BREEAM HE – when developed
Pembrokeshire
College
BREEAM – Bespoke Assessments
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Area weighted
– Whole building credits are most valuable and offer best value
– Specific ‘Area’ credits can often be of low value
– FMSDG identified the ‘best value’ credits to be targeted
– Now to be BREEAM FE – semi Bespoke – still area weighted
BREEAM – The important bit
• Every credit must be robustly
evidenced before it can be awarded
• Design Team & Client responsible
for providing evidence for all
credits to be pursued
• Pembrokeshire College evidenced
in 3 weeks!
Excellent Wasn’t easy!
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100% of credits weren’t available
Several site related BREEAM credits not
fully achievable
– Transport Links – didn’t fit the BREEAM mould
– Ecology – not contaminated!
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Some BREEAM credits not available due to
the design/specification
– Re-used Facades & Structures
– Pollution (NOx)
Pembrokeshire College – How Excellent
was achieved
Highly sustainable basic design
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Low energy use and renewables
Water efficient
Re-use of land
Good location
Good contractor
Additional Requirements
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Ecology
Further water efficiencies
Transport
Pembrokeshire College
Construction Technology Centre
Presentation to EAUC
Dennis Hellyar
Architect
Key Facts
Construction Technology Centre
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Client: Pembrokeshire College
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Brief: Construction Technology Centre
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Site defined as Part of Masterplan
Create flexible learning environment
accommodating Carpentry and Brickwork
Environmentally Sustainable Building
Benchmark for future buildings
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Size: 2023m2 (net)
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Budget: £2.9M
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Funding: 70% from WAG & Department of
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Breeam: Bespoke assessment -
Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s
Low Carbon building programme
Achieved - Excellent (72.54%) – First in
England & Wales in FE sector to achieve
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Procurement: Traditional
The Functions
Construction Technology Centre
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Brick Workshop – Internal & External
Carpentry Workshops
Project Rooms
Machine Workshop
Offices
Classrooms
Resource Rooms
Storage
Toilets
Overview – Key Environmental Features
Construction Technology Centre
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Maximised Natural Lighting
Limited mechanical ventilation
Water use – harvesting & conserving
Green Guide A Rated Materials
No AC = No Refrigerants
‘Medium’ level Renewables
Lighting Control System
Building Management System
FSC certified Timber
Insulants: ODP – zero; GWP<5
25% improved U values
Improved Ecology – Increased Indigenous Species
Green Travel Plan – Public Transport and improved cycling
facilities
Green Strategy – Breeam Wins
Construction Technology Centre
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Water Section:
- Low Flush Toilets
- Waterless Urinals
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Passive Infra Red detection on taps
- Solenoid valve shut off to WC’s not in use
- Minimal Irrigation of plants
- Water metering
- Leak detection
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Energy:
- 29% Total Building Energy supplied by biomass (renewable
energy source)
- 3% Total Building Energy supplied by Solar Thermal System
- BMS controls thermal zoning for varying occupancies
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Management:
- Registered with CCS
- Building User Guide
- Pre seasonal specialist commissioning
- key stakeholder consultation
Breeam - Excellent
Construction Technology Centre
University
Campus
Suffolk
University Campus
Suffolk
Academic Building
Sarah Cary
Management,
Water & Waste
High level of site
management specified of
the Contractor.
Client commitment to
consultation and
publication of
information.
Water Leak Detection
system through BMS.
Significant space for
recycling storage of as
part of campus recycling
programme.
Energy, Pollution &
Ecology
Sedum Roof attenuates
water & contributes to
the ecological value of
the site.
Focus on lighting and thermal comfort
control & zoning reduced overheating
and electricity use.
Predicted 6.99%
improvement in Carbon
Emissions beyond the Part
L Building
Regulations Requirement.
Air conditioning with leak
detection
system.
Super Low NOx (nitrous
oxide) Boilers
Key
Lessons
Start Early
Client Commitment
Campus-Wide
Future-Proof
What other elements / issues would you cover in a
Higher Education environmental assessment?
• Some issues to be considered:
 Specific functions: Laboratories, others?
 Transport patterns – open longer hours?
 Car parking
 Use of facilities for conferences, lectures, etc?
 Commercial scale catering facilities
 Campus-wide issues
 Others…?
Communication
• BREEAM Office
• Email : breeam@bre.co.uk
• Phone : 01923 664 462
• Post : BRE, Garston, Watford,
WD25 9XX
• Web: www.breeam.org