BREEAM – Environmental Assessment and Swimming Facilities
Dr Ben Cartmell
ASA – Pools for the Future Seminar
Manchester Town Hall, 9 th April 2008

The next 45 minutes
• Why BREEAM?
• The Environmental Assessment Consortium
• Introduction to BREEAM and future changes
• How to optimise a BREEAM score
• The Bespoke BREEAM process
• Associated considerations

Why BREEAM?
B uilding
R esearch
E stablishment
E nvironmental
A ssessment
M ethod
Aims:
• Improve environmental performance of buildings
• Improve internal environment for occupants

BREEAM – An Introduction
Minimal
BREEAM
Aspirational

Why BREEAM?
Planning Policy
• PPS22 Renewable Energy
• PPS1 Planning & Climate Change (consultation)
• The London Plan / The Mayor’s Energy Strategy / ODA
EPBD
• Building Regulations Part L
• Energy Certification / Labelling
Code for Sustainable Homes
(Buildings?)
Building a Greener Future: Towards
Zero Carbon (Consultation)

The Environmental Assessment Consortium
Rickaby Thompson Associates
Ian Orme
Catherine Arotsky
Kathryn Greatorex
Rachael Wilson
Southfacing Services Ltd
Ben Cartmell
Lucy Harris
Rimante Okkels
Gale & Snowdon Architects
David Gale
Alan Pither
Bespoke BREEAM
BREEAM International
BREEAM Offices
BREEAM Schools
BREEAM Retail
BREEAM Further Education
BREEAM Industrial
BREEAM Prisons
Code for Sustainable Homes
EcoHomes
LEED
BRE Training

The EAC BREEAM Operation
• Over 220 assessments (complete or in progress)
• Over 100 live projects
• Workload growing rapidly
• International projects underway
• Assessment team expanding

Bespoke BREEAM example projects

BREEAM International
Client : Dubai Maritime City / BRE
Development: Office, Retail, Industrial &
Residential.
Bespoke BREEAM assessment on five towers. Assistance to developer and BRE in developing a BREEAM standard for Dubai.

BREEAM Overview
• Environmental Assessment
Method
• Certification scheme
• Voluntary
• Independent & credible
• Holistic
• Customer focussed
• Credits based

BREEAM Scoring
• Management
• Health and
Wellbeing
• Energy
• Transport
• Water
• Materials
• Land Use
• Ecology
• Pollution
BREEAM
Score
PASS
GOOD
VERY GOOD
EXCELLENT

BREEAM Scoring
• Management
• Health & W’being
• Energy
• Transport
• Water
• Materials
• Land Use
• Ecology
• Pollution
15 (0.75%)
15 (0.83%)
25 (1.0%)
0 5 (0.71%)
10 (0.58%)
15 (1.25%)
15 (1.07%)

BREEAM Ratings
Pass
Good
25% – 40%
40% - 55%
Very Good 55% - 70%
Excellent 70%+
Outstanding 80%+ (BREEAM 2008)

BREEAM Update
BREEAM 2008
• Fundamental changes expected
• Minimum standards as per CSH
• Green Guide to Specification (2008)
• Information from May 2008
• Implementation from August 2008

BREEAM Schemes
Scheme
Offices
Schools
Retail
Industrial
EcoHomes
Bespoke
D&P
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PCR
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M&O Fit Out
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BREEAM in the design process
Design Consultancy:
Pre-assessment works
Formal BREEAM assessment
Formal Assessment review
Final Certification by BRE
Post Construction Review
Outline Design (A-C)
Detailed Design (D)
Late design (D-E)
Late design (D-E)
Post Construction (H)

BREEAM in the design process
Specific credit consideration

Optimise Management Credits
• Commissioning
• Whole Life Costing
• Building Users Guide
• Construction Site Impacts
– Considerate Constructors Scheme
– Construction Waste e.g. BRE SMARTWaste TM
System
– Monitoring of site CO
2
(site energy and transport), water and control of dust and noise.

Optimise Health & Wellbeing Credits
• Indoor noise (requirements for specific functional areas)
• 80% of relevant areas need to be adequately daylight
• Glare Control
• Openable windows in order to ensure a potential for natural ventilation
• Air pollution – location of air inlets

Optimise Health & Wellbeing Credits cont.
• Minimising risk of internal air pollution
• 40m 2 Lighting zones (4 workplaces)
• Thermal zoning
• Openable windows
• CIBSE lux levels
• Occupant controllable blinds
• Good daylighting

Optimise Energy Credits
• Improvement over building regulations
• U-values better than current Building Regulations
• Sub-metering of major energy uses
• Tenancy sub-metering
• Pool covers (?)

Optimise Transport Credits
• Green Transport Plan
• Minimise car parking/occupant ratio
• Provide secure and sheltered cycle locking spaces and facilities for cyclists

Optimise Water Credits
• Dual flush WCs
• Waterless urinals and WCs
• PIR controls
• Spray or Aerating taps
• <9litres/min showers
• Rainwater and Greywater usage
• Automatic water shut off systems
• Sanitary supply shut off
• Water recycling including pool backwash (?)
• Install a water meter !!

Optimise Materials Credits
• Refurbishment rather than new building
• Provide storage area for recyclable materials
• Use of recycled aggregate material (for fill, hardcore etc)
• Use of A rated materials from the Green
Guide to Specification or use ENVEST
• Design for robustness
2008 Update

Optimise Materials Credits cont.
Responsible Sourcing of Materials
• Use materials with suitable sustainable certification
• Timber should be certified under a recognised scheme,
FSC and PEFC are best
• Other materials should be EMAS or ISO14000 compliance
• Credit is assessed based on proportion of certified materials
• Tiered structure favours timber i.e. maximum credits cannot be achieved with non-timber construction

Optimise Land-use and Ecology Credits
• Careful site selection
• Assess before on-site work commences
• Identify contaminated land
• Involve an appropriately qualified Ecologist
• Protect existing ecology
• Promote species diversity, native species, habitat creation
• Biodiversity management

Optimise Pollution Credits
• Specify use of insulation materials with zero ODP and low GWP
• Install oil interceptors
• No refrigeration
• Build in an area of low flood risk and/or mitigate any flood risk
• Use of locally generated renewable energy
• Low NO x boilers

Bespoke BREEAM setup process

Bespoke BREEAM Assessment Process
Bespoke BREEAM Setup Processes
Pre-assessment works / Scenarios
Formal Bespoke BREEAM Assessment
• Assessment Delivery Report
• Updated Status Report / Guidance
• Final Assessment Report
QA & Certification
Post Construction Review
QA & Certification

The two sides to Southfacing
Energy &
Environmental
Consultancy
Social Enterprise
Projects
Design &
Development of
Design Tools

Southfacing’s services
Energy & Environmental Consultancy
• Part L analysis and energy assessments (NHER, SBEM, Tas etc)
• Feasibility for low carbon technologies (building and site)
• Environmental assessments (BREEAM, Sustainable Code etc.)
Software development
• Carbon Checker (Southfacing)
• Low Carbon Designer (London Energy Partnership / GLA)
• Climate Lite (DTI / BRE)
• Other at-risk projects….

Climate Lite - Introduction
Funding provided through the
BERR (formerly DTI)
Technology Programme.
Steering Committee
Chairman: Bill Gething (RIBA)
Project Partners:
• BRE
• Southfacing Services Ltd.
• Cambridge Architectural
Research
• University of Cardiff
• BGA Ltd.
Site
Form &
Fabric
Energy

The Low Carbon Designer

Design Tools
A Simple Part L2A
Compliance checker incorporating SBEM
Now owned by Build
Desk / Rockwool.

In Summary
• Most benefits taken through early consideration of BREEAM.
• Use your assessor – they are there to provide guidance and to work with the project team.
• Major changes are coming with tighter standards.
• BREEAM should not be considered in isolation.
• BREEAM should be a collaboration between those setting the targets and those designing to the targets.
• ASA / Authorities – What are your specific issues?

www.southfacing.co.uk
ben.cartmell@southfacing.co.uk