The BREEAM UK New Construction 2018 has gone live earlier this month. The update has been welcomed by sustainability experts for addressing the industry’s enduring performance gap between design and buildings in use.
BREEAM 2018 introduces a new credit requirement to undertake predicted operational energy consumption (POEC) modelling and analysis at both design and post-construction stages.
‘This change has the potential to deliver real energy and carbon emission savings by aligning predicted with operational benchmarks, rather than just relying on Part L regulated energy use predictions. This will have a profound effect on closing the performance gap,’ predicts Gary Clark, Head of Sustainability at Wilkinson Eyre and member of the RIBA Sustainable Futures Group.
‘Wilkinson Eyre has been advocating the use of CIBSE TM54 operational energy benchmarking for a couple of years. The inclusion within BREEAM will now make this more likely to be carried out, and will ensure that the focus is on operational outcomes rather than predicted Part L energy use.’
This new operational focus marks a shift for the BREEAM sustainability assessment tool towards measurement and verification, with less reliance on design assumptions, Clark points out.
‘Verification is the most important step forward for BREEAM. The main criticism of BREEAM is its checklist approach to incorporating supposedly green technology, which does not necessary mean a more sustainable outcome.
‘We have to start verifying performance to ensure that sustainability outcomes and targets have been achieved. This is very welcome and aligns with RIBA’s advocating of transparency of outcomes and BSRIA Soft Landings (post-occupancy evaluation) principles.’
BREEAM 2018 also looks set to provide a boost to life cycle cost analysis, for which the RICS recently unveiled its new methodology and the RIBA supported take-up with its complementary guide ‘Embodied and whole life carbon assessment for architects’.
The materials category now requires Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), with options to be developed and implemented to reduce environmental impact. Additional credits are available when LCA is also aligned with life cycle cost analysis.
Clark says this is another welcome step in the direction of greater transparency, though he warns that it has the potential to create the greatest amount of additional work for architects.
Transport is another stand-out among the changes. Transport credits have been totally restructured and projects now have to produce a travel plan and gain credits against the project’s accessibility starting point.
Clark suggests that while the new BREEAM appears to tighten up green travel plan policy, local planning guidelines are still likely to take precedence in practice.
Ecology credits have also been completely rewritten, with a new focus on understanding the baseline conditions of a site and providing tailored recommendations for optimal ecological solutions. The changes are streamlining a confusing set of credits in the previous BREEAM and providing an opportunity to go further than local planning guidelines.
One BREEAM management change that will almost certainly add to certification costs is the requirement for a BREEAM Advisory Professional (AP) – formerly the Sustainability Champion – to be appointed separately from the BREEAM Assessor.
While this division will help the BREEAM Assessor to maintain independence, it will be an additional cost factor for clients to weigh up when considering BREEAM for their projects.
Live projects already registered under the previous BREEAM 2014 can continue, but any project not yet registered will automatically be assessed under BREEAM 2018.
Projects already registered under the previous scheme must be completed by March 2023 when the BREEAM 2014 scheme officially expires, Engineers Hoare Lea advise.
Thanks to Gary Clark, Head of Sustainability, Wilkinson Eyre; and Tunde Agoro, Associate, Hoare Lea, for providing an overview of the key changes to BREEAM.
Text by Neal Morris. This is a Professional Feature edited by the RIBA Practice team. Send us your feedback and ideas
RIBA Core Curriculum Topic: Sustainable architecture.
As part of the flexible RIBA CPD programme, Professional Features count as microlearning. See further information on the updated RIBA CPD Core Curriculum and on fulfilling your CPD requirements as an RIBA Chartered Member.
Posted on 22 March 2018.
