Green Building

BREEAM rewards performance above regulation which delivers environmental, higher comfort or health benefits. BREEAM awards points or "credits" and groups the environmental impacts into sections below:

• Energy: operational energy and carbon dioxide (CO₂)
• Management: management policy, commissioning, site management and procurement
• Health and Wellbeing: indoor and external issues (noise, light, air quality etc.)
• Transport: transport-related CO₂ and location-related factors
• Water: consumption and effiency inside and out
• Materials: embodied impacts of building materials, including lifecycle impacts like embodied carbon dioxide
• Waste: construction resource efficiency and operational waste management and minimisation
• Land Use: type of site and building footprint
• Pollution: external air and water pollutions
• Ecology: ecological value, conservation and enhancement of the site

BREEAM Rating

The total number of points or credits gained in each section is multiplied by an environmental weighting factor which takes into account the relative importance of each section. Section scores are then added together to produce a single overall score. Once the overall score for the building is know this is translated into a rating on a scale of:

Pass - Good - Very Good - Excellent - Outstanding

A star rating from 1 to 5 stars is also provided: *****

How Is BREEAM Used?

Clients, planners, development agencies, funders and developers use BREEAM to specify the sustainability performance of their buildings in a way that is quick, comprehensive, highly visible in the marketplace and provides a level of playing field.

Property owners and agents use it to promote the environmental credentials and benefits of a building to potential purchasers and tenants.

Design teams use it as a tool to improve their performance of their buildings and their own experience and knowledge of environmental aspects of sustainability.

Managers use it to reduce running costs, measure and improve the performance of buildings, empower staff, develop action plans and monitor and report performance at both single building and portfolio level.

Getting a BREEAM Assessment

Assessments are carried out by independent Assessors who are trained and licensed by BRE Global. The Assessor produces a report outlining the development's performance in each of the sections and overall score. Upon completion of the assessment, the client is presented with a certificate confirming the BREEAM rating.

The earlier an Assessor is involved in the design process, the easier it is to gain a high rating in the most of cost effective way.

To contact ERMS, a licenced BREEAM Assessor, please call +358 50 358 2570 or mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .