Energy & Sustainability
A BREEAM Pre-Assessment is the first stage of the BREEAM assessment process. BREEAM is an internationally recognised standard for best practice in sustainable design. BREEAM assessments provide a benchmark across 51 sustainability issues, resulting in certification from Pass to Outstanding.
BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment Assessment Method — the world's leading environmental method for rating the sustainability of buildings. BREEAM uses recognised measures of performance to evaluate a building's specification, design, construction and use.
A BREEAM Pre-Assessment is the first and most important step in the process. It establishes the potential rating your development can achieve and identifies the most efficient pathway to success.
At this stage, we review the project in detail, assessing site constraints, design proposals, and available opportunities to target achievable credits. This allows the design team to make informed decisions early, reducing risk and avoiding costly redesign later in the project.
By engaging a BREEAM Assessor at an early stage, projects can maximise available credits and align the design with BREEAM requirements from the outset, significantly improving the likelihood of achieving the desired rating.
Following the pre-assessment, the Design Stage submission formalises the strategy and demonstrates that the proposed design meets the targeted BREEAM rating.
This stage involves the coordination and collation of evidence across all BREEAM categories, ensuring that design intent is fully aligned with the required credits. These categories include areas such as energy performance, occupant wellbeing, transport accessibility, water efficiency, materials selection, and ecological impact.
We work closely with the full design team to integrate BREEAM requirements into the project, advising on specifications, calculations, and design decisions needed to secure credits. This includes supporting documentation such as energy modelling, daylight analysis, water calculations, and sustainability strategies.
Once complete, the Design Stage assessment is submitted for review, resulting in an interim BREEAM certificate. This provides confidence to planners, clients, and stakeholders that the development is on track to meet its sustainability targets.
The Post-Construction Stage verifies that the building has been delivered in accordance with the approved design and BREEAM requirements.
At this stage, evidence is gathered from the construction process, including site records, commissioning data, material specifications, and as-built information. The focus is on demonstrating that the sustainability measures proposed at design stage have been correctly implemented on site.
We liaise with contractors and project teams to collect and review all required evidence, ensuring compliance is maintained and any risks to the final rating are identified and resolved. This stage is critical, as discrepancies between design intent and construction delivery can impact the final certification outcome.
BREEAM certification is the final stage of the process and provides independent verification of a building’s sustainability performance.
Following submission of the Post-Construction assessment, the project undergoes a quality assurance audit by BRE Global, an independent certification body. This ensures that the assessment has been carried out correctly and meets the required standards.
Once approved, the building is awarded its final BREEAM rating, ranging from Pass through to Outstanding. This certification serves as a recognised mark of quality, demonstrating that the development meets high environmental standards and delivers long-term value.
A certified BREEAM rating enhances asset value, supports ESG reporting, and provides assurance to investors, occupiers, and stakeholders regarding the sustainability performance of the building.