Abstract
The aim of this paper is to review the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in terms of how adequately it addresses sustainability. To achieve the aim, a literature review and semi-structured interviews with BREEAM assessors were conducted. Relevant literature has been reviewed to establish the meaning behind the concept of sustainability and to compare BREEAM with other environmental assessments in the built environment. An in-depth review of BREEAM and sustainability was then carried out through a series of semi structured interviews with seven experts in the field. It is concluded that BREEAM is an efficient tool in establishing the environmental performance of buildings through design and procurement. However it does not address the concept of sustainability in its entirety choosing to focus more on the environmental aspects. Some inconsistencies in its methods were also observed.
Highlights
Construction in the UK is a significant industry with productivity worth over £100bn a year which accounts for 8% of GDP and provides employment for around 3 million workers [1]
All interviewees mentioned that the most popular rating aimed for is “very good” and that the rating which a developer sets out to achieve is usually achieved unless there are special circumstances. (A) emphasized that if a “very good” rating is set out to be achieved, the companies tend to aim for a score between 70 and 74% as they don’t want to invest any more money than what they have to. (G) stated that Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is just seen as a means to an end in terms of achieving funding rather than developing sustainable buildings
The construction industry has come under pressure to become more sustainable and environmental assessment methods have emerged in order to attempt to measure the sustainability of buildings
Summary
Construction in the UK is a significant industry with productivity worth over £100bn a year which accounts for 8% of GDP and provides employment for around 3 million workers [1]. Many buildings are environmentally inefficient and do not make best use of limited resources such as energy and water. The energy used in constructing, occupying and operating buildings represents approximately 50% of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK [3]. [4] described how carbon emissions have pushed global temperatures up by half a degree Celsius and if no action is taken figures will only rise. As a result of the Stern Review [4], the Government introduced the Climate Change Bill with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. The UK is committed to achieving the vision of becoming a world leader in sustainable construction by reducing its carbon footprint and its consumption of natural resources, while creating a safer and stronger industry by training and retraining a skilled and committed workforce [2]
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