CES offers the BREEAM certification of your buildings.Approved by the BRE for the following schemes, we havesubstantial experience of this international label:

  • BREEAM International Europe & Gulf
  • BREEAM Internation Bespoke
  • BREEAM Communities
  • BREEAM In Use

What is BREEAM?

BREEAM is the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, with 200,000 buildings with certified BREEAM assessment ratings and over a million registered for assessment since it was first launched in 1990.

BREEAM sets the standard for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation and has become one of the most comprehensive and widely recognised measures of a building's environmental performance. 

A BREEAM assessment uses recognised measures of performance, which are set against established benchmarks, to evaluate a building’s specification, design, construction and use. The measures used represent a broad range of categories and criteria from energy to ecology. They include aspects related to energy and water use, the internal environment (health and well-being), pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and management processes.

A Certificated BREEAM assessment is delivered by a licensed organisation, using assessors trained under a UKAS accredited competent person scheme, at various stages in a buildings life cycle. This provides clients, developers, designers and others with:

  • market recognition for low environmental impact buildings,
  • confidence that tried and tested environmental practice is incorporated in the building,
  • inspiration to find innovative solutions that minimise the environmental impact,
  • a benchmark that is higher than regulation,
  • a system to help reduce running costs, improve working and living environments,
  • a standard that demonstrates progress towards corporate and organisational environmental objectives.

BREEAM International Bespoke

BREEAM International Bespoke can be used to assess single developments anywhere in the world. The assessment method is used when the building function falls outside the scope of the BREEAM Europe Commercial scheme and the country-specific schemes operated by National Scheme Operators. BREEAM International Bespoke is an assessment method that can be used at the design, construction, initial occupation and refurbishment stages of a building’s lifecycle.

Benefits of using BREEAM International Bespoke;

  • It can be tailored to suit local circumstances,
  • Enables developers and designers to prove the environmental credentials of their building to planners and clients,
  • Enables a straightforward scoring system that is transparent and easy to understand,
  • Has a positive influence on the design, construction and management of buildings,
  • Sets and maintains a robust technical standard with rigorous quality assurance and certification.

BREEAM Communities

BREEAM Communities helps planners and developers to improve, measure and independently certify the sustainability of project proposals at the planning stage of the development process.

In the drive to improve the sustainability of our built environment, there is now a strong focus on communities - especially communities in which people can work, shop, learn and play near their homes, and not have to drive a long way from residential areas to distant business districts, shopping centres, schools and other facilities.

The importance of sustainable development is recognised by governments, planning authorities and developers alike, but steering development projects to actually deliver a coherent policy on sustainability that takes into account local targets is a complex business. To help local authorities, developers, planners and urban designers take account of the full range of issues that must be considered from the earliest stages of the development process, BRE Global created BREEAM Communities. It is designed to provide clear guidance and flexibility in its approach, yet is consistent and adaptable in its content. Use of the Assessment Method saves time and resources in the early stages when planners and developers want to determine what issues need to be addressed and provides solutions to their implementation downstream.

BREEAM In-Use

BREEAM In-Use is a scheme to help building managers reduce the running costs and improve the environmental performance of existing buildings. It consists of a standard, an easy-to-use assessment methodology and an independent certification process that provides a clear and credible route map to improving sustainability. Parts 1 and 2 of the BREEAM In-Use Certification Scheme are relevant to all non-domestic: commercial, industrial, retail and institutional buildings. Part 3 of the BREEAM In-Use certification scheme is currently restricted to offices.

The biggest opportunity to address the environmental impact lies in better management and improvement of the existing building stock. BREEAM In-Use has been developed to recognise and encourage better building management and targeted investment in existing building stock.

The environmental performance of an organisation's built assets is a key factor in its sustainability credentials and carbon footprint. Operating a building also represents a major cost - with soaring energy prices and an uncertain economic outlook, cutting energy, water, waste and other such costs can be a relatively easy way of improving profitability. BREEAM In-Use is designed to:

  • Reduce operational costs,
  • Enhance the value and marketability of property assets,
  • Provide a transparent platform for landlords, owners and tenants to identify and negotiate building improvements,
  • Provide a route to compliance with environmental legislation and standards, including energy labelling and ISO 14001,
  • Facilitate engagement with staff in the identification of productivity improvements and sustainable business practices,
  • Provide a vehicle to evaluate and improve Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),
  • Provide genuine evidence of sustainability and CSR.