Green Building Council demands more clarity on BREEAM

The UK Green Building Council is calling for greater clarity on how products are assessed in the BRE’s Green Guide to Specification as well as the sharing of energy performance data for buildings rated under the BREEAM system.

In June the council consulted its members on the future direction of BREEAM, which is due to be updated next year. The recommendations include publicly sharing performance data from BREEAM-rated buildings and integrating operational performance into building certification to overcome discrepancies between design-stage energy calculations and actual energy use.

The trade body also calls on BRE Global, which runs the scheme, to focus more on the responsible sourcing and embodied impacts of materials, and to offer greater transparency on the data and life-cycle models behind the Green Guide.

Other recommendations put forward for BREEAM include the creation of a scheme specific for refurbishments and fit outs, as well as a move towards giving buildings a specific numerical score rather than banding them.

Martin Townsend, director of BREEAM at BRE, said: “It is essential to engage with the industry and our stakeholders to ensure we develop and adapt BREEAM to respond to the market priorities, not just here in the UK, but also in other countries that we operate. The UK Green Building Council workshop was an important opportunity for me and the team to hear first hand the changes we need to make on a wide range of issues and importantly the pace stakeholders want to see these happen.”

BRE Global will now review the findings of the council’s report and decide which suggestions will be adopted.