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BREAM

Created by the Building Research Establishment Ltd (BRE), BREEAM is the most widely used Environmental Assessment Method for buildings. It sets the standards for best practice in sustainable development and demonstrates a level of achievement (PASS, GOOD, VERY GOOD or EXCELLENT). BREEAM certification is undertaken by licensed assessors and covers the following areas of environmental performance: Management: overall management policy, commissioning site management and procedural issues Energy use: operational energy and carbon dioxide issues Health and wellbeing Pollution: air and water pollution issues Transport: transport-related CO2 and location-related factors Land use: greenfield and brownfield sites Ecology: ecological value conservation and enhancement of the site Materials: environmental implication of building materials Water: consumption and water efficiency The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a set of standards for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. To earn LEED certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks (‘credits') within a set of performance categories.

Related terms:

• Adaptive buildings
• Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH)
• Construction Waste
• Design for the environment (DfE)
• Green roof (or eco-roof or living roof)
• Recycled water
• Secured by design (SBD)
• Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
• Social Inclusion
• Sustainable Sourcing
• Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS )