Measuring Sustainability - buildings
Green Guide
Published by Building Research Establishment, the Green
Guide supports the Code for Sustainable Homes and BRE
Environmental Assessment Methodologies (BREEAM) such as BREEAM
Office and BREEAM Bespoke.
The LCA methodology that supports the Green Guide rating was
updated in 2007 and is based on a 60 year study period.
The Green Guide rating is only for the embodied impacts of the
material used in an element and not the occupancy of the building.
The benefits, such as thermal mass (link), of elements during this
part of the lifecycle is not considered.
BREEAM non-domestic
The BRE currently have BREEAM methodologies for the following
types of non-domestic buildings:
- Offices
- Shopping malls
- Light industrial buildings
- Schools
- Health buildings
- Heavy industrial buildings
- Sports facilities
- Crown courts
- Garden sheds and any other buildings under the BREEAM Bespoke
scheme
BREEAM assesses the performance of buildings in the following
areas:
- Management: overall management policy,
commissioning site management and procedural issues
- Energy use: operational energy and carbon
dioxide issues
- Health and well-being
- 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 Code for Sustainable Homes
The Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code) is a rating system
devised by the UK Government in close consultation with the
Building Research Establishment (BRE). It provides a national
standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes.
It is used to evaluate the environmental performance of new housing
and is intended to encourage market transformation towards
sustainable design.
The integration of elements of the voluntary Code into new homes
and obtaining assessments against the Code, developers can obtain a
'star rating' for any new home which complies with its
environmental performance. All new homes are required to be
assessed against the Code and it is a prerequisite of building
social housing.
The energy performance levels established in the Code will become
mandatory, rather than voluntary, for all new housing construction
based on the Governments projected timeline to zero carbon.
How does concrete help achieve Code Levels?
Using concrete can help increase the number of points awarded in
the Code system. Download a publication from The Concrete Centre
publication library on Concrete and The Code
for Sustainable Homes.
CEEQUAL
The Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment and
Awards Scheme (CEEQUAL) is a civil engineering equivalent to
BREEAM.
The overall objectives of the scheme are:
- To improve the environmental quality of civil engineering
projects by providing the incentive of an award scheme and
associated assessment methods.
- To provide a scheme that assesses what is built and how it is
built, normally at the end of design and construction.
- To deliver improved environmental performance in civil
engineering projects and thus improve the industry's image.
- To assist in achieving UK Government and Industry targets for
sustainable construction.
A summary of the key features of CEEQUAL:
- It is an award-based assessment scheme for the environmental
quality of civil engineering projects.
- It is an incentive for the industry to apply best environmental
practice.
- It acts as a potential benchmark against which expected
standards of environmental performance can be set.
- It is applicable to all types and sizes of civil engineering
projects.
- It is a voluntary award - not a legal requirement.
- It is not a competitive scheme, but an achievement scheme and
award.