Get BREEAM assessment and advice from the start of your project

For developers, businesses, schools and public bodies whose planning conditions, funders or tenants require a BREEAM rating. Compare quotes from licensed assessors who can set a realistic target early and manage the evidence.

BREEAM is a widely used method for assessing the sustainability of buildings, covering energy, water, materials, health and wellbeing, transport, ecology, pollution, waste and management. New non-residential buildings are rated from Pass to Outstanding, and a rating is often required by a planning condition, a public funder or an occupier. The assessment runs in stages: a pre-assessment to choose a target and the credits to aim for, a design stage assessment, and a post-construction assessment confirming what was actually built. Many credits depend on actions taken at particular moments, such as appointing an ecologist or running an energy study before the design is fixed, so bringing an assessor in late can make a target much harder to reach.

How a professional can help

• Pre-assessment and target setting: They review the project early, identify which credits are realistic and what they involve, and propose a target rating with a safety margin above any minimum you must achieve.
• Accredited professional advice: An accredited professional guides the design team through key decisions and keeps credits on track during design, and appointing one early can itself count towards the rating.
• Coordinating specialist studies: They identify the studies needed, such as ecology, energy modelling, daylight, acoustics, life cycle assessment and transport, and when each must happen to count.
• Design stage assessment: They collect evidence from the design team, submit the design stage assessment for quality checks and certification, and resolve any queries that come back.
• Post-construction assessment: They check the finished building against the design commitments, gather commissioning and site evidence, and submit the final assessment for certification.
• Planning condition paperwork: They provide the certificates and supporting letters needed to discharge BREEAM planning conditions, and keep track of when each stage of evidence is due.

Is this right for you?

• Your planning permission has a condition requiring a BREEAM rating for a new non-residential building.
• You’re planning offices, retail, industrial, education or healthcare buildings and funders or tenants expect certification.
• You’re about to start design and want to know which credits are realistic before key decisions are fixed.
• You’re refurbishing or fitting out an existing building and need an assessment under the refurbishment scheme.
• Your project’s assessment has stalled at design or post-construction stage and needs an assessor to take it on.

How the project usually runs

• Pre-assessment: At concept stage, the assessor reviews the brief and site with the client and design team, sets a target rating and allocates responsibility for each credit.
• Registration and early actions: The project is registered and time-critical actions are carried out, such as appointing an ecologist, consulting stakeholders, and running energy and life cycle studies.
• Design stage assessment: Evidence from drawings, specifications and reports is assessed against the scheme and submitted for quality checks, resulting in an interim certificate.
• Construction monitoring: During the build, site waste, energy and water use, responsible sourcing of materials and construction practices are recorded, so the evidence is ready for the final stage.
• Post-construction assessment: The completed building is inspected, commissioning and as-built evidence is checked, and the assessment is submitted for the final certificate.

What affects the cost

• The size, type and complexity of the building, and whether more than one building or unit is assessed.
• The target rating, as higher ratings need more credits, more evidence and more specialist input.
• The scheme used, such as new construction, refurbishment and fit-out, or in-use.
• How early the assessor is appointed, since a late appointment can mean lost credits and design changes.
• Whether accredited professional advice is included alongside the formal assessment.
• Which specialist studies are needed, and whether the design team already has them in hand.

BREEAM planning conditions and approvals

• Many councils set BREEAM targets for new non-residential buildings above a certain size, usually through a planning condition. Check your local plan and your decision notice.
• Conditions commonly ask for evidence at design stage and again after completion, with the deadlines set out in the decision notice.
• BREEAM doesn’t replace Building Regulations approval, which is still needed for energy, fire safety, accessibility and other requirements.
• BREEAM New Construction is mainly for non-residential buildings, and new houses and flats have a separate residential version, so check which scheme and version your condition names.

Questions people ask

What BREEAM ratings are there?

New non-residential buildings can be rated Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding, depending on the credits achieved and minimum standards met in certain categories. Planning conditions and funders often ask for a specific rating. Your assessor will usually aim above it, because credits can be lost during design and construction.

When should I appoint a BREEAM assessor?

As early as possible, ideally at concept design and before the planning application. Several credits depend on things done early, such as ecology surveys, stakeholder consultation or energy and life cycle studies. A late start can make some credits unavailable, force costly design changes or put the target out of reach.

What’s the difference between a BREEAM assessor and an accredited professional?

A licensed assessor carries out the formal assessment, checks the evidence and submits it for certification. An accredited professional advises the design team on how to achieve credits efficiently and keeps sustainability on track through design. Some people hold both qualifications, but the roles are distinct, and appointing an accredited professional early can count towards the rating.

Do new homes need a BREEAM assessment?

Not usually, unless a planning condition, funder or buyer asks for one. The main BREEAM New Construction scheme is for non-residential buildings, although some residential institutions, such as student accommodation or care homes, can be assessed under it. New houses and flats have a separate residential version of BREEAM, formerly the Home Quality Mark. Your planning conditions will say which scheme applies.

Can I get BREEAM for a refurbishment or fit-out?

Yes. There’s a separate scheme for the refurbishment and fit-out of existing non-domestic buildings, which assesses the parts of the building being worked on, and an in-use scheme for buildings already operating. Your assessor will confirm which scheme and version match your project.

What evidence will the design team need to provide?

Typically drawings, specifications, calculations and specialist reports at design stage, then commissioning records, site photographs, delivery notes, waste and energy records and as-built information after construction. The assessor sets out what’s needed for each credit, and keeping it organised throughout avoids a scramble at the end.

Available across the UK

Professionals cover the whole of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Planning and Building Regulations differ between the four nations, and your professional will work to the rules that apply where your property is.

• Get free quotes
• Commercial Architectural Services
• Ecology and Bat Surveys
• Discharge of Planning Conditions
• Energy Assessments
• Eco Homes and Sustainable Design
• Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
• Heat Pumps and Renewable Energy Design
• Overheating Assessments (Part O)
• Passivhaus Design
• Retrofit and Energy Upgrades
• Retrofit Coordination (PAS 2035)
• All services
• Find your area