BREEAM New Construction

Project optimization with an emphasis on sustainable materials, energy and water, including simulations to achieve an Excellent or Outstanding rating.

Energy modelling, daylight analysis and thermal simulations to help meet criteria without additional investment.

Document management, communication with the certification body and ensuring compliance with European standards.

Training for your team and plans for building sustainability of the building after certification.

Certification brings better energy efficiency, lower operating costs, higher indoor environmental quality and environmental responsibility. It increases the prestige of the building and its market value, which can be decisive for investors and users.

The BREEAM process begins with an analysis of achievable certification levels, cost calculations, goal setting, project registration, and the conducting of simulations, studies, and assessments, including assigning tasks to the project team and checking documentation. Subsequently, a pre-certificate application is submitted, communication with the authority takes place, and during construction, manuals are processed, compliance with requirements is monitored, and documentation, including translations, is collected. Finally, the final certificate is issued, with overall coordination by a consultant such as SALVIS.The advice is to start as soon as possible to minimize costs and maximize the level.

Both systems have their advantages, are mature, well-established and recognised. If the client has no preference and asks us to guide them, we steer them towards LEED in the case of office buildings that are not designed for a specific client. For residential and industrial buildings, as well as buildings that the investor is constructing for a known user, we tend to recommend BREEAM. For more information, visit our website Differences between BREEAM and LEED.

The length of the process depends on the stage at which certification begins. It is most effective to involve us in the early stages of the project. The entire process can take several months, from analysing options and developing strategies to the final audit and issuance of the certificate.

The sooner you start planning for certification, the better. Early involvement allows you to take the necessary measures with minimal additional costs and achieve a higher level of certification.

The cost of BREEAM certification depends on several factors, such as the level of certification, the time involved in the project, the experience of the consultant and team, and the availability of “no cost” points from the building’s location. For the Excellent level or lower, they represent a 0-1% increase in total construction costs, while for Outstanding it can be 0-10%, with early involvement of an experienced consultant minimizing costs to 0-2%, but late involvement can increase them to 0-10% or lead to a lower level of certification. The total costs cannot be fully generalized, as they depend on the baseline standard of each building, and the more committed the team, the lower the expenses.

The process is led by an experienced team of experts with BREEAM International Assessor, BREEAM AP and other accreditations. SALVIS oversees the entire process, from planning and implementation to communication with certification bodies.

BREEAM certificates have five basic levels: Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding. Each represents a different level of compliance with sustainability criteria.

For all — office, residential, industrial and commercial.

Yes, BREEAM can also be applied to existing buildings through BREEAM In-Use.