BREEAM guidance for UK project teams

BREEAM is BRE's sustainability assessment method for buildings and masterplans. Your project is assessed against the credit criteria of one scheme and version, weighted by category, and the resulting score determines the rating: Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding. This page is the map — each section links to the detail.

Which scheme applies to your project

• New Construction — new buildings, including shell and core.
• Refurbishment and Fit-Out — works to an existing building, assessed in parts.
• In-Use — operational existing buildings and their management.
• Communities — masterplans and large mixed-use development.

The credit categories

• Management — commissioning, handover, responsible construction.
• Health and Wellbeing — daylight, air quality, acoustics, thermal comfort.
• Energy — demand, efficiency, metering, low-carbon technology.
• Transport — accessibility, cycling provision, travel planning.
• Water — consumption, monitoring, leak detection and equipment efficiency.
• Materials — responsible sourcing, durability and life cycle impacts.
• Waste — construction waste, adaptation to climate change.
• Land Use and Ecology — site selection, ecological value and enhancement.
• Pollution — refrigerants, NOx, flood risk, light and noise.
• Innovation — exemplary performance and approved innovation credits.

How the rating is reached

Credits achieved in each category are converted into a category score, weighted, and totalled into a single percentage. Ratings also carry minimum standards: certain credits must be achieved at each rating level regardless of the overall score, which is why a high percentage alone does not guarantee Excellent or Outstanding.

The assessment stages and evidence

1. Pre-assessment — a credit-by-credit forecast before design freeze. See pre-assessment.
2. Registration — the licensed assessor registers the project with BRE.
3. Design stage — design evidence assessed and submitted; interim certificate where the scheme allows.
4. Post-construction — as-built evidence assessed and submitted for the final certificate.
5. Quality assurance — BRE reviews the submission and issues the certificate.

Costs, fees and value

Assessor fees and BRE's registration and certification fees are separate. What drives each is set out on BREEAM assessment cost. If you are comparing certification schemes, see BREEAM vs LEED and BREEAM and NABERS UK.

Want guidance specific to your project?

Tell us the building type, floor area and target rating and a licensed assessor will confirm the scheme, the realistic rating and the fee.

Book a BREEAM assessment or request a fixed-fee quote — we reply the same working day with the scheme, timeline and fee for your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does BREEAM stand for?

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. It is BRE's sustainability assessment method for buildings, infrastructure and masterplans.

What are the BREEAM rating levels?

Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding, with an Unclassified result below Pass. Each rating has both a score threshold and mandatory minimum standards.

Which BREEAM scheme do I need?

New Construction for new buildings, Refurbishment and Fit-Out for works to an existing building, In-Use for operational buildings, and Communities for masterplans. A licensed assessor confirms the scheme and version before registration.

Where does official BREEAM guidance come from?

BRE publishes the scheme technical manuals and issues technical queries and guidance notes. Your assessor applies the manual for your registered scheme version — earlier versions keep their own criteria.

Related BREEAM pages

• BREEAM assessment cost — what drives your fee
• BREEAM pre-assessment — score forecast before design freeze
• How to achieve BREEAM Excellent
• BREEAM glossary — schemes, categories and credit references