The impact of Breeam on the design of buildings

Over the past few years, the Building Research Establishment environmental assessment method (Breeam) has increasingly been used for building projects in the UK. This presents design teams with numerous challenges, not the least of which is the need to manage and accommodate the Breeam requirements in their design. This paper examines the impact of the Breeam assessment process on the design of building projects in the UK using eight case studies. The main effects were found to be in the areas of building features, materials and water services. This impact varied from project to project depending on the building type, location, targeted/required Breeam rating, date of assessment and the assessor's role, as well as the team's knowledge of the assessment process. There were significant design changes in the cases aiming to achieve the highest Breeam rating. The results suggest in some cases that Breeam may limit design teams in their design by drawing their attention to achieving Breeam credits rather than the building in its entirety. For instance, Breeam tends to dictate design solutions rather than focusing on the intention – as an example, a designer may focus more on major leak detection than saving water. The paper also discusses potential incorporation of Breeam requirements into building regulations.