Sustainability

Question 1

What does BREEAM stand for?

Answer 1

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

Question 2

What are the BREEAM credits?

Answer 2

• Energy
• Health and Wellbeing
• Land Use and Ecology
• Materials
• Management
• Pollution
• Transport
• Waste
• Water
• Innovation (extra 10%)

Question 3

What are the BREEAM scores?

Answer 3

>85% = Outstanding 
>70% = Excellent 
>55% = Very Good 
>45% = Good
>30% = Pass
<30% = Unclassified

Question 4

Which BREEAM standards are there?

Answer 4

• Communities
• Infrastructure
• New Construction
• In-Use (commercial)
• Refurbishment & Fit-Out (RFO)

Question 5

How do you get a BREEAM score?

Answer 5

1. Decide which BREEAM standard applies to project
2. Appoint licensed BREEAM assessor
3. Register project for assessment via assessor
4. Carry out pre-assessment with assessor
5. As project progresses collate all necessary info and give to assessor
6. Assessor reviews information to determine compliance
7. Assessor submits assessment to BREEAM for certification
8. Receive listed BREEAM certificate

Question 6

What is WELL?

Answer 6

• Sustainable building standard which places health and wellness at the centre of design and construction decisions via research, development and innovation for the built environment, produced by Delos LLC
• WELL v2 replaced WELL v1 in 2018: less USA-centric, more credits, easier accreditation, simpler
• Features: air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind, community, innovation
• As of 2016 it works in conjunction with BREEAM – previously the two were not aligned on some credits
• Certification: Silver, Gold or Platinum

Question 7

What is LEED?

Answer 7

• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design run by US Green Building Council from 2000
• Competitor to BREEAM – similar standard, covers design, construction operation and maintenance
• Separate systems for new buildings, existing, interiors, shell and core, homes, retail etc.
• Credits include sustainable sites, water, energy, materials, innovation
• Scores: Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum
• Documents approved via third party institute
• Latest version is LEED v4

Question 8

What is SKA?

Answer 8

An environmental assessment method, benchmark and standard for non-domestic fit-outs, led and owned by RICS
• Comprises >100 good practices covering energy, CO2 emissions, waste, water, materials, pollution, wellbeing and transport
• Example – when wooden floor is stripped out it should be sent to salvage yard and not landfill
• Formed in 2005 by interior construction company Skansen working with RICS and AECOM to establish measure for environmental impact of fit outs, taken over by RICS in 2009
• Score of either Bronze (25%), Silver (50%) or Gold (75%)
• Ska assessors found on RICS website, need to carry out assessment, certificate then issued

Question 9

Energy Performance Certificates

Answer 9

• Required when buildings are built, sold or rented, if they have a roof and walls and use energy to condition an indoor climate
• Buildings are rated from A to G on EPCs, with A representing a very efficient building and G a very inefficient building
• Valid for 10 years. They must be made available free of charge to prospective buyers or tenants
• Generated using the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM), or other Approved Dynamic Simulation Models

Question 10

Life Cycle Costing

Answer 10

• Economic cost of capital, operating and end-of-life costs for building components

Question 11

Whole Life Costing

Answer 11

• All costs associated with the life of a building, from inception to construction, operation and then demolition and disposal

Question 12

Scotland’s Green Recovery Plan

Answer 12

• Decarbonise some of Scotland’s most-emitting sectors, including energy, transport and buildings.
• Net Zero Carbon by 2045
• Invest at least £1.8bn in energy efficiency and renewable energy
• Commitments to deliver 110,000 new affordable homes by 2032

Question 13

COP26

Answer 13

• 26th United Nations Climate Change conference
• Over 140 countries pledged to reach net-zero emissions.
• More than 100 countries, including Brazil, pledged to reverse deforestation by 2030.
• More than 40 countries pledged to move away from coal.
• 4 countries with several banks and financial agencies pledged to stop international funding for “unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022”

Question 14

Glasgow Climate Pact

Answer 14

The pact is the first climate agreement explicitly planning to reduce unabated coal usage