Sustainability

Question 1

What does BREEAM stand for?

Answer 1

Building Research Establishment, Environmental Assessment Method

Question 2

What is BREEAM?

Answer 2

A method of assessing a buildings sustainability credentials. Used in designing, constructing and in use operations of a building to give a BREEAM rating.

Question 3

What are the main BREEAM assessment headings?

Answer 3

Management 
Health & Wellbeing
Energy 
Transport 
Water 
Materials
Waste 
Land Use and Ecology 
Pollution 
Innovation

Question 4

How is BREEAM scored? what are the credits for each level?

Answer 4

Unclassified - Less than 30% 
Pass - 30%
Good - 45%
Very Good - 55%
Excellent - 70%
Outstanding - 85%

Question 5

What are the main pillars of sustainability?

Answer 5

Social
Economic
Environmental

Question 6

What do you understanding about the impact the construction industry is having on the planet?

Answer 6

Construction totals 49% of Carbon emissions every year for the UK

Question 7

What are the main aspects which contribute to the construction industry’s carbon emissions?

Answer 7

Embodied – Extraction, transport, manufacture etc (materials)

Operational – Heating, Cooling, Power (energy)

2 above are intrinsically linked if the grid is low carbon may be better to use less materials etc

Question 8

What other sustainability legislation are you aware of?

Answer 8

Paris agreement 2015 - declared a climate emergency

LETI (London Energy Transmission)
UKGBC
RIBA targets