BREEAM categories

Page updated on: 09/07/2020

A summary of the issues covered by each of the ten categories is summarised below. Each issue seeks to mitigate the impact of a new or refurbished building on the environment by defining a performance target and assessment criteria that must be met to confirm the target has been achieved. Where a performance target has been achieved the number of available BREEAM credits can be awarded.

Category Assessment criteria
Management
  • Commissioning
  • Construction site impacts
  • Security
Health & Wellbeing
  • Daylight
  • Occupant thermal comfort
  • Acoustics
  • Indoor air and water quality
  • Lighting
Energy
  • CO2 emissions
  • Low or zero carbon technologies
  • Energy sub metering
  • Energy efficient building systems
Transport
  • Public transport network connectivity
  • Pedestrian and Cyclist facilities
  • Access to amenities
  • Travel plans and information
Water
  • Water consumption
  • Leak detection
  • Water re-use and recycling
Materials
  • Embodied life cycle impact of materials
  • Materials re-use
  • Responsible sourcing
  • Robustness
Waste
  • Construction waste
  • Recycled aggregates
  • Recycling facilities
Land use and ecology
  • Site selection
  • Protection of ecological features
  • Mitigation/enhancement of ecological value
Pollution
  • Refrigerant use and leakage
  • Flood risk
  • NOx emissions
  • Watercourse pollution
  • External light and noise pollution
 
Innovation
  • Exemplary performance levels
  • Use of BREEAM Accredited Professionals
  • New technologies and building processes

Education & Schools