BRE Green Building Rating Scheme

What is this programme?

BREEAM is a rating programme linked to BRE (Building Research Establishment); the details of the BRE Global/UKAS relationship do not appear on the page. Consistent with LEED, it is a points-based rating awarded to the project or asset, not the organisation. The programme comprises separate schemes — New Construction, In-Use, Refurbishment and Fit-Out, Infrastructure and Communities — and assessments are carried out by trained assessors, whose training runs through BRE Academy. Whether assessors are additionally subject to a formal licence was not fully established in the primary source.

Who is it for?

Investors, developers and design teams running new build, in-use, refurbishment/fit-out, infrastructure or community-scale projects.

Who issues the certificate?

The assessment is carried out not by BRE itself but by assessors trained through BRE Academy. Whether assessors are additionally subject to a formal licence was not fully established in the primary source.

What to verify before you accept it

Establish which BREEAM scheme applies (New Construction, In-Use, Refurbishment and Fit-Out, Infrastructure, Communities), the assessor's BRE Academy training status, and the scope of the BRE Global/UKAS relationship — separately; the last two were not fully confirmed in the primary source.

What triggers an assessment?

• There is a new build, in-use assessment, refurbishment/fit-out or infrastructure project.
• Financing or an ESG target requires a points-based green building rating.

What does it not replace?

• It is not the same programme as LEED; it has a separate scheme owner (BRE) and a separate assessor model.
• It is not a corporate ISO certificate and is not to be confused with ISO 14001; it is a rating awarded to the project or asset.