NBS and BREEAM

NBS Building, NBS Landscape and NBS Engineering Services have been updated significantly during Updates 2009-3 and 2010-1 and now include extensive guidance on the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM); in particular, how the use of certain products and particular systems or issues connected with the management of the project can influence the award of credits.

While BREEAM is by no means the only environmental assessment method available –Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) from the US, and Green Star from Australia being two other well known – it is the most widely used within the UK. The introduction of BREEAM International for assessment of buildings in Europe and the Gulf, and BREEAM Bespoke International for assessment of buildings outside the UK and outside the scope of BREEAM International schemes, mean it is becoming increasingly popular worldwide.

BREEAM can be used on a variety of 'standard' building types, including:

• Education/ higher education
• Retail
• Offices
• Healthcare
• Industrial
• Courts
• Prisons
• Multi residential.

A freely available assessor manual relating to each of the above mentioned building types is available on the BREEAM website.

Further BREEAM schemes are available which can be used on other building types not covered by the 'standard' BREEAM schemes, although, perhaps because of the nature of these types of buildings, assessor manuals are not publicly available. Similarly, at the time of writing, assessor manuals relating to non-UK buildings, i.e. BREEAM Gulf and Bespoke International, are not publicly available.

Each BREEAM scheme covers ten categories of sustainability including:

• Management
• Health and wellbeing
• Energy
• Transport
• Water
• Materials
• Waste
• Land use and ecology
• Pollution
• Innovation.

Within each of the ten categories there are a number of issues which define performance targets and assessment criteria, each aimed at mitigating the impact of a new or refurbished building on the environment. When the targets and assessment criteria are met, credits can be awarded.

The overall BREEAM rating for any particular scheme type not only requires a minimum number of credits to be achieved but also requires that certain mandatory issues achieve the award of a credit. For example, under the Management category, issue Man 1 - Commissioning, a credit award must be achieved to enable a PASS or higher rating to be given, whilst under the Energy category, a credit must be achieved relating to issue Ene 5 - Low or zero carbon technologies, in order to enable an EXCELLENT or OUTSTANDING rating to be given. Early involvement of a BREEAM Assessor offers the best opportunity of gaining the highest possible rating whilst the use of a BREEAM Accredited Professional (BREEAM AP) in itself gains additional credits.

The NBS approach

Extensive research was carried out with our customers to find out what changes to NBS content in relation to BREEAM would be useful. A number of themes came out of this research, specifically:

• Notes in the clause and general guidance relating to specific BREEAM issues
• Extending clause content to allow specification of materials containing recycled material, e.g. for plasterboard, insulation
• For performance specifications, include means of specifying minimum Green Guide ratings, e.g. for floor finishes, external walls, internal walls, windows, hard landscape and boundary protection.

Using the eight BREEAM Assessor Manuals, issues within each category were aligned to the RIBA Plan of Work stage at which point decisions must be considered in order to address the performance targets and assessment criteria. Specifiers must be aware that early consideration of BREEAM issues is essential to maximize the potential award of credits, which in turn determines the overall scheme rating.

Having identified the RIBA Plan of Work stage, each issue within the BREEAM categories (excluding Innovation) was aligned to the relevant NBS section, i.e. from where a specifier would be able to influence the selection of an individual product, or complete system. Whilst in some instances aligning issues to sections is relatively straightforward, there are a significant number of issues which have not been addressed; examples of these together with the reasoning are summarized below:

• Several issues fall outside the scope of NBS (e.g. the selection of the site, which influences the award of the credit dealing with reuse of land (LE 1) and whether or not the building is at risk of flooding (POL 5)
• Issues related to an aspect of design (rather than specification) including the provision of (or the deliberate omission of) a facility, e.g. recyclable waste storage (Wst 3), outdoor space (Hea 15), or maximum car parking capacity (Tra 6)
• A number of products and systems not currently dealt with in NBS (e.g. compactor/ baler products (Wst 4) and vehicle wash systems (Wat 7)
• Issues related to the specification of a selection of products, which when combined form a complete building element, e.g. materials specification - major building elements (Mat 1) which deals with Green Guide ratings for upper floor slabs, external and internal walls. Currently many of the materials which may be used in combination to form major building elements are specified form multiple work sections
• Issues related to the specification of common products which may be used for various functions, but are currently selected from various work sections dependant upon the purpose for use, e.g. insulation (Mat 6).

NBS Guidance

• Generally, the approach we have taken is that where BREEAM issues call for the use of a single product, guidance is adjacent to the particular clause, e.g. recycled aggregate (Wst 2) is specified in work section E10, clause 310
• Where a BREEAM issue allows a choice in product selection, we have added general guidance and cross referred to it from individual clauses, e.g. work section Q24 clauses 110, 112, 113, etc.
• Numerous BREEAM issues include detailed compliance criteria which require specification of products or methods of execution which are dealt with in separate clauses within a work section, or in clauses in more than one work section. Our approach here is to include general guidance and/ or clause guidance to suit each of the compliance criteria, e.g. sub metering of substantial energy uses (Ene 2) requires the use of meters to record the consumption of energy used by space heating, domestic hot water, humidification, cooling and fans (major). In this instance, meters may have to be specified in one or more work sections, dependant upon the source of fuel used, and in some case the layout of plant and equipment, e.g. if only electricity is used as a fuel, then a meter can be specified in work section V31. However, as the majority of buildings use a mix of fuels, it may be necessary to specify a gas meter using work section S40. In a building which is multi tenanted, or where units are fed from a common boiler plant, it may be necessary to specify a heat meter using work section Y11.

The following series of tables show each of the BREEAM issues, the RIBA Plan of Work stage at which consideration must be given to maximize the potential of achieving credits for the issue, and details of the NBS sections from which specifiers may wish to consider selecting products, systems, details of execution, etc. It is important to note that, as explained above, not every BREEAM issue is dealt with by NBS specification products, and some are only covered in part. So, specifiers must refer to the relevant BREEAM Assessor Manual.

Tables

1. Management

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