BRE launches consultation for latest BREEAM update

Consultation for a new version of the BREEAM assessment, covering embodied carbon, has been launched today by the Building Research Establishment. The BRE said the “major update” – which will be the seventh iteration since the scheme was established in 1990 – will address the need to account for embodied carbon in performance assessments, helping building owners and developers to make more informed decisions about the materials and products they use to meet environmental targets. V7, as it is being dubbed, will be the first modular update across multiple BREEAM schemes, covering new construction, in-use, and refurbishment and fit out. The consultation, which will close on 30 June, will be used to gather views from the wider industry to ensure the new BREEAM assessment reflects the latest science in relation to net-zero carbon and developments in international regulation. BREEAM V7 intends to address whole-life carbon and will include measuring and reporting on operational carbon emissions as well as embodied carbon. BRE said it will prove a valuable tool for investors in assessing the climate risk of a building. BRE chief executive Gillian Charlesworth said: “We want to ensure that BREEAM reflects the latest developments in net-zero science and regulation to ensure users can drive sustainability projects beyond best practice, confident that their sustainability goals are being met. “Public consultations like these have proven an invaluable exercise in helping to develop BREEAM to users’ ambitions to reduce carbon in and from buildings. I urge all relevant stakeholders to take part.” To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews