ABSTRACT
There are numerous tools for assessing the environmental performance of new building projects, many of which, such as the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), have also been used to assess major refurbishments. Most cover the core impacts under headings such as Energy/CO2 Emissions, Water, Materials, Waste, Pollution, Health & Wellbeing, Transport and Ecology. The residential schemes, such as the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) and BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment, deal with transport issues indirectly, by including provision for cyclists and home offices within the Energy criteria. The assessment schemes developed by BRE mostly require a formal assessment carried out by a qualified assessor with a rating determined by rewarding scores for estimated performance against a series of criteria compared either against legislative requirements or best practice. Scores are weighted according to the importance assigned by BRE to the individual issue, and a total percentage is calculated, which is converted to a rating from Unclassified to Outstanding, via Pass, Good, Very Good and Excellent.
