New Construction / UK / 2018 / 01 Management /

Man 04 - Commissioning and handover

Information correct as of 28thMarch 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.

Commissioning – Fume cupboards approved standards - KBCN0111

The following standards have been approved and can be used to demonstrate compliance with the commissioning credit for fume cupboards: - BS 7989:2001 - CLEAPPS G9 Fume Cupboards in Schools - Revision of DfEE Building Bulletin 88 - BS EN 14175-4

Commissioning – Monitor and specialist commissioning manager - KBCN00051

The commissioning monitor is typically a project team member who will monitor the systems commissioning and testing programme for the building. The individual may combine that role with that of the specialist commissioning manager to deal with complex systems if they have the necessary knowledge. However, if the building has several specialist systems it is unlikely that the same person would be able to carry out all of the commissioning and more than one specialist would most likely be required.

Commissioning – Role of Specialist commissioning manager - KBCN0604

The specialist commissioning manager for a complex system must be a specialist contractor and not a general sub-contractor. They must be on hand to independently verify the work carried out by whoever installs the system. In principle, it is possible for the specialist commissioning manager to be from the same organisation as the main contractor provided any conflicts of interest have been declared and records show how they have been managed to provide confidence that commissioning will be carried out appropriately. The separate roles of the main contractor and specialist commissioning manager are so that the installation and commissioning are carried out independently by different parties.

Erratum – Commissioning and handover – Shell only assessments - KBCN1591

There is an error in the assessment scope of Man 04 under Shell only. 'Ref 1.1' does not apply to Shell only assessments This will be corrected in the next re-issue

Erratum – up to v1.0 – issue overview icons - KBCN1070

Some icons in the recently published UKNC2018 technical manual indicate incorrect numbers of credits available by assessment type. The table below summarises the error and correction needed.
12-Oct-2022 - Title amended for clarity.
10-Aug-2018 - Technical manual updated. Only relevant to v1.0 of the manual.

Soft Landings Framework - KBCN1263

Embedding the principles of the Soft Landings Framework within a project can be used to demonstrate compliance with various aspects of the BREEAM criteria, particularly the Management issues.

Testing and inspecting building fabric – Untreated spaces - KBCN0972

Untreated spaces, which are not subject to compliance with statutory energy performance regulations, can be excluded from the scope of the 'Testing and inspecting building fabric/thermographic survey/air pressure testing' criteria.    

Testing and inspecting the building fabric credit - KBCN0649

The requirements for this credit are to ensure continuity of insulation, avoidance of thermal bridging and air leakage paths. How this is achieved is up to the judgement of the suitably qualified professional. The criteria are intended to afford the design team the opportunity to demonstrate that the above are met by whatever means are appropriate, which will generally be air-tightness testing and a thermographic survey. Should the suitably qualified professional advise alternative means, the assessor must be satisfied and be able to demonstrate that all the above requirements have been met. BREEAM seeks to be outcome-driven and does not, therefore, prescribe the specific testing methods to achieve the criteria in this Issue.  

Testing and inspecting the building fabric – Shell Only - KBCN0573

For Shell Only assessments with spaces which are intended to be treated post-assessment, imposing the requirement for a thermographic survey on a future user is not acceptable, as it may be difficult and unreasonable to expect them to remediate any defects revealed by the survey. Therefore the credit is still applicable even if building services have not yet been fitted. While we appreciate that it may be more challenging to achieve this credit for a shell only assessment compared to shell and core and fully fitted buildings, please note that the credits within the Management category do have a higher weighting for shell only assessments and there are also fewer credits applicable. Therefore each credit in the management category is worth more, as a percentage of the final score, than they are for shell and core / fully fitted buildings. This, therefore, helps to justify any potential additional burden felt by shell only assessments for this credit.

Thermographic survey – Seasonal constraints - KBCN00031

Where seasonal constraints prevent the thermographic survey from being completed prior to certification at the post construction stage, the requirements can be satisfied with: Thermographic surveys are designed to map the thermal efficiency of buildings and to detect areas where there are breaches in the thermal envelope. Surveys need to be conducted when temperature differences between the external areas of the building and surrounding air can be detected after the envelope is sealed. There may will be instances where the survey cannot be done before certification after the envelope is sealed and as such, the survey would take place after certification. 
Information correct as of 28thMarch 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.