01 - Management - BREEAM Knowledge Base

Assessor completing a site survey - KBCN0141

The BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment assessor can complete a site survey to identify whether there are any ecological features present. This needs to be based on evidence demonstrating the ecological features present, for example a building/site inspection report, photographic evidence, drawings or other detailed documentary evidence.

The BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment assessor is recognised as a member of the project team.

BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP) – Retrospectively applying AP status - KBCN0308

The AP status cannot be applied retrospectively. The purpose of using an AP on a project is that they can advise and steer the development from the outset to maximise its BREEAM and sustainability performance for the least cost/risk. If early AP appointment and involvement does not occur then the aims and criteria of this BREEAM issue are not being met.

BREEAM AP and BREEAM assessor – conflict of interest - KBCN0196

An individual can be appointed as a BREEAM/HQM Assessor and BREEAM AP/Sustainability Champion for the same project, where the Assessor also holds current and applicable AP/Sustainability Champion credentials. If this route is chosen, it must be made clear when submitting the assessment that both roles are being carried out by the same person and confirmed how potential conflicts of interest are identified and managed. This will mean, when appropriate, that the assessment can be escalated to a more detailed level of quality assurance checking.

BREEAM Certificate not available to include in Home User Guide - KBCN0315

If the BREEAM certificate has not been issued prior to occupation, information about how to obtain the certificate can be included in the Home User Guide. Ensures the occupant can obtain the certificate if required.

Change in main contractor - KBCN0645

In situations where the main contractor changes mid-project, for example where the original contractor goes into administration and is replaced by another main contractor, it is acceptable for the post-construction credits to be awarded based on the new contractor providing information on their activities. This is providing the project is yet to start on site. This is in effect assessing the issue using the Post Construction Assessment route instead of a Post Construction Review. However, if the project has already started on site and information about the site activities of the previous contractor is not available it would not be appropriate to award the credit solely based on the new contractor activities.

Changes to CCS – January 2022 - KBCN1500

UKNC2011, UKNC2014, RFO2014 and Domestic Refurbishment 2014 schemes: In response to the 2022 changes to the structure and scoring in the CCS, the adjusted points for credits are as follows for each of the three new sections (Community, Environment, and Workforce): One credit requires a minimum of 9 points per section and 27 overall. Two credits require a minimum of 11 points per section and 35 overall. Exemplary credit requires a minimum of 13 points per section and 39 overall. UKNC2018, UKNCV6 and HQM ONE schemes: No changes have been made to the criteria or the requirement to demonstrate compliance with items g, p and q for the exemplary credit. GN33 has been updated to demonstrate the mapping of the updated CCS to these schemes, see KBCN1215. For assessments not following CSS, the criteria remain unchanged. More information on the changes to the CCS scheme are outlined on the CCS website.

12-Apr-2023 - Updated to clarify the applicability of the new guidance.
28-Feb-2023 - Note updated to refer to the updated version of GN33.
29-Apr-2022 - Note added to clarify that this information supersedes the requirements in the technical manuals.
25-Mar-2022 - Updated to provide the new scoring requirements for BREEAM standards.

Considerate construction – corporate registration - KBCN0905

Where credits are awarded for the assessment of the site against a compliant scheme, corporate registration, which assesses the contractor's overall operations and performance across multiple sites, is not in itself recognised. To award considerate construction credits, BREEAM requires the assessment of the specific assessed development, in line with the criteria.

Design team meetings via conference call - KBCN0201

Design team meetings can be conducted via conference calls.

It can be difficult for design team members to be in the same place at the same time. Conference calls are a more sustainable way to conduct meetings.

Designing out crime officer (DOCO) - KBCN000005

As stated in the ‘Secured by Design (SBD) New Homes 2014 Application and Checklist’ form, the Crime Prevention Design Adviser (CPDA) or Architectural Liaison Officer (ALO) has been renamed to Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) therefore correspondence or a copy of the report/feedback from the DOCO is acceptable as evidence for this issue.

Ecological value – timing of planting - KBCN0479

Where the 18 month deadline for the completion of the planting is likely to be exceeded due to the timing or phasing of the construction, the project team will need to clearly justify the reason for this variation, and provide a written commitment to carry out the planting within a reasonable and justifiable timescale.

Enhancing ecological features without protecting existing features - KBCN0311

You may meet the criteria for ecological enhancement without meeting the criteria for protection of ecological features. This will achieve 1 exemplary credit. It may not be feasible to protect existing ecological features but still possible to enhance site ecology as part of the project.

Evidence requirements – responsible sourcing of materials at post-construction - KBCN1599

Whilst the UK BREEAM manuals are less prescriptive in the evidential requirements to allow flexibility, to ensure consistency across the schemes, it is expected that robust evidence should be provided to verify the source of any certified materials and how the assessor has confirmed the products and manufacturers used. Evidence supplied at post construction stage must reflect the completed building and confirm the responsibly sourced materials that have been procured and installed on the project. Supporting documentation is required to validate letters of confirmation or schedules of materials. Evidence provided could include proof of purchase, for example, invoices, delivery tickets, purchase orders or correspondence from suppliers. This may be an example for each material sourced, rather than every delivery ticket for instance. Alternatively, evidence of the use of the responsibly sourced materials may include as-built drawings, O&M documentation or site photographs.

Responsible construction practices – Multiple contractors on the same project - KBCN0352

It is the site that must comply with BREEAM issues rather than any individual contractor. Several different contractors may have obligations to meet compliance criteria. One of the contractors and/or site managers may have responsibility for ensuring compliance during site operations. It is ultimately the client/project team's responsibility to determine and demonstrate compliance.

Suitably Qualified Ecologist – Other recognised organisations - KBCN0192

With regards to the definition of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist, in addition to the organisations already listed within the manual, full members of the following organisations are also deemed SQE's;

Royal Society of Biology
Institute of Environmental Sciences

Provided the individual meets all other requirements as outlined in the definition of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE).

Thermographic survey – Standards for qualification of personnel - KBCN0689

Assessors can accept reports from thermographers who hold a suitable Infrared Thermographic Testing (TT) qualification under one of the following standards, depending on which one was current at the time of the thermographer's qualification:

ISO 18436-7:2008
ISO 9712:2012
ISO 18436-7:2014
ISO 6781-3:2015

13-Mar-2017 - Compliance note amended to allow the applicability of standards based on the time of the thermographer's qualification, rather than the BREEAM scheme version.
03-Nov-2021 - Above text added to issue 2.0 of the UK RFO 2014 technical manual. The text is still relevant to previous issues of the manual.
07-Mar-2023 - Updated title to clarify that this KBCN relates to standards for the qualification of personnel.

Domestic Refurbishment / 2014 /

01 - Management

Allocating AP credits - KBCN0200