00 - General - BREEAM Knowledge Base

Approved Equivalent Roles List (AERL) - KBCN1809

BREEAM International standards are unique because of their flexibility. For International projects, Assessors can submit roles to substitute those described in the Technical Manuals. Provided that such roles are equivalent to the BREEAM specified roles, BRE Global will approve them for use in a particular country or region. The Approved Equivalent Roles List is a record of all roles that BRE Global has approved to date. The list is periodically updated to reflect recent approvals or withdrawals. Using existing approved roles Where you are using an approved role, and not the role described in the criteria in the scheme Technical Manuals, a copy of the AERL should be included as part of your evidence submission for QA. AERL versions The version of the AERL that is current at the time of registration is the one that is used for assessment. Newer versions released after this can also be used, however older versions before the registration date cannot be used. For example: if the version current at registration was v3.0, then v3.0 (or any later versions) can be used, but v2.0 (or any earlier versions) cannot be used. Proposing new roles New roles cannot be proposed if they are not of equal competency to the BREEAM requirements. Only roles which are equivalent or more rigorous than the BREEAM default roles are considered. If you wish to propose a new role which you think is equivalent in your country or region:

Check what the role needs to cover by referring to the roles described in the scheme Technical Manual definition.
Complete BF2599 BREEAM Approved Equivalent Roles Application Form and send this to our Technical Team via the Query Webform, adding AERL into the subject field.

The information provided to us within this form must include:

the names of the proposed role(s)
confirmation of the scheme and issues the role should apply to
confirmation of the roles / competent persons you are referring to in the manual
a detailed explanation of how this work is conducted in your market and how it meets the same level of competency as the BREEAM requirements
documentation to support your explanation which is clearly marked for our ease of reference. If the documentation is not in English, translations of the relevant sections must be provided.

We will need a few weeks to review the information (please check with us for time scales). If there is missing information, or the information is not clearly referenced, this might take longer. If successful, we will send you a revised copy of the AERL which includes the new role, and will update this for future versions of the AERL.

Approved Standards and Weightings (ASWL) – Applicability to BREEAM INC V6 - KBCN1489

The International New Construction 2016 country weightings in the Approved Standards and Weightings List (ASWL) are applicable to International New Construction V6. This includes:

The country weightings
Approved country specific standards
BREEAM International 2016-Weightings Questionnaire

The latest version of the ASWL template must be used for newly registered assessments (see KBCN0910).

23 Mar 2022 - Updated to include additional information and align title with other content

Assessment tools – Applicability to BREEAM INC V6 - KBCN1503

The following offline (Excel) spread-sheet tools for BREEAM International New Construction 2016 remain applicable for assessments using BREEAM INC V6:

Tra 01 calculator
Wat 01 calculator
Mat 01 calculator
Mat 03 calculator
Pol 01 calculator

The referencing of these tools will be updated shortly, to confirm this.

Asset classification – co-living developments - KBCN1568

This guidance is intended as a general reference only. Each co-living development will include a different combination of residential accommodation and managed communal spaces. Assessors must apply professional judgement to determine the most appropriate asset classification. Typical characteristics of co-living developments Developments within these sectors typically include the following characteristics:

Institutional ownership and professional management Purpose built for rental as the primary function, rather than individual sale, and owned by a single entity with professional property management in place.
Self-contained, functional units Residential apartments with private kitchens and bathrooms.
Managed communal facilities Extensive shared amenities, such as fitness suites, co-working areas, communal terraces, and secure bicycle storage.
Flexible, long-term tenancy Tenancy agreements are generally designed for longer term occupation, typically six to twelve months.

Classification guidance The following classifications are recommended:

Assessment Type	Recommended Classification
International New Construction, International Refurbishment and Fit-Out and Refurbishment and Fit Out Commercial V7	Residential institutions- long term Stay*
BREEAM USA In Use (BIU)	Residential

*Assessors should also consider how the asset is classified under relevant local building regulations to support the interpretation of Residential Institution.

16 July 2026 - Applicability clarified and wording updated
17-June-2026 - Guidance revised and updated for clarity

ASWL: Approved Standards and Weightings List - KBCN0423

BREEAM International schemes are unique because of their flexibility. The Approved Standards and Weightings List is a record of all local codes and standards that BRE Global has approved to date. The list is periodically updated to reflect recent approvals or withdrawals. If stated in the manual, local best practice codes and standards can be submitted to BRE Global to substitute the standards described in the criteria in the scheme Technical Manuals. Provided that such standards are equivalent to the BREEAM specified standards, BRE Global will approve them for use in a particular country or region. Using existing approved standards A copy of the ASWL being used should be included in every evidence submission for QA. If the ASWL is being used without proposing any new standards, the ASWL can be submitted to QA at the same time as the rest of the evidence. It is important to notify QA of which standard (international or local) you are using for each issue. Default standards Where no appropriate local standard exists, international, European or UK standards can be used by default. UK standards can be found in the UK country tab. No technical query or permission is required. ASWL versions The version of the ASWL that is current at the time of registration is the one that is used for assessment. Newer versions released after this can also be used, however older versions before the registration date cannot be used. For example: if the version current at registration was v33.0, then v34.0 (or any later versions) can be used, but v32.0 (or any earlier versions) cannot be used. Standard versions Where a standard has been updated, it is not automatically added to the ASWL template as the scope of the standard may have changed. Please provide a copy of the relevant parts of the standard translated into English indicating where in the standard the requirements in the ASWL are met. Alternatively, if you have evidence demonstrating the scope of the standard has not changed, this is acceptable too for approval. Proposing new standards New standards cannot be proposed if they are easier to achieve than the BREEAM requirements. Only standards which are equivalent or more rigorous than the BREEAM default standards are considered. If you wish to propose a new standard which you think is more relevant to the assessment, or if an existing local standard has been replaced:

Check what the proposed standard needs to cover by referring to your country tab
Input the names of proposed standard(s) in the relevant column of your country tab. More than one standard can be proposed, if together, they cover our requirements.
Identify the relevant clauses in the standards that show how these standards meet our requirements, and make sure these are clearly marked so they are easy for us to check. If the standard is not in English, translations of the relevant clauses must be provided.
Send the standards and all of the supporting information to us via the ‘Assessor Queries’ section on BREEAM Projects for our review. We will need a few weeks to review the information (please check with us for time scales). If there is missing information, or the information is not clearly marked, we might take longer.

If successful, we will send you a revised copy of the ASWL which includes the new standard, and will update this for future versions of the ASWL.

18-Aug-2025 - Guidance under headings, 'Standard versions' and 'Proposing new standards' updated. Applied to INC V6.
05-Aug-2020 - Broken link to video removed and replaced with explanatory text
05-Jul-2017 - Link to video guidance added

Evidence: Photographs not permitted for security reasons - KBCN0389

Where photographs are not permitted during a post-construction site visit for security reasons, in addition to any alternative evidence requirements listed in the Schedule of Evidence for each issue, the assessor will also need to provide a detailed site inspection report and/or as-built drawings (where permitted by the client). If following this approach, full justification and documentary evidence from the client will be required for QA purposes.

Fit-out level – Selecting the appropriate assessment type - KBCN1627

Projects designed and constructed as fully fitted should not be evaluated as ‘Shell and core’ or ‘Shell-only’ where the intent is to limit the scope of the BREEAM assessment without further justification. Where the fit-out level of a project is not consistent, the BREEAM assessment type should be considered in line with KBCN0702

GN10 Assessing mixed use developments and multiple buildings (or units) of similar function - KBCN0623

Summary The purpose of this Guidance Note is to assist BREEAM assessors with scheme classifications and the application of BREEAM for mixed use developments and developments with multiple buildings or units on the same site. This guidance note was revised to v1.0 April 2018 Note, this guidance is applicable to BREEAM standards up to and including V6. For V7 standards, please refer to KBCN0717 View full Guidance Note (licensed assessors only) View all Guidance Notes (licensed assessors only)

16 Jul 2025 Applicability clarified and reference to KBCN0717 added.
04 Jun 2018 Note added regarding revision and hyperlink updated
17 Apr 2018 Wording clarified

Guidance Notes – Applicability to BREEAM INC V6 - KBCN1502

Some Guidance Notes that apply to BREEAM International New Construction 2016 (INC 2016) remain fully or partly applicable to assessments using BREEAM International New Construction Version 6 (INC V6): Fully applicable

Partly applicable

GN30 Scheme assessment timeline for BREEAM International New Construction 2016 – this remains applicable for all sections except Energy. We are likely to release a separate, updated scheme assessment timeline for INC V6 later this year.

Not applicable

GN25 Ene 01 calculation methodology for BREEAM International New Construction 2016 – this is not applicable to INC V6. The new Ene 01 calculation methodology for INC V6 is now described in GN48.

Knowledge Base – Applicability of INC 2016 KBCNs to INC V6 - KBCN1501

The transition from BREEAM International NC2016 to V6 includes a significant update to the Energy section of the technical manual, however most of the criteria in other categories remain unchanged. We are in the process of migrating KBCNs from NC2016 to V6 and adding new V6-specific content. In the meantime, assessors should consider that where the criteria have not changed in the transition, all relevant NC2016 KBCNs are valid for V6. If, having compared the criteria of both schemes, you are unsure whether a KBCN can be applied to V6, please contact us for clarification using the assessor webform.

Principal contractor or subcontractor no longer operational - KBCN0590

In situations where the principal contractor or other company involved in the project is no longer operational where, for example, the company has gone into administration, the assessor may be unable to obtain all the evidence to meet the requirements of BREEAM or HQM. For some BREEAM Issues, it may not be possible to demonstrate compliance retrospectively, and in such cases, the relevant credits must be withheld. However, in this situation, a lack of complete evidence will not, in itself, prevent the project from achieving a BREEAM rating and, where relevant, a prerequisite or minimum standard can be waived. For example:

INC NC V6 Man 03 Prerequisite - Legally harvested and traded timber or INC V6 Wst 03a – 1 credit to achieve an Excellent Rating

This is based on the project team demonstrating appropriate efforts to obtain the evidence from the company in administration and providing the following:

Evidence of the company going into administration
Evidence of compliance from the company in administration, where available
Evidence of compliance from the date a new company was engaged

28 Oct 2024 - Title and general approach updated. Applied to NC V6.

Time critical requirements – Concept / Technical Design stages - KBCN1711

The intent of the criteria relating to project stages in BREEAM is to ensure that actions are taken at a time when they can have the intended influence. Where projects are following these defined stages via a traditional procurement route, referring to the project programme and work stages are a robust and convenient way to demonstrate that the intent is met. However, not all projects will follow these work stages. In such cases, the project can show that the intent is met by demonstrating that, for the relevant BREEAM requirement, the activity has happened when the project is at an appropriate stage of development. Concept Design The project stage at which fundamental aspects of the design are developed.

What has happened already: the architectural concept is established.
What is in progress: the design is undergoing spatial coordination and design development for detailed planning approval.
- Detailed planning approval is an approval that covers all major aspects of the asset's external appearance and form. Typically this means the detailed massing, external materials, and site layout are confirmed.
- Achieving outline planning permission does not mean that the project has left Concept Design. An outline approval is an approval for architectural concept but with many of the above details still missing, and yet to be developed.

Technical Design Once a detailed planning application has been submitted, many aspects of the design will be fixed, and the project is at Technical Design stage.

What has happened already: full planning approval has been granted.
What is in progress: detailed spatial coordination and developed design information is being used to develop the information needed to construct the asset.

Depending on the procurement route, there may be an overlap between technical design and the construction phase of the works. Additional guidance Sometimes different aspects of the design might be at different project stages. KBCN1156 gives detailed guidance on how to define the project stage for each construction element, based on the design information available for that element. Although it was originally written specifically to address Mat 01 LCA for UK NC 2018 and V6, it may be useful in other situations.

New Construction / International / V6 /

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