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
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
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.
Information correct as of 4