Planning for Sustainability

BREEAM is a UK benchmark to measure the sustainable design and construction of new and refurbished non-residential buildings. The family of BREEAM methodologies comprises a number of schemes dedicated to specific sectors and include methodologies for commercial development projects such as retail, offices and industrial buildings as well as a range of public sector building types including healthcare, education, courts and prisons and multiresidential use.

In addition BREEAM bespoke is available for buildings that fall outside the scope of the pre-defined assessment methodologies and a number of standards focussing on international developments exist.

Achieving a particular level of sustainable design and construction is increasingly a requirement that is put on new development, either through funding requirements or increasingly through local planning policies.

BREEAM Project Management

Achieving the more ambitious levels of the BREEAM methodology requires thorough consideration and careful planning. Early consideration greatly improves the potential of including sustainability measures in a cost effective manner. Planning for Sustainability assigns a BREEAM Accredited Professional to all BREEAM projects supporting planning and design teams delivering the sustainability commitments in an efficient and cost effective manner.

In order to maximize the benefits and cost-effectiveness of sustainability in the design process, consideration to this topic should be an integral part of the design process from its inception. Issues ranging from site selection to the specification of materials from sustainable sources and the management of construction all can contribute to the sustainability credentials of a development project. The late consideration of these issues lead more often than not to significantly higher implementation costs or project delays.

Planning for Sustainability provides a wide range of services supporting your project to achieve a high BREEAM rating efficiently. We are ideally suited to assist you with the development of a Project Sustainability Strategy, which forms an excellent basis to carry out a BREEAM pre-assessment as well as inform the level of commitment to sustainability the project will adopt.

Our BREEAM Accredited Professionals are well placed to support planning and design-led development proposals and are accustomed to working closely with planners and masterplanners. We believe that a close working relationship between client, town planners, designers and sustainability advisors is essential to deliver high standards of sustainability in a cost effective manner.

We would be delighted to discuss our approach and how it applies to your project in further detail. Please send us an email on paul.giesberg@planningforsustainability.co.uk or call on 01235 852778 to arrange an introductory meeting or a request for a proposal.