BREEAM Criteria

BREEAM Existing building (commercial use)

There are various international BREEAM certification systems for new and existing buildings. The following information relates to the BREEAM Existing Buildings and BREEAM In Use certification systems. The criteria for certification in the New Buildings system can be found here.

What awards are there in the BREEAM portfolio certification?

There are 6 different levels of excellence in the BREEAM portfolio certification, which are awarded depending on the degree of fulfillment:

not classified	–
Acceptable (≥10 % to <25 %)	★
Satisfactory (≥25 % to <40 %)	★★
Good (≥40 % to <55 %)	★★★
Very good (≥55 % to <70 %)	★★★★
Excellent (≥70 % to <85 %)	★★★★★
Outstanding (at least 85 %)	★★★★★★

The Acceptable level of excellence is only awarded in the BREEAM Stock certification. This rating stands for a performance that meets the minimum standards. TÜV SÜD DIFNI is responsible for awarding the certificates in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

How does the BREEAM assessment work?

A so-called “balanced scorecard” approach is also used for the assessment and classification in the BREEAM portfolio certification. This means that missing points in one area can be compensated for by achieving a higher number of points in another area. However, depending on the award level to be achieved, there are minimum requirements in core areas that must be met and cannot be compensated for by shifting points. This approach is applicable to various asset classes, including commercial use.

Do all evaluation categories have the same importance?

With BREEAM certification of existing buildings, the quality of the building and the quality of building operation can be certified separately.

Additional points are awarded in a special category for exemplary performance. For each point, the overall rating of the building is increased by 1%. A maximum of 10 points are awarded for the first part and a maximum of 9 points for the second.

BREEAM Portfolio: Overview of categories and criteria

The BREEAM DE/AT/CH portfolio assessment process is divided into two parts, which can be certified independently of each other:

Part 1: Quality of the building A measure of a building’s performance that can be used to highlight both best practice and potential improvements.

Part 2: Quality of building operation Evaluation standard for the management processes used in a building, which can be used to identify both best practices and potential for optimizing building operations.

If both parts are certified, the assessment is based on approximately 180 questions.

Part 1 – Quality of the building

Health and well-being (Hea)

• Hea 01 Daylight
• Hea 02 Protection against glare from sunlight
• Hea 03 Indoor and outdoor lighting
• Hea 04 Lighting control
• Hea 05 Minimizing the flickering of lighting systems
• Hea 06 Outlook
• Hea 07 Regulatory comfort
• Hea 08 Air inlets and outlets of the ventilation system
• Hea 09 Carbon dioxide warning system
• Hea 10 Carbon monoxide alarm system
• Hea 11 Provision of rest areas
• Hea 12 Accessibility
• Hea 13 Drinking water supply

Energy (Ene)

• Ene 01 Building services
• Ene 02 Proportion of mechanical ventilation
• Ene 03 Quality of the building envelope
• Ene 04 Air permeability of the building envelope
• Ene 05 Cooling
• Ene 06 Heating
• Ene 07 Interior lighting
• Ene 08 Ventilation
• Ene 09 Hot water
• Ene 10 Load management
• Ene 11 Installed regulation options
• Ene 12 Evaluation of local building energy performance
• Ene 13 solar modules (photovoltaic modules)
• Ene 14 Solar thermal collectors
• Ene 15 Monitoring energy consumption values
• Ene 16 Monitoring of rented areas
• Ene 17 Outdoor lighting
• Ene 18 Energy-efficient transportation systems

Transportation (Tra)

• Tra 01 Alternative means of transportation
• Tra 02 Proximity to public transportation
• Tra 03 Proximity to supply applications
• Tra 04 Safety of pedestrians and cyclists

Water (Wat)

• Wat 01 Water monitoring
• Wat 02 Water-saving equipment: Toilets
• Wat 03 Water-saving equipment: Urinals
• Wat 04 Water-saving fittings: washbasin taps
• Wat 05 Water-saving equipment: showers
• Wat 06 Water-saving equipment: Household appliances
• Wat 07 Leakage detection system
• Wat 08 Prevention of leaks
• Wat 09 Shut-off valves
• Wat 10 Reduction in drinking water consumption

Materials (Rsc)

• Rsc 01 Inventory
• Rsc 02 Reuse and recycling facilities
• Rsc 03 Resource catalog
• Rsc 04 Future adjustments

Resilience (Rsl)

• Rsl 01 Flood risk
• Rsl 02 Reduction of the impact of surface water runoff
• Rsl 03 Assessment of the risk of natural hazards
• Rsl 04 Durability and resistance
• Rsl 05 Alarm systems

Soil and ecology (Lue)

• Lue 01 Green spaces
• Lue 02 Ecological characteristics of green spaces

Emissions (pole)

• Pol 01 Minimizing the pollution of watercourses
• Pole 02 Storage of chemicals
• Pole 03 Local air quality
• Pole 04 Global warming potential of refrigerants
• Pol 05 System for detecting refrigerant leaks

Part 2 – Quality of building operation

Management (Man)

• Man 01 Building and user manual
• Man 02 Management commitment and communication
• Man 03 Maintenance policies and procedures
• Man 04 Environmental guidelines and protection measures
• Man 05 Green lease

Health and well-being (Hea)

• Hea 14 Thermal comfort
• Hea 15 Non-smoker protection
• Hea 16 Indoor air quality
• Hea 17 Acoustic comfort
• Hea 18 Minimizing the risk of legionella
• Hea 19 Drinking water supply

Energy (Ene)

• Ene 19 Energy consumption
• Ene 20 Carbon intensive district heating and cooling
• Ene 21 Renewable power generation
• Ene 22 Energy assessment
• Ene 23 Energy consumption message
• Ene 24 Reduction of CO2 emissions

Water (Wat)

• Wat 11 Water consumption
• Wat 12 Water recycling
• Wat 13 Water consumption report
• Wat 14 Water strategy

Materials (Rsc)

• Rsc 05 Sustainable procurement
• Rsc 06 Optimization of reuse and recycling of resources

Resilience (Rsl)

• Rsl 06 Emergency plan and climate-related risks
• Rsl 07 Risks and opportunities of a climate-related transition process
• Rsl 08 Social risks and opportunities
• Rsl 09 Fire protection management
• Rsl 10 Safety recommendations

Soil and ecology (Lue)

• Lue 03 Ecological expertise
• Lue 04 Action plan for the protection of biodiversity

Emissions (pole)

• Pole 06 Reduction of night-time light pollution
• Pol 07 Inspection of facilities for the protection of watercourses
• Pole 08 Refrigerant replacement
• Pole 09 Reduction of soil contamination
• Pole 10 Response to pollution incidents

BREEAM portfolio certification

Portfolio certification according to BREEAM In Use offers you the opportunity to improve portfolio performance in the long term by implementing sustainability criteria, increasing the energy efficiency of your properties and reducing operating costs. This increases the sustainability of the entire portfolio and contributes to the creation of a sustainable building stock. If you would like to find out more about our services relating to BREEAM certification, click on the criteria highlighted in blue to access a detailed description. Of course, we are also happy to answer individual questions.