Sustainable buildings, with lower CO2 emissions and greater respect for the environment, have become a priority. But how do you measure this? BREEAM® accreditation is a universal standard that assesses a building’s performance in as many as ten categories (water, quality of materials, energy savings, etc.). It can be obtained on a voluntary basis and provides many economic and ecological benefits. It has already been applied to almost 2,500 buildings in Spain.
What methodology is applied to the BREEAM® Certification?
The BREEAM® certificate (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology), founded in 1990 by the British agency BRE Global, measures a building’s level of environmental sustainability.
BREEAM® accreditation aims to promote more sustainable construction, resulting in savings and in health and environmental benefits for everyone involved in the life of a building (tenants, users, developers, owners, managers, etc.).
The accreditation process involves the assessment of pre-defined characteristics of buildings and looks at ten categories: management, health and well-being, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, ecological land use, pollution and innovation.
The scores obtained result in a rating. In the case of Be Casa Essential, our commitment has been acknowledged and we have achieved a “Very Good” rating for all our buildings, which are sustainable throughout their construction and use cycle.
Now it is time to learn more about each item of the BREEAM® accreditation standards that Spain values, in this case, adapted to the characteristics of Be Casa Essential:
1) Management: the implementation of good commissioning practices, construction management, and the Environmental Management System during construction.
2) Health and well-being: attention to the elements that have an impact on comfort and health, such as thermal comfort, natural and artificial lighting, air quality, noise.
3) Energy saving: reduced CO2 emissions, efficient lighting and facilities, and energy consumption monitoring.
4) Transport: easy access to public transport, electric car charging points, sustainable commuting, and green mobility. All buildings are located close to bus stops or to metro or train stations.
5) Water: use of water-efficient fittings and fixtures, flow reducers or other devices to optimise water use.
6) Materials: use of materials with a low environmental impact, plus responsible suppliers of raw materials.
7) Waste: efficient waste management, recycled products and storage spaces for recyclable and non-recyclable household waste.
8) Land use and ecology: conservation. Be Casa Essential considers the land on which it builds as a part of the planet, which must be protected and preserved.
9) Pollution: use of sustainable air conditioning systems that reduce pollution. In addition, our buildings minimise noise and light pollution.
10) Innovation: research to make buildings more sustainable, taking a non-conformist approach. It’s all about doing a little bit more.
BREEAM® certificate types
There is more than one BREEAM® certificate, but they all have something in common. The person who grants them is a licensed consultant of the company in Spain. These are the types that exist:
– BREEAM Town Planning: measures the sustainability of urban development projects in neighbourhoods or cities.
– BREEAM Home: assesses the sustainability of new, used and refurbished buildings, including single-family houses or blocks of flats.
– BREEAM New Construction: applicable to new (less than two years old) or planned non-residential buildings. It applies to offices, hotels, commercial premises…
– BREEAM Bespoke: includes unique buildings that cannot be assessed in the Home or New Construction categories (airport terminals, hospitals, football stadiums…).
– BREEAM In Use: assesses commercial or residential buildings that are more than two years old.
Benefits of BREEAM® accreditation
The benefits of BREEAM® certified sustainability are wide-ranging:
– Economic: reduction in energy consumption, water consumption and, therefore, maintenance and operating costs. All of this results in savings on your bills. In addition, providing high-quality properties increases their value and occupancy rate.
– Ecological: in addition to the reduction in energy consumption, lower CO2 and NOX emissions are achieved during the lifetime of the building. This results in greater environmental and health benefits for human beings by promoting environmental friendly habits, such as promoting the use of bicycles, better access to public transport, more efficient heating systems, promoting waste treatment and renewable energies.
– Improved community life: BREEAM® certified buildings significantly reduce noise and light pollution and improve quality of life. All of this leads to improved rest, greater harmony and contact with nature within the community.
– Increased social awareness: all this helps to promote greater social awareness regarding environmental sustainability and promotes healthier trends in tune with nature.
Be Casa Essential offers long-term rentals in new, sustainable and high-quality homes. For more information, please contact us.
