BREEAM In-Use: Office Refurbishment and Assessment Scope
A 20,000 m² office building, built in 2005, is undergoing a major refurbishment. The owner wants to certify the building under BREEAM In-Use. The building has a mix of open-plan and cellular offices, and the refurbishment will replace the HVAC system, lighting, and some glazing. The building is currently 60% occupied, with tenants on separate leases. The owner plans to use BREEAM In-Use Part 1 (Asset Performance) and Part 2 (Building Management). However, the assessor notes that the building's energy data is only available for the common areas, not the tenant spaces, because tenants have their own meters. The owner argues that since the refurbishment is major, the building should be assessed under BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out instead. The project team is unsure which scheme applies and how to handle the energy data gap. The building is located in a city centre with a district heating network available, but not currently connected. The owner is considering connecting to the district heating as part of the refurbishment.
1. Which BREEAM scheme is most appropriate for this project: BREEAM In-Use or BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out? Justify your answer with reference to the scope and triggers for each scheme.
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BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out is designed for projects that involve significant refurbishment or fit-out of an existing building, where the scope includes alterations to the building fabric, services, or fit-out. BREEAM In-Use is for assessing the operational performance of existing buildings in use. In this case, the refurbishment is major (HVAC, lighting, glazing), which aligns with BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out. However, BREEAM In-Use can also be used if the building remains in operation during the works and the owner wants to certify the asset and management. The key trigger is that BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out is a design and construction scheme, while BREEAM In-Use is an operational scheme. Since the owner is planning a major refurbishment, BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out is more appropriate because it addresses the design and specification of the refurbishment. BREEAM In-Use Part 1 and Part 2 could be used after the refurbishment to assess ongoing performance, but the refurbishment itself should be certified under the Refurbishment and Fit-Out scheme. The assessor should advise the owner to use BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out for the works, and consider BREEAM In-Use for the operational phase post-refurbishment.
2. How should the assessor address the lack of tenant energy data for BREEAM In-Use, and what are the implications for the assessment?
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Under BREEAM In-Use, energy consumption data is required for the whole building to assess performance. If tenant data is unavailable, the assessor must document the gap and use estimation methods, such as benchmarks or sub-metering data, to approximate tenant consumption. However, this may reduce the reliability of the assessment and could affect the rating. The assessor should encourage the owner to install sub-meters or obtain data from tenants. For Part 1 (Asset Performance), the assessment focuses on the building's assets and management, not actual consumption, so the data gap may have less impact. For Part 2 (Building Management), actual consumption is more relevant. The assessor should follow BREEAM In-Use technical guidance on data collection, which allows for some flexibility if data is not available, but requires transparency. The owner should consider including a condition to improve metering as part of the refurbishment. The district heating connection could also be assessed under the energy category, but the data gap remains a challenge.