BREEAM AP key terms

A third-party certification method that scores the environmental, social and economic performance of a building or infrastructure project against defined sustainability categories and benchmarks.

The overall outcome of an assessment, expressed as a percentage score translated into a band such as Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent or Outstanding for buildings, or equivalent bands for other schemes.

A single scored requirement within a BREEAM category that awards credits when its defined criteria are met and evidenced; issues are grouped under categories such as Energy or Health and Wellbeing.

The unit of achievement awarded when an assessment issue's criteria are satisfied; credits are multiplied by category weightings and summed to produce the overall percentage score.

The percentage importance assigned to each environmental category, adjusted by building type and scheme version, which determines how much each credit contributes to the final score.

The minimum percentage score a project must reach to achieve a given rating band; benchmarks vary by scheme, version and building type and are published in the technical manual.

Mandatory performance levels that must be met for specific issues before a particular rating band can be awarded, regardless of the total score achieved.

A licensed accredited professional who advises project teams on BREEAM strategy, facilitates early-stage sustainability workshops and helps ensure evidence is planned and gathered efficiently through design and construction.

An early-stage review that estimates the likely score and rating by comparing the proposed design against each assessment issue, identifying targets, risks and evidence needs before formal assessment.

Documented proof, such as drawings, specifications, calculations, certificates or reports, that demonstrates compliance with an assessment issue's criteria and is retained for verification by the assessor and certification body.

A licensed individual employed to carry out the formal BREEAM assessment, review submitted evidence, determine credits and compile the assessment report for certification.

The internal and external checks applied to an assessment, including assessor review and certification body audit, to confirm that credits awarded are supported by adequate evidence.

A certificate issued at a defined design or construction stage confirming the rating achievable on the evidence available at that point, before the final as-built certification.

The certificate issued after construction completion and post-completion review, confirming the BREEAM rating achieved by the building as actually built and operated.

The assessment phase after practical completion in which as-built evidence, commissioning results and building user information are reviewed to finalise credits and the certified rating.

The structured process of testing and adjusting building systems so they perform as designed, with results documented as evidence for relevant BREEAM energy and management issues.

Testing of building services under different seasonal load conditions, typically within the first year of operation, to verify performance and identify adjustments needed for efficient operation.

A metric comparing a building's predicted or actual energy performance against a benchmark for its type, used within energy issues to scale credits by improvement over the baseline.

A scheme for assessing the sustainability performance of existing buildings in operation, structured around asset performance, building management and occupier management parts.

The BREEAM In-Use part that evaluates the inherent characteristics and installed systems of the building itself, such as fabric, services and location-related features, independent of how it is operated.

The BREEAM In-Use part assessing how the building is managed and operated by the landlord or facilities team, covering policies, metering, maintenance and operational controls.

The BREEAM In-Use part that evaluates the fit-out, practices and engagement of the occupying organisation, including energy use behaviour, procurement and workplace management.

A BREEAM scheme for projects that alter, extend or fit out existing buildings, with assessment scope split into building fabric, building services, local environment and interior fit-out parts.

The design and installation of internal partitions, finishes, services and fixtures within a building shell to suit an occupier's needs, assessed under the interior fit-out part of the refurbishment scheme.

Substantial alteration or upgrade of an existing building's fabric or services, assessed for improvements to performance and for retaining and reusing existing structure and materials.

A scheme for civil engineering and public realm projects that assesses sustainability across planning, design and construction stages, using a project-defined scope and bespoke performance targets.

The defined boundary of an infrastructure assessment, setting out which works, assets and life-cycle stages are included and therefore which issues and credits apply.

A project-specific measurable goal agreed for an infrastructure assessment issue, against which achieved outcomes are compared to determine credits.

A scheme for masterplanning large-scale developments, assessing the sustainability of the plan and its governance at the neighbourhood scale rather than of individual buildings.

The overarching spatial and phasing plan for a development, defining land uses, movement, density and open space, which forms the subject of a BREEAM Communities assessment.

Structured involvement of local residents and stakeholders in shaping a development through consultation, feedback and governance arrangements, assessed as a social sustainability issue in communities and infrastructure schemes.

A technique quantifying environmental impacts of materials and systems across extraction, manufacture, use and end of life, used as evidence for whole-life carbon and responsible sourcing issues.

The greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting, manufacturing, transporting, installing and eventually disposing of building materials and components, distinct from operational emissions.

Procuring materials through supply chains that demonstrate ethical, environmental and legal compliance, typically evidenced by recognised certification schemes for timber, aggregates and other products.

A published environmental rating for building specifications and materials, used within BREEAM issues to reward element specifications that achieve higher ratings.

A non-technical document provided to occupants explaining how the building and its systems operate, including controls, metering and sustainability features, required under management-related issues.

A process aligning design, construction and aftercare so the building performs as intended in early operation, involving user engagement, commissioning and post-occupancy evaluation.

Structured review of a building in use, gathering occupant feedback and performance data to check whether design intentions were met and to inform future projects.

The formal process by which an independent body verifies an assessor's report and issues a certificate confirming the rating achieved against the applicable scheme and version.