Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) document updated

Four microgeneration product MCS documents and seven installer scheme documents were updated in December 2013. Read more

Award for off-grid farmhouse

An innovative 'off-grid' solution to living a greener lifestyle, based on the traditional Welsh longhouse, was awarded the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Wales Planning Award 2013 on 22 November. The Maes yr Onn off-grid farmhouse in South Wales has been developed by Caerphilly County Borough Council, BRE and SSE, and by the Davies family who live in the house and farm the surrounding hillside pastures of Manmoel. More …

The Co-op's new HQ achieves highest ever BREEAM score

Ahead of its official opening by Her Majesty The Queen on 14 November, the Co-operative Group’s new head office in Manchester has been awarded a BREEAM Outstanding score of over 95%. More ...

Mace uses SMARTWaste to optimise sustainability

International consultancy and construction company, Mace, has worked with BRE to develop a bespoke version of the SMARTWaste tool for monitoring, benchmarking and reporting waste. Called Optimise, it cost-effectively measures and reports the sustainability of Mace projects, including carbon emissions, water consumption, biodiversity and use of responsibly sourced materials. Optimise also enables Mace to report sustainability improvements to staff, contractors and clients. For information on bespoke solutions email smartwaste@bre.co.uk

10,000^th BRE Global certificated MCS product

BRE Global’s MCS team has now certificated over 10,000 products. This milestone was reached when a PV module (PV0148/399 from the TSxxxXBZ range) was certificated for India’s Tata Power Solar Systems Ltd. Part of the UKAS accredited MCS scheme since its inception in 2008, BRE Global offers product and installer certification services (and witness testing) for solar collectors, biomass, wind turbines, heat pumps, pitched roof installation kits and CHP. Tel 0333 321 8811 or email microgenproducts@bre.co.uk

EAC highlights risk to recent advances in sustainable house building

On 20 November the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) released its response to Government proposals for streamlining housing standards by winding down the Code for Sustainable Homes. The EAC concluded that the proposals put at risk recent significant advances in sustainable house building. More …

BREEAM leads the way for European sustainable building certification

BREEAM accounts for more than three quarters of all sustainable building certificates in Europe, according to an independent report published by RICS Germany. More ...

170% return on BREEAM Outstanding building

Middle East investor Hayaat Group recently sold The Green, a BREEAM Outstanding rated student accommodation building in Bradford, for more than £40 million. Hayaat reports a 170% return on investment over the two years of ownership, far exceeding initial expectations. The Group also reports the building has consumed 25% less energy than similar accommodation in the UK. More …

Radio 4 discusses future homes at BRE

BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours has recently included live discussions from BRE Watford as part of its Future Homes feature. The latest technologies in the newly upgraded BRE Smart Home (formerly the Integer House) pictured right, and the innovative glazing and insulation of the refurbished Victorian Terrace were among the issues featured. Listen to the discussions here.

Energy minister presents BREEAM certificates in Shanghai

Two new tower buildings that are part of a Shanghai International Shipping Service Centre (SISSC) flagship marina development, have used BREEAM to demonstrate best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation. The BREEAM certificates were presented on 25 September by UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey at an event in Shanghai, as part of a UK-China trade visit. More …

Gavin Dunn appointed Director of BREEAM

Former Group Operations Director at Elmhurst Energy, Dr Gavin Dunn, has been appointed as Director of BREEAM. Gavin has always been a strong advocate of the standard, which he says brings real value to customers through its scientific rigour. His mission is to drive the international growth of BREEAM, which will benefit not only BRE but also the UK’s construction sector. More …

Highest ever BREEAM refurbishment score

Highest ever score for a refurbishment project – 82.17% – has recently been achieved at 1 Southampton Street in London’s Covent Garden. This is also the fifth highest score ever achieved for an office project under BREEAM. Designed by John Robertson Architects, the building is owned by Aviva Investors. More …

 Kingspan certifies to four leading business assessment schemes

Kingspan Insulation has certified all of its UK sites under the four leading business assessment schemes. The four standards, assessed and certified by BRE Global, are ISO 9001 for management systems, ISO 14001 for environmental management systems, OHSAS 18001 for occupational health and safety management systems and BES 6001 for responsible sourcing of materials. More …

Sverre Tiltnes is first chair of BREEAM Europe Board 

The new BREEAM Europe Board has elected Sverre Tiltnes, CEO of Norwegian Green Building Council (NGBC), as its first chair. Sverre is a leading innovator in the Norwegian building and real estate sector, working to push forward sustainability changes in the market place. More …

Green Deal and Passivhaus listings now on GreenBook Live

As part of ensuring that GreenBook live becomes the essential resource and bookmark for all working in sustainable buildings and design, we have added additional listings:

• Green Deal assessor organisations – the certification Scheme applies rigorous quality standards and provides a framework in which approved assessor organisations can deliver the highest levels of service to their clients.
• Certified Passivhaus designers  - Passivhaus is the fastest growing low energy design standard in the world. Click here for more information about the scheme and here to apply to join the scheme. 

BRE adds ECO calculator tool to its rdProSAP software suite

BRE Domestic Energy Assessors can now save a huge amount of time by using the new ECO calculator tool, which has been added to BRE's rdProSAP software suite. More …

JHS Contract Carpets achieve high BREEAM ratings

One of the biggest suppliers of commercial carpets in the UK, Tamworth-based JHS Contract Carpets, has achieved A+ for Education and Healthcare for its Ballantrae Plus carpet collection, with an Ecopoint score of 0.29. The company’s Milan Plus collection achieved A+ for Retail (Fashion), with an Ecopoint score of 0.53. More …

BDA and Hanson are first to sign up to EN15804

Building materials supplier Hanson UK, and trade association the Brick Development Association (BDA), are the first organisations to sign up for BRE’s EN 15804 compliant Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scheme. EPD are increasingly being used by manufacturers to communicate environmental credentials to customers. They are also useful for targeting impact reductions, engaging with the supply chain, and enabling customers to make informed decisions when selecting products based on their environmental impacts. More …

Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)

TheRHI scheme requires that all installations and installers are compliant with a recognised certification scheme, such as the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). BRE Global offers UKAS accredited certification services for both installer and product approvals under MCS. More

Congratulations to BREEAM NOR

Schweigaardsgate 21 and 23 (see right) are the first buildings in Norway to achieve BREEAM NOR certification. Developed by ROM Eiendom AS and built by Skanska Norge AS, the buildings in central Oslo have achieved an Excellent BREEAM rating. The Norwegian Green Building Council is the national scheme operator in Norway and the building occupiers are national railway operator, NSB Group, and Gjensidige Forsikring, a major insurance group. More

Help shape the future of sustainable refurbishment

A recently launched membership scheme for users of the BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment sustainability assessment method offers members a package of benefits, along with the opportunity to influence the scheme's future direction. More

More BREEAM progress in Greece

Congratulations to Pantelis Levantis who continues to promote the use of BREEAM in Greece despite the challenging economic conditions. The latest development is the Scriptorium office building in Athens (see right) which has scored an interim BREEAM rating of Very Good. This follows the BREEAM success of a new supermarket in Athens - more

A BREEAM Outstanding first

The new Carnegie Primary school in Dunfermline, Fife has become the first UK primary school to achieve BREEAM Outstanding. Designed and constructed by Morgan Sindall, the building and landscape form part of the learning environment, with classrooms around a central hub leading to outdoor areas featuring activity trails and wildlife habitats. The design is expected to deliver a 90% reduction in energy for lighting. More

Launch of new EPD

BRE has launched a new EN 15804 compliant Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) scheme. EPDs are increasingly being used by manufacturers to communicate sustainability credentials to customers, and are also useful for targeting impact reductions, engaging with the supply chain and enabling meaningful comparisons of product sustainability impacts. More

New rdProSAP software

BRE's new rdProSAP software helps to simplify and streamline the EPC assessment production and incorporates many new features in response to feedback from users. The software is available free of charge to all BRE DEA scheme members. For those members who have not yet used the new rdProSAP software, take a look at the online tutorial here