BREEAM Assessor & AP
Expert support, design and site
BREEAM is the most established sustainability assessment in UK construction, and the one most likely to turn up in a brief without much explanation of what it will take. Version 7 has raised the bar on carbon, so the early decisions now matter more than ever.
I'm a licensed BREEAM Assessor for UK New Construction and a BREEAM Advisory Professional (Design and Site), with seven years supporting BREEAM assessments. I also deliver the studies behind the modelling credits: LCA, energy, thermal comfort and daylight. I work directly for clients or as a subcontractor to contractors, consultancies and design teams.
What is BREEAM?
BRE launched BREEAM in 1990 as the world's first building certification system. Projects are scored across weighted environmental categories, and each rating also carries minimum standards, so a project can't reach Excellent on easy credits while missing a fundamental requirement.
Category
Weighted categories, from Management to Pollution, plus Innovation.
Issue
Each category holds issues, such as Mat 01 Building LCA, each worth credits.
Rating
Pass to Outstanding, set by the weighted score and the minimum standards.
Certificate
Interim at design stage, then final after construction.
Version 7: the key dates
- 30 Sep 2025
New Construction V7 opens
UK New Construction V7.0 opens for registration.
- 27 Jan 2026
Older versions close
NC 2018, V6 and V6.1 close to new registrations.
- 26 Aug 2026
V7.1 becomes the default
A targeted update to V7, now used for all new NC registrations.
- Sep 2026
RFO V7 launches
Refurbishment V7 and Fit Out V7 replace RFO 2014.
- 27 Jan 2027
RFO 2014 closes
The last day to register a project under RFO 2014.
Projects already registered under an older version can still be certified within BRE's five-year validity period.
What changes in V7
The headline changes in New Construction. Refurbishment and Fit Out V7 share the same rating bands and the same carbon minimums at Excellent and Outstanding.
Whole life carbon
LCA and embodied carbon reporting at early design, technical design and post-construction, now including MEP.
An LCA for Excellent
An LCA at any stage is a minimum standard for Excellent. Outstanding needs all three.
Fossil-free Outstanding
No fossil fuels burned on site, and no refrigerants or an emissions rate under 1,000 kgCO2e per kW.
Lower entry bands
Pass drops from 30% to 25% and Good from 45% to 40%.
Energy and carbon intensity
EUI and carbon intensity drive the credits, with extra credit for predictive modelling and a verified energy model.
New issues
Circadian light, flexible demand response, installed controls and predicted water use.
Mixed use made simpler
Up to five asset types in one assessment, with no Bespoke route needed.
Biodiversity net gain
Ecology aligned with English BNG law and the statutory metric, with credits for going further.
The rating scale
V7 lowers the entry bands and raises the bar at the top, where Excellent and Outstanding now come with carbon minimums.
Pass was 30% and Good 45% under NC V6 and RFO 2014.
Minimum overall score for each rating in New Construction, Refurbishment and Fit Out V7, with BRE's guide to how each rating compares with typical buildings.
What each rating demands
Outstanding
- Advanced responsible construction
- Good daylight levels
- 6 Ene 01 credits plus predictive modelling, or 5 Ene 02 credits
- No fossil fuels burned on site
- 30% water saving
- LCA at all three stages
- Pre-demolition audit or resource plan
- No refrigerants, or under 1,000 kgCO2e per kW
Excellent
- Basic responsible construction
- 12-month in-use commissioning
- 4 Ene 01 credits or 3 Ene 02 credits
- LCA at any stage
- Recycling facilities
Very Good
- Commissioning schedule
- Building user guide
- Indoor air quality plan
- Smoking ban
- 90% of energy monitored by end use
Pass and Good
- Health and safety law met
- No asbestos
- Legionella management
- Legally harvested timber
- Good: 15% water saving and a water meter
Carbon and energy minimums
BREEAM UK New Construction V7.1. Each rating keeps the minimums below it, and Outstanding raises several of them. Refurbishment and Fit Out V7 set very similar minimums, with their own energy routes.
Where the weight sits
Energy and Materials carry the most weight: almost a third of the score between them.
BREEAM UK New Construction V7.1 weightings, fully fitted, comprehensive ecology route. Innovation adds up to 10% on top. Shell and core and shell only are weighted differently, and Refurbishment and Fit Out weightings depend on the parts in scope.
Which BREEAM scheme?
New Construction V7.1
New buildings
- Commercial new build: shell only, shell and core, or fully fitted
- Up to five asset types in one assessment
- Shell only is capped at Excellent
- New homes in the UK stay on UK NC Residential V6.1
Design stage and post-construction certificates
Refurbishment V7
Deeper retrofit
- Four parts: fabric and structure, core services, local services and interior design
- Any combination, except interior design on its own
- A new standalone Resilience category
- New-build areas under 50% of GIA can be included, with Part 1
Replaces RFO 2014
Fit Out V7
Interior-led and tenant-led
- Level 1: interior design works
- Level 2: adds local services, such as local heating, cooling and lighting
- No land use and ecology category
- Designed to be lighter and quicker than Refurbishment
Replaces RFO 2014
Scoping comes first. Which scheme, which parts and which asset types is the most consequential early decision on a BREEAM project, and one that's often got wrong.
The BREEAM journey
- 1RIBA 1
Pre-assessment
Target rating, credit strategy and brief. BRE advises appointing the Assessor and AP by now.
- 2RIBA 2
Targets agreed
Agreed by the end of Concept Design. NC early LCA due within 20 working days of the planning submission.
- 3RIBA 3 to 4
Design stage
The AP reports at each stage. The Assessor assesses the design for the interim certificate.
- 4RIBA 5
Construction
Site monitoring, responsible construction and evidence gathered as the work happens.
- 5RIBA 6
Post-construction
As-built evidence and an updated LCA, then the final certificate.
- 6RIBA 7
In use
In-use commissioning and aftercare. BREEAM In-Use takes it from there.
Where I add the most value
Assessment and certification
UK New Construction: registration, design and post-construction assessment, and submission to BRE.
Early target setting
An honest read on the achievable rating for the budget and scope, before it goes in a brief.
Pre-assessment and gap analysis
Where the project sits now, and what each remaining credit would cost to secure.
Design team facilitation
Running the workshops, chasing the actions and keeping BREEAM on the agenda between stages.
Trade-off decisions
Which credits to chase, which to release, and when to stop spending on a rating already secured.
Evidence strategy
Who produces what, decided at design stage, so nobody rebuilds a paper trail at handover.
Site stage support
Inspections, contractor liaison and picking up the credits that get lost on site.
Studies and modelling
These studies sit behind some of the biggest credit pools in V7, and several now feed the minimum standards. I scope, manage and deliver them, timed so the credits count.
Mat 01
7credits + 3 exemplary
LCA and embodied carbon
Early design, technical design and as-built LCAs, benchmarked and reported on the BREEAM Platform.
- Excellent and Outstanding minimum
- Early LCA due 20 working days after the planning submission
Ene 01Ene 02
21credits + 7 exemplary
Energy modelling
Part L performance modelling for Ene 01, and dynamic predictive modelling of real energy use for Ene 02.
- Excellent and Outstanding minimum
Ene 04
5credits
Passive design and fabric
Building form optimisation, fabric performance and low and zero carbon generation targets.
- Form analysis at Concept Design
Hea 05
3credits
Thermal comfort
Dynamic thermal modelling for current and future climates, plus thermal zoning and controls.
Hea 01
5credits + 2 exemplary
Daylight, glare and view out
Computer daylight and glare modelling to BRE Guidance Note 50, plus view out.
- Daylight is an Outstanding minimum
Hea 03
1credit
Circadian lighting
Melanopic EDI analysis of how the lighting supports occupants' body clocks.
Where I'm your Assessor too, the models are produced and signed by named specialist modellers, and the dual role is declared to BRE at registration.
Maximum credits per issue in BREEAM UK New Construction V7.1, fully fitted. Some depend on building type. Refurbishment and Fit Out V7 credit counts differ and depend on the parts in scope.
Appointing an AP earns credits
AP status can't be applied retrospectively, and the second design credit depends on the first. Appoint early.
The role
Assessor and AP: who does what
On UK New Construction projects I can be your Assessor, your AP, or both. Where one person holds both roles, BRE requires it to be declared and any conflict of interest managed.
On Refurbishment and Fit Out projects I work as your AP alongside the appointed Assessor.
Queries about BREEAM?The BREEAM Assessor
UK New Construction: registration, design and post-construction assessment, and submission to BRE. That is me.
The BREEAM AP
Targets, workshops, credit strategy and site monitoring, on any BREEAM project. Also me.
BRE
Quality assures the assessment and issues the certificate, which is listed on the public BREEAM database.
Worth knowing: the early design LCA now has a deadline
Under New Construction V7.1 it must be uploaded to the BREEAM Platform within 20 working days of the planning submission. Upload it late and those credits are lost, and with them Outstanding, which needs an LCA at all three stages.
In other words, the carbon work now starts before planning, not after it.
BREEAM is a registered trademark of BRE (the Building Research Establishment Ltd. Community Trade Mark E5778551). The BREEAM marks, logos and symbols are the Copyright of BRE and are reproduced by permission.
Services
Specialist capacity, without the headcount
Consultancy, contractor or in-house team with more certification work than people to deliver it? I plug in for as long as the work exists across commercial fit-outs and refurbishments. You keep the client. I handle the assessment.
Got a BREEAM Project that needs a pair of hands?
george@welscape.co.uk
+447542341750
George Kakas
Owner at Welscape
BREEAM FAQs
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No - and neither can any BREEAM AP. Certification requires a licensed BREEAM Assessor, who formally assesses the evidence and submits to BRE. What I do is everything that surrounds that: target setting, design team facilitation, credit strategy, evidence collation, write-ups and submission management.
On most of my projects there's an assessor appointed and I work alongside them. It usually makes the assessment faster and considerably less painful for everyone.
Not sure what your project needs? Ask me.
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A BREEAM Advisory Professional has completed BRE's training and examination and is accredited to advise project teams through the BREEAM process. The role covers target setting, facilitating the design team, driving credits and embedding sustainability requirements into the project properly.
I hold both design stage and site stage accreditation, which means I can support a project from concept through to handover rather than only one end of it.
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Yes. The Management category rewards the early appointment of a sustainability champion and their continued involvement through the project stages. The exact wording and credit availability depends on the scheme version applying to your project, so it's worth confirming against your specific scorecard.
The practical point is that appointing early is both cheaper and worth more than appointing late.
Want to check what's available on your scorecard? Get in touch.
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Most commercial interiors projects sit under BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out (RFO). It's structured in parts covering fabric and structure, core services, local services and interior fit-out, so the scope of assessment can be matched to the scope of works.
Which parts apply is one of the most consequential early decisions on a BREEAM fit-out, and one that's frequently got wrong. If you're unsure, it's worth a conversation before anything is committed.
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If that's what the project needs, yes. I work in your systems, to your templates and within your reporting lines. You keep the client relationship throughout and your project lead still leads.
Often the client doesn't know I'm not one of your team, and that suits me fine.
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Depends on the engagement. A fixed fee works well for a defined scope on a single project. Day rate or retained capacity tends to suit teams with recurring workload or a framework agreement.
Either way you'll get a clear scope and a fee before anything starts, and I'll tell you if I think the work doesn't need me.
Send me the scope and I'll come back with a figure.
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Regularly. Plenty of fit-outs run BREEAM alongside SKA, Fitwel or ActiveScore, and there's meaningful overlap in the transport, health and wellbeing and materials evidence.
Running them together with one person coordinating means the evidence does double duty rather than being gathered twice. Worth flagging at the outset if more than one scheme is in play.