The globally recognised BREEAM “sustainability certificate”
But let’s circle back to the start. What exactly is this BREEAM or, to give it its full title, “Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method”? It’s a sophisticated and scientifically sound system for assessing the environmental impact of buildings to ensure their sustainability. The author of this multi-criteria analysis is the British organisation BRE, which has been active in building science and research for more than 100 years. BREEAM, which was originally established as a research university project, achieved the format of a certification system in the early 1990s and is therefore the oldest certification in the field, whose principles were used to create the American alternative LEED certification. It’s the most widely used rating system in the field of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings, and represents a prestigious award that serves to compare the quality of buildings around the world.
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There is no BREEAM like BREEAM
In the Czech Republic, BREEAM started to take off in 2012 and there are currently several versions of BREEAM protocols available. The most famous of these is BREEAM New Construction, which focuses on the design, construction and commissioning of new buildings. It’s mainly used for office and industrial buildings, but it’s also being used for housing projects.
However, the certification BREEAM Communities has up until now been unused in our country. It’s a comprehensive version of certification specific to large-scale projects, which was perfect for the multifunctional project of a new city district, namely Nová Zbrojovka.
BREEAM Communities is a method of ensuring that large development projects are designed to be respectful of people and the environment, and to help develop the surroundings economically. It helps assess how well plans meet the sustainability criteria and encourages cooperation between all stakeholders. It deals, for example, with the efficient use of energy and water, the thoughtful planting of greenery, measures to increase the species diversity of animals and plants at the project site, addresses the creation of necessary jobs and economic activities, of sustainable forms of transport and the way the project cooperates with the local community, the city in question (Brno) and many other criteria.
Since this was a pilot use of BREEAM certification in the Czech Republic, we had to blaze our own trail and apply the British version of the protocol to our legal environment, which made the process much more difficult and prolonged. Thanks to the support of CEVRE Consultants, however, we obtained the certification in October last year and at the same time helped pave the way for other similar projects that can build on this work.
“BREEAM Communities is really a something special: there are fewer than 70 projects worldwide that have received this certificate,” says Jakub Voleš, senior consultant at CEVRE, who has been involved in the environmental and energy concept of Nová Zbrojovka for a long time. “Nová Zbrojovka as an emerging urban district is the first project in the Czech Republic that will exploit the full potential of this certification. It thus becomes a model for evaluating other similar projects through a Communities analysis. While our role as pioneers is challenging and very committing, it’s also meaningful and fulfilling,” adds Jakub Voleš, who is one of the few people in Europe authorised for BREEAM Communities.
2 years of work, 18 team members, 11,872 pages of studies
. True, this might put some people off. But we were clear. Our vision of Nová Zbrojovka is in line with the standards, i.e. the above-standards defined by the BREEAM certification, so this path was a clear choice and a challenge we wanted to accept.
“With the certification, Nová Zbrojovka gains, among other benefits, a competitive advantage in the real estate market. For potential investors, customers and users, it’s proof that the builder has approached the environment responsibly and at the same time created a great place to live,” explains Nela Kadaníková, project manager of Nová Zbrojovka. “The reward is not only the more advantageous financing that banks provide to certified properties, but also, for example, a significant reduction in operating costs for users thanks to the low-energy design of buildings,” expands Nela Kadaníková on the fundamental benefits of the chosen procedure.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, let’s delve further into what criteria BREEAM Communities evaluates and what extra Nová Zbrojovka will be offering.
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Details of the housing blocks
Energy savings of 20%, reduction of CO2 emissions by 25% and consumption of building materials by 38%. All right!
When planning the development of Nová Zbrojovka, we’ve been using participatory planning for the project, which is based on the fact that the real experts of a place are its everyday users, the local community. Our work is grounded on the same principles, and through dialogue with residents and other stakeholders, we’re able to identify the thematic priorities of residents, what interests them, what they would like or need to see in a brand new urban district and thus create a district that fully complements and builds on its immediate surroundings.
The energy strategy aims to select solutions that minimise operational energy consumption and ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Our solution, based on the use of alternative energy sources through photovoltaics, or by connecting the project directly to Brno’s heating plants, saves 20% of primary energy compared to the reference building without using these benefits.
And then we have the topic of reducing the concentration of CO2 in the air, whether it’s operational from energy consumption in a building or CO2 associated with the construction itself. As part of this study, we evaluated the possibility of preserving and using existing buildings. Despite the higher costs required for reconstruction compared to the construction of new buildings, we decided to keep 4 buildings that were essential in terms of preserving the historical legacy. Together with the decision to maximise the use of material from demolitions, including its processing at Nová Zbrojovka and the selection of environmentally responsible building materials, we’ve been able to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% and the consumption of building materials by 38%. And we don’t stop there!
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| Two-hectare sports and relaxation park along the Svitava River | Use of greenery within apartment blocks |
Another topic that BREEAM Communities certification monitors is the management of rainwater. Thanks to the elements of blue-green infrastructure, we can ensure that all the water that rains on Nová Zbrojovka will also be soaked up and evaporate there. The amount of rainwater absorbed by this measure will increase by 70% and runoff will decrease by 25% compared to traditional urban environments.
This is just a small taste of the topics covered by the BREEAM Communities analysis – it’s clear that the results of studies described over 872 pages cannot be compressed into one article. These are topics we live and breathe by, because they determine the form and quality of Nová Zbrojovka. As such they deserve the spotlight, and you can look forward to continuing to explore these matters in one of the other articles. We’ll be happy to guide you through the objectives and results of the 11 studies defining the individual sustainability criteria that Nová Zbrojovka meets.
