BREEAM (short for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) is a big deal in Europe, which makes sense given its British roots. The system is available in more than 70 countries. Roughly 548,500 certificates have been conferred so far; more than 2.25 million buildings have been registered.
For perspective, LEED, maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council, boasts a broader footprint when it comes to international presence, with 160 countries and territories. As of May, about 15 billion square feet of space had been certified under the program. Put another way, so far, there are about 79,100 LEED projects worldwide.
The 25-year-old BREEAM methodology, developed and officiated by U.K. consultancy BRE, is migrating to the United States under an initiative spearheaded by consulting firm BuildingWise. Training in the principles of the program starts in August. The first building to be assessed using the framework — a city-block-scale renovation project in downtown Los Angeles called The BLOC — should receive its certification from BREEAM USA by October.
"Our corporate value is to use best practices to build the healthiest projects," said Clare De Briere, chief operating officer and executive vice president at the Ratkovich Company, which is behind the renovation. "If there’s something new that we can do to make a better project, we’re going to do it."
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