BREEAM, the environmental rating scheme that has previously focused just on new buildings is developing approaches for assessing refurbishment projects. Gavin Summerson of BRE Global has the details.

While BREEAM has an approach for awarding points for air conditioning using chiller plant, it does not take into account the use of free cooling in data centres — as Fin Farrelly explains.

What happened when industry experts got together to talk about BREEAM? What about credits for refrigerants and CHP, for example? BSRIA’s James Parker provides an insight.

Lots of BREEAM credits can be gained by paying close attention to boiler plant, as Liam Elmore explains.

Three Hoval 600 kW gas-fired boilers are helping the National Academy for Wales minimise the energy costs and environmental impact of the award-winning Welsh Assembly building — the Senedd. Designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership, the Assembly building at Cardiff Bay includes a debating chamber for 60 members, office and meeting spaces, public spaces, private accommodation and catering.

Helping to achieve a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating for one of the buildings in the new Category B facility at Belmarsh Prison in London are pumps supplied by Grundfos. This £415 million PFI contract with Serco Group, with Skanska winning the £100 million contract for its design and build, comprises 10 buildings to house 900 inmates.

The emphasis on reducing carbon emissions is greater in the latest version of BREEAM than previous versions. Martin Murrish examines how the design of the heating can contribute to a high rating.

WindowMaster has won its largest-every UK order for a natural-ventilation and smoke-control solution. The company has supplied window actuators, locking motors and automated controls for the natural ventilation of Network Rail’s new National Centre in Milton Keynes.

To help meet increasingly stringent rules for the use of energy and water consumption, Rada has brought out an improved range of timed-flow controls. Every product in the range has under­gone a rigorous 250 000 on/off test cycle. Ease of maintenance is guaranteed with an all-in-one cartridge.

Achieving the necessary credits for the top-end BREEAM ratings demands the use of a building energy management system, as Yasar Butt explains.

Wayne Aston looks at how natural ventilation and daylighting can help achieve excellent high BREEAM standards — and deliver lifecycle benefits

Helping to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for Diploma Examplar projects in East Sussex is a special natural-ventilation strategy created by Monodraught. It is based on Windcatcher X-Air natural-ventilation system, the new Ventsair wall vents with motorised low-leakage volume-control dampers and an iNVent control system to regulate temperature and CO2 levels in two zones.

Oceanair’s GHP (gas-powered heat-pump system) has been installed in a fire station that has achieved a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating. It provides high-efficiency air conditioning for Carlton Fire Station near Nottingham. The station also has a green sedum roof to help keep it cool in Summer and warm in Winter and which also delays the release of rainwater to reduce the impact on drains during flooding.

Helping to provide energy-efficient and sustainable housing for a mixed-use development in Maidstone is an Evinox communal heating system operating on central biofuel and gas plant with ModuSat TP heat interface units in apartments. This affordable housing is part of the £27 million Kent History & Library Centre, which houses some 14 km of historic material relating to Kent and dating back to 699 AD. The development includes 57 extra-care apartments for Housing 21 and 60 affordable homes for West Kent Housing Association.