Shaking up the industry
Katy Venables, Sustainability Consultant at Whitecode Consulting, assesses the latest BREEAM updates before underscoring how early design decisions on energy strategy and structure can enhance occupant comfort and energy efficiency to ensure BREEAM targets are achieved.
Launched in September, the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) New Construction V7 update from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) placed a stronger emphasis on advancing decarbonisation efforts across the UK, rather than just compliance. Creating huge implications for the industry, it focuses on more transparent reporting and benchmarking of carbon emissions.
Reports from the Climate Change Committee suggest the built environment contributes to around 23% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. Consequently, building designers, architects, specifiers, contractors, and end-users must identify ways to decarbonise commercial and residential buildings across the UK with the UK’s Net Zero target of 2050 in mind.
BREEAM plays a vital role here. Globally recognised as a trusted environmental assessment method, the initiative helps the design and construction of greener and more sustainable buildings while improving occupant wellbeing and enhancing economic performance. For the past 35 years, BREEAM has measured and reduced the negative environmental impacts of buildings through the encouragement of sustainable design, operation, and construction.
Now focusing on commercial and residential building types, as well as new office buildings, BREEAM is regularly updated to align with legislative reforms, new scientific breakthroughs, and ever-evolving technological advancements.
What are the BREEAM V7 changes?
Launched in September 2025, the updates directly acknowledge ongoing challenges facing the industry, such as wellbeing, climate change, and biodiversity. Consequently, they concentrate on four key pillars of improvement.
Focusing heavily on carbon management and reporting, a building’s total carbon footprint will be monitored and assessed at each lifecycle stage, covering everything from materials specified and used during construction through to its operational footprint and any future planned demolition. Closely linked to the English Biodiversity Net Gain and global best practices, the new biodiversity net gain benchmarks aim to drive the UK’s decarbonisation journey. Consequently, new methodologies have been put in place to encourage those in charge of sites with zero or low biodiversity baselines to strengthen sustainability processes and practices.
Energy credits have also been restricted to better represent updated energy performance benchmarks. Projects will now be required to predict water consumption based on expected occupancy, not just standard occupancy. This promotes a more transparent and accurate assessment of water demands.
This significant update also recognises the importance of building design and construction in occupant and user wellbeing and health. By concentrating on daylight, air quality, and access to nature, in addition to recommended new standards, developers are encouraged to prioritise and recognise spaces that will benefit occupants long-term. BREEAM credits for the use of advanced modelling techniques to minimise glare and maximise daylight have also been included, along with minimum daylight standards needed for higher ratings.
The increasingly stringent BREEAM standards and sharpened focus on sustainability mean that the integration of sustainability and energy efficiency practices into the design process must be carried out as early as possible.
A holistic approach and full integration
Integrating sustainability early reduces errors and clashes, enhances cohesion between all involved trades, and streamlines the specification and implementation of energy efficient materials, products, and systems. A holistic approach, combined with early energy efficiency incorporation, offers remarkable flexibility and enables designers to assess the energy implications of different design choices and then optimise them for outstanding performance. Consequently, energy consumption and emissions are lowered.
Substantially lowered expenditure
Addressing and identifying sustainability challenges and issues early not only helps reduce carbon footprints and ensures energy efficiency targets are met, but also offers substantial financial advantages. With strategies that prioritise responsible sourcing - a critical aspect of BREEAM regulations - proactive decisions around specified materials promote a circular economy and reduce the need for costly future adaptations.
Implementing sustainable processes during design and installing energy efficient systems offers occupants significant cost savings. Indeed, utilising building energy management systems (BEMS) to reduce energy consumption lowers expenditure, cuts carbon emissions, and optimises energy performance.
Improved occupant health, wellbeing, and productivity
Early design decisions on air quality, external views, and daylighting place a greater emphasis on occupant health and wellbeing. Providing access to natural light through effective room and window design enables the quick and simple flow of high-quality air throughout a room or building. Furthermore, specifying and installing automated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems creates more productive, more comfortable, and ultimately healthier internal environments.
Greater regulatory compliance
Embedding sustainability early in the design process increases the likelihood of specifiers, architects, building designers, contractors, and end-users complying with BREEAM V7 and other regulations and standards. The reduced need for potential future adaptations, integration of safety features, and greater design flexibility all improve compliance chances. Additionally, being recognised as an organisation or individual that prioritises sustainable practices to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions can enhance reputation and trust in a highly competitive industry.
The need for enhanced understanding and awareness
Many professionals across the built environment are still not fully aware of either the importance of BREEAM standards or how to achieve higher ratings. To address this, building designers, specifiers, architects, end-users, and contractors must work with the BRE to improve access to this crucial information. Doing so will increase understanding of how to achieve BREEAM ratings and highlight the critical role they play in ensuring more comfortable, energy-efficient, and sustainable environments.
Whitecode Consulting features a trusted and experienced team of BREEAM Advisory Professionals (APs). Offering comprehensive advice that encompasses everything from built environment sustainability through to environmental design and assessment, including carbon lifecycle assessments, the company helps clients across the UK meet their desired BREEAM ratings.
If we are all to create a greener and better built environment, sustainability efforts must focus on actual decarbonisation strategy, not just compliance. As a result, the importance of utilising the expertise of building services consultants cannot be understated.
