BREEAM use at the University of Bristol

Overview

• Background • Our Approach• Progress to date• Lessons learnt

Who is this guy?• Worked in energy and env management

for 25 years.• Degree in env science. Not an engineer.• Been in HE sector for 15 years.• Bristol set up – all env stuff under my

control, energy, waste, transport staff, engage with construction, procurement, food, curriculum, students.

Background• Significant building programmes• Written Energy Conservation Design

Guides – 1990’s (@ Bath and Bristol)• Time consuming, constant updating, doing

the design teams job!?, I’m not an engineer/architect always on the back foot.

• Not integrated into the building process.• Mid 2000’s looked at BREEAM, no real

competition, LEED not here.

Background• Director of Estates - “prove benefit of

BREEAM”.• Paid for a BREEAM review of a project. • Also - full energy survey of a newly built

science building.• BREEAM review, just assessed not used for

design - Result ‘good’, less than 50% score - building a below average building!?

• Survey £100k’s worth of savings

Bristol’s approach• Iterated over three years.• BREEAM on all projects over £1million.• At least ‘Excellent’ on new builds, ‘Very

Good’ on refurb’s• EPC ‘B’, cost to get EPC A.• Forms part of design brief.• Deliverable for design team and

contractors. • Start at stage 0.

Bristol’s Approach• Employ 3rd party assessors as ‘advocates’.• They sit with the design teams, attend

many of the design team meetings, run separate workshops for the design team.

• Report to HoS on a regular basis, flag issues, they are independent.

• Each BREEAM criteria is targeted.• Design teams need good reasons for not

including a criteria.

Bristol’s Approach• On top of this – early meeting with

sustainability team to ensure their needs are met and local systems work.

• BREEAM consultants part of process through design, tender and construction.

• Work with the contractor – most projects Design and Build. Try not to novate across, though does happen.

Outcomes• Projects – 8 Refurb’s, 5 New Builds• Achieved – 8 Excellent, 5 Very Good• Iterated the approach• Capital Projects just do this now, its like

CDM, not negotiable.• CP also understand its about building

sustainably, not BREEAM point scoring.• Sustainability part of consultants

framework.

Example – Richmond Building• Richmond Building – Refurb - Excellent• “B” energy label, difficult on a listed building.• A combined heat and power unit (CHP) used

to generate low carbon heat and electricity for use on site.

• A green roof on the new swimming pool changing block extension.  

Richmond Building• All primary materials achieve a Green

Guide A+ rating (i.e. highly sustainable) and are supplied by responsibly certified suppliers (e.g. ISO14001, FSC timber).

• Most areas naturally ventilated, rare in a building with a footprint depth of more than 30m (usually buildings of 15m).

Richmond Building

• Low energy/water fittings and toilets, water leak detection,

• energy efficient equipment, variable speed pumps and drives, heat recovery,

• large areas of cycle storage, • energy and water metering, real time data

interfaces for educational learning.

Lessons learnt• Try it, iterate.• Be flexible – aim for everything, but

consider cost. Not excellent at any cost.• We added a 5% uplift for BREEAM, now

we just do it – who cost H&S these days!• You need someone looking out for

sustainability – HoS/Advocates• Selection of design consultants

Next steps

• Soft landings• SKA• Really small projects• More consultant engagement