BRE's green certificates - BREEAM International New Construction standard

BRE Global is an organization working to provide certification internationally. They perform assessment and certify products to ensure the environmental performance of building and construction projects. Last year, BRE Global announced its BREEAM International New Construction standard in the U.S., which creates an impact on the construction industry in the U.S.

The "Americanized" version of the standard was developed in partnership with design and engineering firm HOK and includes adaptations that take into consideration the variations in building codes, best practices and industry standards from region to region across the country. 

The new U.S. standard, which has spent the last year in development, provides for the certification of "non-standard" buildings with uncommon configurations or in unusual locations. ​

BRE announced an update to the In-Use standard — an assessment and certification process for existing U.S. residential and multifamily properties. Previously, the In-Use certification was available only for commercial properties. The first U.S. project to be certified under the In-Use standard was The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, California, after the owners of the property gave it a green facelift consisting of features like solar panels, LED lighting, a new and more efficient HVAC system and a mixed recycling system.

LEED probably still is the green certification that U.S. developers and contractors think of first when determining sustainability goals for a project but, in addition to BREEAM, there are other green certifications that are gaining traction. 

---

Resources: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/bre-global-introduces-new-construction-standard-to-us/557099/ / "BRE Global introduces new construction standard to US" by Kim Slowey