Early assessment brings bigger savings

Projects that applied BREEAM Infrastructure from strategy through construction reported higher savings than those that began their assessment later. If your scheme is at strategy or design stage, it could benefit from these savings.

See the savings by stage

Our analysis draws on 16 certified projects where published information included both the cost savings achieved and the stage at which BREEAM Infrastructure was applied. They include schemes in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Qatar. Projects assessed across the whole project reported the highest savings as a share of project value, while those that began assessment during construction reported the lowest. All figures are the project teams’ own estimates.

The difference is timing. At the strategy and design stages, structures can still be moved easily and materials can still change. By the time a project reaches the construction stage, the main option left is how soil and materials are handled on site.

Average reported saving as a share of project value, by BREEAM Infrastructure assessment type

Hover over or tap a data point to explore the types of savings reported at each assessment stage, with links to the case studies.

*Every figure is the project team’s own estimate, drawn from published case studies and BREEAM Awards 2026 submissions.

Where the savings came from

Changing the design

Jacobs’ designers relocated the UK’s M11 Junction 7A overbridge to suit the existing topography, halving the earthworks needed. The project team estimates that design optimisation and material reuse saved around £2m.

Read the case study

Reusing materials

The Colwyn Bay team in Wales estimates they saved £300k in disposal costs by reusing pavement materials. In Norway, improved soil handling saved an estimated £1.3m on the E16 Kvamskleiva road.

Read the case study

Changing the construction method

In London, Crossrail’s Connaught Tunnel team saved an estimated £1.3m by automating its monitoring and revising its piling method. In Qatar, the Musaimeer pumping station team chose a different tunnel boring machine manufacturer, saving an estimated £1m.

The new M11 Junction 7A overbridge and roundabouts near Harlow, Essex, UK

Around £2m saved on the M11 Junction 7A scheme

On the £76m M11 Junction 7A scheme in the UK, rated Excellent for both sustainability strategy (89.9%) and performance (80.7%), Jacobs’ designers relocated the overbridge to a point where the M11 runs through an existing cutting, reducing the earthworks needed by half. The project team estimates around £2m saved through design optimisation and material reuse. By the construction phase, that decision would have been fixed.

Read the full case study

“The new junction is critical for Harlow and the wider area. Ultimately, it will help create a new east-west route through the town, helping reduce congestion, offering new public transport opportunities, and further unlocking the economic potential of the area.”

Cllr Lesley Wagland, Essex County Council’s former cabinet member for economic renewal, infrastructure and planning

How the Connaught Tunnel team saved £1.84m

Crossrail’s Connaught Tunnel team in London itemised £1.84m of savings across five measures:

automated instrumentation and monitoring: £1m
a revised piling method: £300k
a vehicle restraint wall built into the track slab: £250k
changes to the dewatering system: £185k
reuse of track ballast in load transfer platforms: £100k

The total came to around 3.5% of project value on a single Whole Project assessment.

BREEAM Infrastructure projects that start at the construction stage can still save money

The E02 Åsbygda to Olum team in Norway estimated total savings at about 5% of the contract, around £4.3m, mostly by reusing excavated materials. Across the seven certified projects that began assessment during construction, the average reported saving was 2.9% of project value.

Read the full case study

Resilience requirements are set at the strategy stage

Starting early also matters for resilience. BREEAM Infrastructure asks project teams to identify the resilience requirements for a scheme before the end of the strategy stage, based on a current risk assessment and advice from relevant experts.

Credits for assessing climate change risk are available at the strategy and design stages, but not at construction. Those are the stages when the route and layout of a scheme can still be planned to reduce its exposure to flooding and overheating.

About the data

Figures are the project teams’ own estimates, taken from published case studies and BREEAM Awards 2026 submissions and published with their consent. The averages are drawn from 16 certified projects: six Whole Project or Whole Team assessments, three Design and Construction assessments and seven Construction only assessments. One project’s reported saving is excluded pending confirmation.

Savings are shown before the cost of assessment. We have not added savings together across projects, because the schemes vary widely in size. Ratings and scheme versions are taken from signed certificates. Some projects were certified under CEEQUAL, which is now BREEAM Infrastructure. The relevant scheme version is stated in each case study.

Fewer than half of our published case studies include a cost figure. Most report carbon, waste or social outcomes instead. We will add projects to this analysis as more teams report both their savings and the stage at which their assessment began.