Refurbishment & Fit Out for USA and Canada
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out Commercial Version 7 provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and improving the sustainability of renovation and tenant improvement projects of any scale for commercial properties, guiding users through the design, construction and post-refurbishment phases. It encourages upgrades and interior transformations to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact and enhance occupant comfort, minimizing long-term risks and creating measurable value for owners and investors.
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out V7 consists of two standards:
- BREEAM Refurbishment V7, which can be used where projects may include any combination of fabric, structure, core and local services and which may also include interior design.
- BREEAM Fit Out V7 which focuses specifically on interior design, with the option to incorporate local services where they form part of the scope, making BREEAM Fit Out V7 particularly relevant for occupier-led projects.
Refurbishment and fit out for US projects
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out Commercial V7 provides a framework that encourages the retention of as much of the asset and its systems as possible. The assessment criteria and process focus on four key elements from concept to completion: building envelope and structure, core systems, local services and interior design.
These standards are used to assess the renovation of an asset, including projects undertaken to improve the performance, function and overall condition of an existing building. This standard also covers tenant improvements; alterations to the interior to fit tenant needs whether in a newly constructed or existing building.
Certificates can be issued at the design stage (noted as interim BREEAM rating based on the design) or post-construction to confirm the final BREEAM rating.
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out Commercial Version 7 provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and improving the sustainability of renovation and tenant improvement projects of any scale for commercial properties, guiding users through the design, construction and post-refurbishment phases. It encourages upgrades and interior transformations to improve energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact and enhance occupant comfort, minimizing long-term risks and creating measurable value for owners and investors.
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out V7 consists of two standards:
- BREEAM Refurbishment V7, which can be used where projects may include any combination of fabric, structure, core and local services and which may also include interior design.
- BREEAM Fit Out V7 which focuses specifically on interior design, with the option to incorporate local services where they form part of the scope, making BREEAM Fit Out V7 particularly relevant for occupier-led projects.
Refurbishment and fit out for US projects
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out Commercial V7 provides a framework that encourages the retention of as much of the asset and its systems as possible. The assessment criteria and process focus on four key elements from concept to completion: building envelope and structure, core systems, local services and interior design.
These standards are used to assess the renovation of an asset, including projects undertaken to improve the performance, function and overall condition of an existing building. This standard also covers tenant improvements; alterations to the interior to fit tenant needs whether in a newly constructed or existing building.
Certificates can be issued at the design stage (noted as interim BREEAM rating based on the design) or post-construction to confirm the final BREEAM rating.
Certification types
BREEAM Design Stage certification signifies a building's intended sustainability performance at the design phase, before construction begins.
It's an interim assessment, part of the BREEAM certification process, that recognizes a building's intended sustainability performance once constructed.
This certification provides an early indication of a building's sustainability credentials and can be a crucial step towards achieving full BREEAM certification after construction.
BREEAM Post Construction Stage certification verifies the building’s sustainability performance once it has been constructed and completed.
This offers the final BREEAM rating reflecting the sustainability features and performance has been implemented and documented.
This certification gives asset owners a competitive advantage by validating sustainability performance claims, gaining recognition from global reporting frameworks, unlocking sustainable finance options to reduce capital costs and enhancing asset value.
Post Construction Stage certification is possible without a prior Design Stage certification though projects are encouraged to do both to streamline the certification process.
BREEAM ratings
BREEAM International New construction offers five ratings:
Each BREEAM rating broadly represents performance equivalent to:
- Outstanding: Less than the top 1% of buildings (innovator)
- Excellent: Top 10% of buildings (best practice)
- Very Good: Top 25% of buildings (advanced good practice)
- Good: Top 50% of buildings (intermediate good practice)
- Pass: Top 75% of buildings (standard good practice)
Building types that can use BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out can be used to assess most asset types but the most common are:
Office | Industrial | Retail | Multifamily | Data Centers
For asset types that do not fall within the scope of BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit Out, BRE offers a bespoke service that adapts the BREEAM criteria to address the specific challenges of the project.
Don’t see your project type? For projects that do not fall within the scope of BREEAM International Refurbishment and fit out, BRE offers a bespoke service. Criteria are tailored to the project type and use allowing the project to identify the relevant sustainability opportunities for the specific project. For more information, read the BREEAM Bespoke Process guidance note.
Find out what you can achieve with BREEAM
Talk to one of our experts to discover how BREEAM can help you leverage sustainability to unlock real estate value for your asset or portfolio.
Call us on +1 (800) 408-9989, email us at BREEAMUSA@bregroup.com or use the contact form.