BREEAM New Construction Version 7 – FAQs
New Construction Version 7 (General)
BREEAM V7 (V7) places a stronger emphasis on advancing decarbonisation efforts to mitigate climate risk, while further improving sustainability across all stages of a building's lifecycle.
Key updates include expanded whole-life carbon assessments, including benchmarking and reporting for both predicted operational and embodied carbon, and an enhanced focus on biodiversity. V7 also integrates MEP systems – such as ducts, pipes, cabling and other equipment – into its embodied carbon assessments, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of an asset’s true carbon impact.
The standard also includes updated climate resilience criteria for extreme weather and new health and well-being standards for occupants. V7 streamlines reporting by better aligning with internal and external reporting frameworks, providing more robust, flexible tools for data collection. It also enables customers with diverse asset types, including mixed-use buildings to take advantage of the benefits of BREEAM.
The global market's growing need on resilience is directly reflected in BREEAM V7 through its enhanced climate resilience criteria, which focus on extreme weather preparedness and risk mitigation. BREEAM has incorporated physical risk assessment for over two decades. As climate change increasingly impacts the built environment, V7 provides science-led strategies that help buildings withstand rising temperatures and extreme weather events, to protect long-term asset value.
This emphasis on resilience aligns with the global need to future-proof properties. It helps ensure that they remain high-performing, meet tenant or resident expectations, and can adapt to evolving environmental risks, to support sustainability goals and financial performance.
The new BREEAM Platform will initially launch with Version 7 schemes, starting with New Construction. Refurbishment, Fit-Out, and In-Use will follow. In the longer term, we aim to incorporate older BREEAM scheme versions into the platform.
The increased focus on carbon in the BREEAM V7 standard stems from the growing urgency to avoid mounting climate risks and meet global sustainability goals for the built environment.
As the leading global standard guiding building decarbonisation, V7 provides a framework for more rigorous operational and embodied carbon benchmarking. The aim is to drive significant change and continued progress across all building types at every stage of the asset lifecycle. This includes the explicit incorporation of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems into assessments which are critical yet often overlooked contributors to embodied carbon. This new approach enables asset owners, clients and estate managers to gain an accurate understanding of an asset’s impact and unlock new opportunities for reduction. This shift reflects BREEAM's long-standing commitment to carbon reduction, aiming to keep the built environment moving forward by raising the bar and guiding buildings toward long-term carbon neutrality.
We are working on the timescales for the release of V7 for Refurbishment and Fit-Out, and BREEAM In Use. More information will follow over the coming weeks.
BREEAM V7 strengthens its focus on biodiversity as a key strategy to enhance resilience, in response to growing ecological challenges. By integrating stronger criteria for biodiversity net gain and emphasising nature-based solutions, V7 empowers owners and developers to build with resilience in mind — ensuring projects positively contribute to local ecosystems. This commitment reflects the broader shift toward nature-positive developments, helping to create more resilient buildings that support biodiversity, while meeting evolving regulatory standards and sustainability expectations.
Sustainability efforts continue to gain momentum globally as investors, policymakers and real estate and construction stakeholders increasingly recognise the links between sustainability, good risk management, asset value and responsible business practices. BREEAM V7 is launching at a time when the demand for sustainability is not just driven by compliance, but by the need to protect and enhance long-term portfolio value, to continue generating risk-adjusted returns. As severe climate events, shifting regulatory environments and investor expectations reshape the built environment, science-driven standards like V7 are essential in ensuring assets remain resilient, profitable and future-proofed.
New Construction Version 7 (Technical)
The purpose of this update is to align with industry objectives on decarbonisation which require reductions in operational, embodied, refrigerant, and transportation emissions, addressing whole life carbon across the building lifecycle. We sought feedback from our BREEAM community through Technical Working Groups and an international consultation. This feedback has been taken onboard and addressed in this update by:
- Introducing new criteria
- Revising existing criteria
- Introduction of new minimum standards to reflect what a BREEAM Outstanding or Excellent should look like.
Please see further information within the Summary of Changes.
BREEAM V7 will cover most asset types. Notably, the V7 standard simplifies the assessment process by consolidating evaluations for mixed-use buildings into a single scheme, reducing complexity and streamlining reporting. This approach allows for a more cohesive assessment process, making it easier to measure sustainability performance across diverse asset classes and lifecycle stages.
If you have any feedback regarding the technical documents, please contact AssessorFeedback@bregroup.com.
Although the platform differs from Projects, the Operational and QA processes remain unchanged, and the same communication channels are still available. Assessors are encouraged to submit all enquiries using the webform, accessible via the Assessor Support tab in BREEAM Projects. The form includes drop-down menus to help route your enquiry to the correct team by selecting the relevant department or topic area.
Please note: To help us provide an efficient service, all technical queries from assessors must be submitted via this webform.
Clients and other interested parties may continue to contact us by emailing the dedicated BREEAM inbox at breeam@bregroup.com.
The BREEAM New Construction Version 7 resources include Technical Standard Summaries, Release Reviews and Training Modules, providing guidance to assessors and project teams undertaking assessments. They can be accessed here.
BREEAM professionals can access the full BREEAM New Construction V7 Technical Manual via your BREEAM Projects log-in. If you are not a BREEAM Assessor or AP and would like to access the Technical Manual, please contact us in the first instance.
Registrations & Certifications
BREEAM New Construction V7 (NC V7) covers design and construction across UK and Internationally. Whether a property is at conceptual design, technical design, or ready to be constructed, NC V7 offers a pathway for measuring and certifying performance.
We have removed the requirement for multiple BREEAM assessments when a building includes up to 5 additional asset types. From Version 7 onwards, this change will be implemented — allowing projects to include up to five additional asset types within a single building without triggering the need for a separate BREEAM assessment.
When registering your project, start by creating an asset and entering the overall building details. The following information is mandatory
- Country
- Address line 1
- Town/City
- Name of asset
- Asset lifecycle stage
- My organisation
You will then be required to register your asset against an Assessment. Once you have registered for a New Construction Version 7 assessment, navigate to Assessment Detail (located in the left-hand navigation panel) and provide answers to the following:
- Is this a Commercial or Residential Assessment
- What is the composition of this commercial asset? Which includes: Asset category/type/subtype, The GIA (Gross Internal Area of assessed building/space), The NIA (Net Internal Area of assessed building/space).
If your project includes more than five different asset types, you will need to separate this out into multiple assessments in the BREEAM Platform. Please see GN20 for more information.
For New Construction, once Version 7 registrations open in September 2025, there will be a three-month transition period. During this time, you will still be able to register assets under Version 6 and 2018. Once Version 6 and 2018 close for new registrations, there will be a five-year validity period applied to the registration, meaning after the validity period has lapsed, the output following a QA and fees charged will be different. Please refer to the Operations Manual for more details.
This transition plan applies exclusively to New Construction Version 7. As we prepare to launch Refurbishment and Fit-Out (RFO) and In-Use Versions 7, we will communicate the specific transition plans closer to their release.
Should there be a contractual obligation to assess against one of our older schemes, provided sufficient evidence is given, we will be able to register against the older scheme. This can be actioned via the BREEAM Projects registration process.
The new BREEAM Platform now integrates all Excel-based calculator tools directly into the system for a more streamlined experience. Simply input your data, and the platform will automatically calculate and display the results.
Please note, this functionality currently applies only to BREEAM New Construction Version 7.
With the launch of the new platform there will be no supplementary Microsoft excel scoring and reporting tool for Version 7. Users of BREEAM recognised software will need to use the built-in report.
Any issues with submitting via these platforms should go directly to your BREEAM recognised software provider.
You must confirm your agreement to the data transfer through your platform account. For step-by-step guidance, please refer to the Platform FAQ which will be provided ahead of the BREEAM Platform launch.
No, V7 registrations will not incur any additional fees and will adhere to the existing fee schedule published on 01/05/25. Please visit BREEAM Projects to view the current pricing.
To request BREEAM Bespoke criteria, email BREEAM@bregroup.com for a free proposal. Once accepted, we’ll develop and issue the criteria. After payment, a criteria appendix will be provided to use alongside the Refurbishment & Fit-Out manual. The project must then be registered under the Refurbishment & Fit-Out scheme via BREEAM Projects.
Yes, it is possible to change an existing registration to a newer version of the same scheme and type, however, it is not possible to move a registration to an older version of the scheme.
No, changing version will not incur any additional fees. Please refer to the current fee sheet for details of registration and certification fees. Please visit BREEAM Projects to view the current pricing.
Training, licensing and credentials
Current New Construction Assessors will not be required to complete formal training to transition from Version 6 to Version 7. Instead, a NC V7 | Version Update module will be provided, along with a detailed summary of changes, guidance notes, relevant KBCNs, and FAQs to support you through the scheme update.
Current New Construction licensed assessors and APs will be automatically enrolled into the BREEAM NC V7 | Version Update module. Please login to your BRE Academy account to view and conduct the course. If you do not have an Academy account, please set one up here and contact academy.operations@bregroup.com in order for our operations team to enrol you.
To register a Version 7 New Construction assessment, once registrations are open, assessors must have completed the module. Login to BRE Academy to see further details.
The module will take approximately 4 hours to complete, highlighting the key changes in V7. You are encouraged to review the manual in more detail at your own pace to fully understand the changes.
Yes, all licensed BREEAM New Construction assessors and APs with a subscription will be automatically enrolled onto the BREEAM NC V7 | Version Update. Please log in to your BRE Academy account to view and complete the course. This training counts towards CPD hours, and a certificate of completion will be issued.
No, your existing UK or International New Construction licence covers for all versions of that scheme in that territory.
The current license structure remains in place. If you hold a Commercial Sector license and wish to assess Multi-Residential accommodation, you will need to purchase a Multi-Residential accommodation license.
We are currently working on releasing a new Upskill module that will allow a faster route for existing or new assessors licensed and qualified in one NC V7 localisation (UK or International) to become qualified in both UK and International variants of the manual. You will need to pass all relevant new assessor exams before taking out the new licence.
BREEAM Platform
Please visit our Knowledge Base site to see the full list of FAQs here.