BREEAM Speculative floor & ceiling finishes

[edit] Aim and benefits

This credit is designed to minimise the waste involved in installing undesirable floor finishes in office spaces.

It is common that when a tenant moves in to an office, they replace floor and/or ceiling finishes to match their corporate branding, or corporate tastes. If floor/ceiling finishes have already been installed by the developer, frequently these will be removed and disposed of. By reducing the quantity of installed floor finishes, or agreeing with the occupant in advance, this waste can be near eliminated.

[edit] When to consider

At detailed design stage, prior to RIBA stage 4 freeze when the finishes and fit-out elements are specified.

This credit is not applicable to shell only projects.

[edit] Step by step guidance

The building is occupied by a specific occupant - the occupant shall select/agree the floor and ceiling finishes. The agreement must be recorded and documented for inclusion in the BREEAM evidence documents

The building is tenanted - Floor and ceiling finishes shall not be specified unless the future tenants/occupants are known and agreed on the fit-out finishes - as above, the agreement documents to be provided for inclusion in evidence documents

If the future occupants are unknown, finishes can be installed in the show areas only - see below for the limitation on show areas

[edit] Questions to ask while seeking compliance

Is it a show area, if so to award the credit it must be less than 25% of the net lettable floor area. Or where the future occupant is not known, and finishes are being installed to more than 25%, will there be a clause included within the lease agreement to ensure that the tenant can not remove the finishes unless necessary due to wear and tear?

Is the future occupant known or not? Have they agreed to the finishes specified?

[edit] Tools and resources

BREEAM UK New Construction 2014 SD5076 – Issue: 5.0 - WST 04

Knowledge Base Articles - UK New Construction 2014 - WST 04

[edit] Tips and best practice

tbc

[edit] Typical evidence

Design Stage
For tenanted areas where the future tenant is not known: design drawings should be provided to show floor and ceiling finishes are to be installed to a show area only (no more than 25% of the lettable floor area) or that no finishes are to be installed. Alternatively, a copy of the relevant section/clauses of the building specification or contract could be provided.

Where the future tenant is not known, and the developer wishes to install finishes as part of their scope of work, they must provide a formal letter to confirm that there will be a clause within their lease agreement to ensure that finishes will not to be removed or replaced by tenants unless required due to wear and tear or damage.

Where the future occupant is known, then they should provide written confirmation that they have specified or agreed to the finishes that are to be installed.

Post Construction
As design stage + BREEAM assessor’s site inspection report and photographic evidence to show the ceiling/floor finishes that have been installed. Copy of tenancy agreement, where finishes are to be installed and future occupant is not known.

[edit] Applicable Schemes

The guidelines collated in this ISD aim to support sustainable best practice in the topic described. This issue may apply in multiple BREEAM schemes covering different stages in the life of a building, different building types and different year versions. Some content may be generic but scheme nuances should also be taken into account. Refer to the comments below and related articles to this one to understand these nuances. See this document for further guidelines.

• UK New Construction 2014

This document was originally created on 17/01/18 in a collaboration of the following BREEAM Professionals: Jane Morning, Cat Clarkson, Azita Dezfouli and Tom Abbott

BRE Global does not endorse any of the content posted and use of the content will not guarantee the meeting of certification criteria.

--Multiple Author Article 22:13, 21 Apr 2018 (BST)