BREEAM puts the emphasis on green retail
Retailers have been going green for some time now – for example, Marks and Spencer Plan A, the Waitrose Way or Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 – but with the release of a report by BREEAM in March 2017, called Delivering Sustainable Buildings: Value of BREEAM to Retail in the UK, will all the other retailers follow suit?
Published by BREEAM and Currie & Brown, the report offers guidance by drawing on the experience of some of the big retailers and how investing in sustainable retail buildings can help them be more successful. It’s not just a case of the operational payback through energy savings, but also the potential benefits by improving their product or service, whatever their size or role is in the sector.
This is very much a global approach to retailing as evidenced by the BREEAM Awards 2017, where Lidl’s new store in Vaxjo, Sweden took home the award for the world’s greenest new retail building. This is a brand new concept for a chain that continues to shake up the sector and is growing rapidly across Europe. Gaining BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification was part of a long-term approach to value adding for Lidl and is seen as a big step toward becoming a leading sustainable retailer. It wasn’t only about creating a truly sustainable, energy-efficient store but also addressed the health and wellbeing of staff and shoppers.
Ultimately it is about ensuring both the people who work there and the customers have a good experience. In the case of Lidl, it is enhancing the quality of its existing buildings. It has increased its market share and is also looking to improve the way its buildings are constructed and how they look, so much so they are winning BREEAM awards.
BREEAM has become a driver to value, and while for some it may not be a silver bullet, it can demonstrate how the sector can get the most out of their buildings. A change of mindset might be needed, particularly from those retailers who place more of an emphasis on product placement. They will need to widen their thinking and look at the sustainability route.
BREEAM Accredited Professionals can help retailers at the design stage and get the best value out of BREEAM. They can help challenge design decisions to ensure choices made will result in the most efficient and sustainable retail building. Early involvement will make the difference and help retailers achieve their own priorities as part of the certification process.
For more information see: BREEAM and retail.
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[edit] Management:
- BREEAM Sustainability champion
- BREEAM Environmental management
- BREEAM Considerate construction
- BREEAM Monitoring of construction site impacts
- BREEAM Aftercare support
- BREEAM Seasonal commissioning
- BREEAM Testing and inspecting building fabric
- BREEAM Life cycle cost and service life planning
- BREEAM Stakeholder consultation (ac)
- BREEAM Commissioning (ac)
- BREEAM Handover (ac)
- BREEAM Inclusive and accessible design (ac)
- BREEAM Post occupancy evaluation
[edit] Health and Wellbeing
- BREEAM Visual comfort Daylighting (partly ac)
- BREEAM Visual comfort View out
- BREEAM Visual comfort Glare control
- BREEAM Indoor air quality plan
- BREEAM Indoor air quality Ventilation
- BREEAM Thermal comfort
- BREEAM Internal and external lighting (ac)
- BREEAM Indoor pollutants VOCs (ac)
- BREEAM Potential for natural ventilation (ac)
- BREEAM Safe containment in laboratories (ac)
- BREEAM Acoustic performance
- BREEAM Safety and security (ac)
[edit] Energy
- BREEAM Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions
- BREEAM Energy monitoring
- BREEAM External lighting
- BREEAM Low carbon design
- BREEAM Passive design
- BREEAM Free cooling
- BREEAM LZC technologies
- BREEAM Energy efficient cold storage (partly ac)
- BREEAM Energy efficient transportation systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient laboratory systems
- BREEAM Energy efficient equipment (partly ac)
- BREEAM Drying space
[edit] Transport
- BREEAM Transport assessment and travel plan
- BREEAM Public transport accessibility
- BREEAM Sustainable transport measures
- BREEAM Proximity to amenities
- BREEAM Cyclist facilities
- BREEAM Alternative modes of transport (ac)
- BREEAM Maximum car parking capacity
- BREEAM Travel plan
- BREEAM Home office (ac)
[edit] Water
- BREEAM Water consumption
- BREEAM Water efficient equipment
- BREEAM Water monitoring
- BREEAM Water leak detection (ac)
[edit] Materials
- BREEAM Hard landscaping and boundary protection
- BREEAM Responsible sourcing of materials
- BREEAM Insulation
- BREEAM Designing for durability and resilience
- BREEAM Life cycle impacts
- BREEAM Material efficiency (ac)
[edit] Waste
- BREEAM Construction waste management
- BREEAM Recycled aggregates
- BREEAM Speculative floor & ceiling finishes
- BREEAM Adaptation to climate change
- BREEAM Operational waste
- BREEAM Functional adaptability (ac)
[edit] Land Use and Ecology
- BREEAM Site Selection
- BREEAM Ecological value of site
- BREEAM Protection of ecological features
- BREEAM Minimising impact on existing site ecology
- BREEAM Enhancing site ecology
- BREEAM Long term impact on biodiversity (ac)
[edit] Pollution
- BREEAM Impact of refrigerants
- BREEAM NOx emissions
- BREEAM Flood risk management (ac)
- BREEAM Surface water run-off (ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of night time light pollution (partly ac)
- BREEAM Reduction of noise pollution
Once an ISD has been initially created the '(ac)' marker can be removed
This particular index is based around the structure of the New Construction and RFO schemes.