Building Research Establishment BRE
In 1917, the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research proposed the creation of an organisation to investigate building materials and methods of construction for new housing.
In June 1920, the Building Research Board met for the first time and in 1921 The Building Research Station (BRS), a government-funded laboratory, was established to carry out research work for the Board.
In 1972, the Building Research Station became the Building Research Establishment (BRE).
The Building Research Establishment was privatised in 1997, owned by a new body, the Foundation for the Built Environment (FBE), since which time it has referred to itself as BRE. In 2005, the Foundation was renamed the BRE Trust.
BRE is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries. Its head office is in Watford and it has regional offices in Scotland and Wales.
BRE activities include:
- Consultancy.
- Research and innovation.
- Testing, certification, approvals and listings (such as the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) and GreenBookLive).
- Sustainability and BREEAM (BREAAM is the BRE Environmental Assessment Method. First launched in the UK in 1990, it sets best practice standards for the environmental performance of buildings).
- Training, events and accreditation (such as the BRE Energy Assessor Accreditation Schemes).
As well as BRE, other BRE Group activities include:
- BRE Global, an independent, third-party approvals organisation working to ensure that fire, security, environmental and other products and services provide the quality of performance and protection that they should.
- BRE Ventures, bringing together innovators, networks and funding streams to take innovation to market quickly.
All profits made by the BRE Group are gift aided to the BRE Trust, the largest UK charity dedicated to research and education in the built environment.
In February 2019, Gillian Charlesworth became the new chief executive of BRE following Peter Bonfield's move to become vice-chancellor and president of the University of Westminster.
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