BREEAM Performance Services

HEA02 Indoor Air Quality

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is a sustainability assessment method for buildings that is widely used in the UK and other countries around the world. One of the categories that is assessed in the BREEAM certification process is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). IAQ testing is a critical component of BREEAM certification, and it involves measuring various pollutants and parameters in indoor air to ensure that they are within acceptable levels.

BREEAM IAQ testing typically involves measuring a range of pollutants and parameters, including carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), and humidity levels. These measurements are usually taken over a period of time, often several days or weeks, to obtain a representative sample of the indoor air quality.

HEA05 Acoustic Testing

To achieve the HEA05 credit, the building must meet certain acoustic performance requirements, including:

1. Sound insulation: The building must be designed to provide adequate sound insulation between rooms and between the building and its surroundings.
2. Reverberation time: The building must have an appropriate reverberation time, which is the time it takes for sound to decay to an inaudible level.
3. Noise from building services: The building must be designed to minimize noise from building services such as HVAC systems and elevators.
4. Noise from external sources: The building must be designed to minimize noise from external sources such as traffic, railways, and airports.

Man 04 Commissioning and handover – Thermographic survey

To achieve the Man 04 credit, the building must undergo a thermographic survey during the commissioning process. The survey should be conducted after the building envelope is complete and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are operational. The results of the survey should be compared to established benchmarks and guidelines to ensure that the building is operating as intended.

Overall, the use of thermographic surveys is an important aspect of achieving the Man 04 credit and can help to ensure that the building is operating efficiently and effectively. By identifying areas where improvements can be made, the building owner or operator can take action to reduce energy consumption, improve occupant comfort, and meet the sustainability criteria outlined in the BREEAM certification process.

HEA03 Internal and external lighting levels

Credits are awarded based on the proportion of internal space that meets the relevant best practice illuminance levels. The following standards are considered to contain best practice illuminance (lux) levels:

• EN 12464-1:2011 Light and lighting – Lighting of work places – Part 1: Indoor work places
• Society of Light and Lighting (SLL), Code for Lighting, 2012
• Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), The Lighting Handbook 10th Edition, 2011.
• CIBSE Lighting Guide 7

For areas where computer screens are regularly used projects can specify 300 lux, as referenced in CIBSE Lighting Guide 7, rather than the levels prescribed in the standard EN 12464:2011.

Illuminance (Lux) Levels can either be:

• measured on site by a lighting professional
• determined via Lighting Calculations by a lighting professional with onsite spot checks.

Illuminance measurements are normally required to assess average illuminance or illuminance uniformity on the working plane or other task areas that can be horizontal, vertical or inclined.

• In existing buildings; task areas, e.g. fixed desks, inclined planes of industrial equipment or vertical storage rack faces, are generally known.
• In an open task area, a grid of measurement points should be set out.
  • The distance between the measurement points p is calculated using the formula:

???? = ????.???? ???? ???? (???????????? ????????????)

Where d is the length of the longer dimension of the area being measured.

Thus the number of points in the relevant dimension is given by the nearest whole number of d/p.

The resulting spacing between the grid points is used to calculate the nearest whole number of grid points in the other dimension.

Once illuminance is measured at each grid point, average illuminance can be determined as the arithmetic mean of the measured values. Illuminance uniformity can be calculated as the ratio of the minimum illuminance (as measured) to the average illuminance (as calculated).

For horizontal task planes, a perimeter zone of 0.5m from the walls can be excluded from the measurement area except when a task area is in or extends into this perimeter zone.

Alternatively, spot readings of illuminance may be taken at all locations where people are working, for example on each desk in an open plan office. This is acceptable practice where measurement grids cannot be defined due to the presence of obstructions in the measured areas. An occupied space is deemed compliant if both the average illuminance and the average uniformity ratio (given by minimum illuminance divided by average illuminance) are within standard recommendations.

For spaces with more than one type of task area, each with different best practice illuminance levels, compliance is achieved if the average illuminance and the average uniformity ratio for all task area types are within the best practice recommendations.

Other lighting services include WELL L02.1 Visual Lighting and L03.1 Circadian Lighting Assessments. Contact us for more information.