BRE and CEEQUAL have announced plans to bring together two schemes, BREEAM and CEEQUAL, to create a single, science-based sustainability standard and certification tool for civil engineering and infrastructure projects in the UK and around the world.
CEEQUAL will transfer its business operations to BRE Global after which CEEQUAL will then be delivered by the BREEAM certification team with continued support from the CEEQUAL scheme management team.
The move is supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers and has been prompted by the industry’s desire for a single sustainability rating scheme that addresses the challenges that infrastructure clients, professions and contractors currently face in delivering more sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The new scheme will also address the need for integration with building-related schemes so that clients with mixed developments can have a single combined rating for their asset.
BRE chief executive, Peter Bonfield said: “Our long-term aspiration with a single scheme is to bring together the significant experience and expertise behind the two rating systems to deliver enhanced environmental and social benefits for civil engineering works and better economic outcomes that benefit society, and broaden up-take in the UK and international markets.
Over the next two years BRE will, with the involvement of the current CEEQUAL and BREEAM delivery teams and communities, combine the best elements and features of both approaches into a new and improved holistic scheme for industry that combines CEEQUAL’s team and process-focused approach with BREEAM’s more asset-based scientific methodology. During this development period CEEQUAL will remain open to new project registrations and current and prospective users are encouraged to bring forward further CEEQUAL assessments, the contracts for which will be fulfilled to their completion.”
CEEQUAL’s Roger Venables said: “CEEQUAL is an internationally respected rating and awards scheme and has been applied to – and positively influenced – some of the UK’s most successful infrastructure projects like Crossrail and the London 2012 Olympics. It is increasingly used outside the UK, especially in Sweden and, most recently, in Qatar. I and my colleagues look forward to working with BRE to develop the next generation rating scheme that will address the significant challenges faced by those working in the sector.”
BREEAM will now launch an open pilot of its new BREEAM infrastructure methodology to verify the science-based metrics that have been developed. This, together with the development work and new metrics behind the planned upgrade of CEEQUAL (Version 6) will inform the next generation scheme which BRE plans to launch in 2017.
