The scope of services offered under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) international scheme has been extended with the launch of BREEAM International Refurbishment & Fit-Out (RFO)
The development of BREEAM RFO follows on from an equivalent scheme in the UK. Under the UK version a variety of refurbishment and fit-out projects have been BREEAM rated, ranging from central London office blocks and shops, including the famous Foyles bookshop, to out-of-town superstores.聽聽
鈥淏REEAM International RFO provides a tailored version of the scheme that can assess refurbishment and fit-out projects all over the world, by taking account of the range of local and regional standards, conditions and climates,鈥� said scheme manager Sarah Summerson. 鈥淲here ever they are, improving existing buildings presents difficult challenges 鈥� the BREEAM RFO assessment scheme recognises these by being sufficiently flexible to assess projects against the issues that each can reasonably be expected to influence.鈥�
The scheme鈥檚 four-part modular approach gives a range of certification options. Part One deals with the building fabric and structure, Part Two is concerned with core services (e.g. centralised M&E plant), Part Three deals with local services and Part Four with interior design. Refurbishment and fit-out projects can be assessed against one or all of the four parts, or any combination, depending on which are relevant to a particular project. This gives the option for just part of a building to be assessed (e.g. a shop fit-out) or the entire building.