BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) was the world’s first methodology for comparing the environmental impacts of buildings. BREEAM is the industry standard in the UK and is often required by local authority planners to help demonstrate a development’s sustainability.  There are 5 assessment ratings available from Pass to Outstanding.

We have experience across many different building types, new and refurbished. We have a number of experienced licensed assessors and BREEAM Accredited Professionals to guide design teams through BREEAM 2011 and 2014. We are also able to develop and undertake BREEAM International and Bespoke assessments.

To date, we have delivered a number of high profile BREEAM ‘Excellent’ and ‘Outstanding’ rated buildings.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000. The scheme is used as a tool to support clients and design teams to design and develop sustainable buildings and developments that address key concerns such as energy and resource efficiency, indoor environments and sustainable site impacts.

The scheme covers most building types including retail, commercial, offices, education, health and residential projects. In addition, it can be used to assess projects on a phased basis, from entire build projects, to core and shell, fit out and operational projects There are 4 certification levels from Certified to Platinum. LEED is considered the market leader outside of Europe and is particularly prominent in North America and the Middle East.

Our team includes LEED Accredited Professionals who are experienced guiding design teams and clients on the delivery of LEED New Construction and Major Renovation, Core and Shell, and Commercial Interiors assessments. Our experience has enabled us to deliver a number of LEED Gold and Platinum certified projects across Europe. 

GSAS  (Global Sustainability Assessment System), is a building and masterplan sustainability assessment scheme which has been developed by GORD (Gulf Organisation for Research & Development), based in Qatar.

The Scheme was first created between 2007-2009 and a range of updates and building types have since been released. GSAS covers a set of broad sustainability themes covering urban connections, site, energy, water, materials, internal environments, culture and economy and operations. The assessment can be used on a range of project types, from commercial, to sports and education and the assessment looks at both the design, construction and operational stages of the projects lifetime.

There are 6 Star rating categories, and scoring is completed using a toolkit, which places emphasis on certain areas, namely, energy, water and site related items.

We can offer consultancy for GSAS projects and have accredited professionals within our team who have experience in leading design and construction strategies and consulting with clients and project teams on the best approaches to gaining certification. Max Fordham are currently progressing the delivery of a GSAS rated sports scheme.

The Home Quality Mark is the new rating system from the BRE for new build housing.  The Home Quality Mark will give homes an overall star rating, as well as further indicators focusing on “My Cost, My Wellbeing and My Footprint”.

Our experienced Code assessors are also licensed to assess against the Home Quality Mark.