We are delighted to announce that Mike Fry, Senior Consultant, is now fully qualified as a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Healthcare Assessor.

BRREAM is the leading and most flexible solution for undertaking the complex and challenging task of assessing how new and existing buildings perform environmentally. As BREEAM is the market leading solution globally, the Department of Health has stipulated that all capital development schemes achieve a BREEAM score of ‘excellent’ for new builds and ‘very good’ for refurbishments.

Inventures are currently supporting a capital project for Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust where having a BREEAM Healthcare Assessor early on in the project identified that the capital project would not achieve the required score. Changes were implemented at the design stage which will enable a ‘very good’ score to be achieved.

We recommend that all capital projects involving a BREEAM Assessor in the design stage to ensure plans comply with best practice from the outset; maximising results and minimising unexpected expenditure.

In addition, BREEAM can aid the efficiency of the planning process as sustainability features can be easily illustrated to the local planning authority.