Comparison of Design Criteria of BREEAM and LEED Certification in the Context of Healthcare Buildings

*Sevil Jahed and Cüneyt Kurtay* 

### **Abstract**

Today, certification has evolved due to enhanced restricted resources and energy consumption. These certifications provide to be sustainable by creating greener, sustainable, healthy, and liveable environment with these criteria reformed in different topics. In this research, the most preferred and applied Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification researched and compared to the criteria and control systems they have established for the sustainable sites and materials and resources in health-based hospital buildings. Officially, data is collected from BREEAM and LEED certification guideline, technical standards, resources, and credit library. Ultimately, LEED and BREEAM certification encourages and provides a flexible method of assessing projects for different countries. Therefore, in these certification strategy designed to be ease of future adaptation and flexible to potential future construction and occupant requirement.

**Keywords:** healthcare buildings, BREEAM, LEED, sustainable sites, materials, green building rating system, certification

#### **1. Introduction**

Green building rating systems are consensus based, market driven, and voluntary systems. They can be mentioned as performance standards in order to certify the construction and design. Generally, the aim of green building rating systems is to encourage durable, healthful, affordable, and environmental sound practices in building design and construction. Also, systems protect and enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services, build a green economy, enhance individual human health, protect and restore water resources, reduce contribution to global climate change, promote sustainable and regenerative material cycles, and enhance community quality of life.

By looking at the most approved green building rating system, LEED and BREEAM to create a comprehensive integration framework to guide a general review to survey the theoretical foundation is chosen. In this paper, the features of sustainable sites and materials subtitles in BREEAM and LEED assessment tools and their principles are reviewed, evaluated, and compared from the viewpoint of the sustainable assessment tools design. Generally, green building rating systems overview, for LEED and BREEAM certification has a point and credit structure. Also, this rating system carries a scoring to evaluate a buildings' performance to determine its compliance with relative credits requirements. In this study, we compared the assessment results of by two sustainable assessment tools design methods of sustainable sites and materials subtitles in LEED and BREEAM to understand the differences and similarities of the assessment methods.

When the final goal for a high performance green building is to achieve a certain certification such as BREEAM or LEED certification, some of most critical issues will include such as which rating system is suitable and what is the difference of the circumstances and documentation. In addition, the challenge to achieve certification have extra costs and the fact that the rating systems is often difficult to understand what exactly required for a specific credit and difference and similarity.

The aim of the research is to reveal common and different points of view, viewpoints, and control systems under the headings of BREEAM [1] and LEED [2] on sustainable sites and material in health-based hospital structures. Also, the intent of this research is to understand the differences and similarities of the assessment methods on high performance building. There are several titles in certification and sustainable sites and materials and resources titles are chosen because of their importance. LEED v.4 for building design and construction and BREEAM international new construction 2016 systems in healthcare building are taken into account in this research because they are latest versions. There are eight groups for the LEED certification: indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, transportation, materials and resources, sustainable sites, innovation, location and energy and atmosphere and regional priority.

BREEAM certification is collected under 10 categories. These categories are grouped under 10 headings as health and wellbeing, management, energy, water, land use and ecology, transport, materials, waste, pollution, and innovation. Kömürlü and others investigated LEED green building certification addressed water efficiency issues in detail and established 10% of the total points available to the water efficiency category. Thus, these two categories (i.e., indoor environmental quality and water efficiency) have great impact on sustainability as they jointly account for 25% of the total points available [3]. Yıldız and Arslan investigated about some certification bodies worldwide, which measures the performance of green buildings, and certified them in accordance with standards such as LEED, BREEAM, GREEN STAR, CASBEE, and DNGB [4]. Wu and others have reviewed the credit system in the "LEED" certification [5].

#### **2. BREEAM and LEED certification**

BREEAM international new construction 2016 systems on land use and ecology and materials in health-based building collected under several titles. There are different categories for the BREEAM certification, which are presented in **Table 1** [1].

LEED V4 for building design and construction on sustainable sites and materials and resources in health-based buildings is collected under several titles. There are different categories for the LEED certification, which are presented in **Table 2** [2].

*Comparison of Design Criteria of BREEAM and LEED Certification in the Context… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 


#### **Table 1.**

*Credit and aim of land use and ecology and materials subtitles in BREEAM certification [1].* 



#### **Table 2.**

*Credit and aim of sustainable sites and materials and resources subtitles in LEED certification [2].* 

#### **3. Comparison of sustainable sites and materials criteria in BREEAM and LEED certifications in the context of healthcare buildings**

With BREEAM 2016, the LEED V.4 2017 certification was examined and the criteria under each heading were examined in this section. The similarities and differences were revealed by comparing the conditions of each item with each other. Therefore, the titles, criteria, requirements, and scores that are important for two different certifications have been determined.

There are several titles in BREEAM and LEED certification, but all topics are not similar. Therefore, sustainable sites, and materials subtitles can be considered as the mutual titles of these certifications. Subtitles on sustainable sites and materials subtitles in BREEAM and LEED certification are given in **Table 3**. By **Table 3**, LEED and BREEAM certification on sustainable sites, and materials subtitles have been compared on a similar and different topic basis. Subtitles are compared to the relevant topic in table. Titles in **Table 3** with the same contents are given in the same line.


#### **Table 3.**

*Comparison of sustainable sites and materials subtitles and criteria in BREEAM and LEED certifications.* 

 **Table 3** shows that in sustainable sites heading some titles are similar such as ecological value of site and protection of ecological features, enhancing site ecology, long term impact on biodiversity, and site development—protect or restore habitat. Additionally, some titles are similar like as site selection, environmental site assessment, and site assessment. Also, the other titles are different from the others such as light pollution reduction, open space, places of respite, rainwater management, construction activity pollution prevention, heat island reduction, and direct exterior access topics. Moreover, in materials heading shows some titles are similar such as material efficiency white building product optimization and disclosure—environmental product declarations, building product optimization and disclosure – sourcing of raw materials and building product optimization and disclosure – material ingredients. Also, the other titles are different from the others such as furniture and medical furnishings, pbt source reduction—mercury, pbt source reduction— cadmium,

lead, and copper, demolition and construction waste management, demolition and construction waste management planning and collection and storage of recyclables.

In **Table 4**, the rules, methods, standards and regulations that must be followed in order to apply on sustainable sites issues in BREEAM and LEED certification are given according to the subheadings.

In **Table 5**, the rules, methods, standards, and regulations that must be followed in order to apply on materials issues in BREEAM and LEED certification are given according to the subheadings. As it is understood from table, different documents, table values, the calculation methods, and requirements are used as reference for the same headings for the rules to be followed in BREEAM and LEED certification [6, 7].

Therefore, in the BREEAM and LEED green building rating systems, titles have met several different general expressions, limit values, programs, attachments, online template, checklist table values, and calculation methods that are used in order to meet the criteria mentioned in the systems.


*Comparison of Design Criteria of BREEAM and LEED Certification in the Context… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 


#### **Table 4.**

*Subtitles on sustainable sites in BREEAM and LEED certifications documents [1].* 



**Table 5.** 

*Subtitles on materials in BREEAM and LEED certifications documents [2, 8–10].* 

#### **4. Conclusion**

 BREEAM certification consists of 10 main criteria and the buildings examine some of the main criteria and indicate to which building the specific criteria are included. In the LEED certification, there are eight main headings and the hospitals are separated as a separate topic title. This section of the assessment criteria is specified or score calculation is required. LEED and BREEAM certification have point changes for the same criteria. This means different weights are given to the same criteria [11, 12]. LEED and BREEAM sustainability assessment methods are different on sustainable sites and materials in health-based hospital buildings. LEED has been evaluated over nine points and four different certificates have been awarded while the BREEAM evaluation system has evaluated over four points and has six different certificate types. There are several different and similar sub-headings on sustainable sites and materials title in the LEED and BREEAM certification. In addition, some criteria are not found in the other certification [13, 14]. In the BREEAM and LEED certifications, it has been determined that is either the general expression limit values or the use of certain computer programs or table values, the

#### *Comparison of Design Criteria of BREEAM and LEED Certification in the Context… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836*

calculation methods are used in order to meet the criteria mentioned in the sustainable sites and materials in both systems. BREEAM general intent from land use and ecology category is encourages habitat protection and enhancement of long-term biodiversity for the construction's site and neighboring land. Issues in this part associate to the reclaim of brownfield sites or low ecological evaluation, extenuation, and enhancement of ecology and long-range biodiversity management. LEED general intent from sustainable sites category is encourages about the environment neighborhood the construction, with credits that are accentuate the vital relationships among construction and ecosystem services. BREEAM and LEED certification comparing similarity and differential to the criteria and control systems on the sustainable sites in health-based hospital buildings are by the following.

 In terms of similarity in BREEAM and LEED certification on site selection and assessment issue in BREEAM that is the site selection title. This issue includes previously occupied land and contaminated land parts option. Also, these options have been adopted as nationally recognized guidance for risk assessment, appraisal of contaminated land and site investigation. Requirements are available in the nationally recognized code of regulations. Moreover, in LEED certification environmental site assessment issue includes remediating the site to meet residential standards of national, state or local environmental protection agency region. Site assessment issue includes document assessment or site survey that includes the following information: topography, hydrology, soils, vegetation, climate, human use, and human health effects. In terms of similarity in BREEAM and LEED certification on site ecology, biodiversity, and habitat issue in BREEAM that is ecological value of site and protection of ecological features title. This issue includes Ecological value of site and protection of ecological features parts. Relating ecology reports to BREEAM guidance is available on the BREEAM website in guidance note 13. Enhancing site ecology issue includes recommendations and reports of ecologists and contributes increasing parts about ecological value. Also, for assessment criteria and issue applied, the SQE's (suitably qualified ecologist) report highlighting information needed in guidance note 13 completed by the ecologist. Long-term impact on biodiversity issue includes preliminary investigation, site investigation report instruction, and options for remediation instruction parts. Additionally, in LEED certification site development protect or restore habitat issue include on site restoration and financial support parts. Additionally, about sustainable sites initiative performance benchmarks 2009 and guidelines, restore soils disturbed during construction credit 7.2: natural resources conservation service is available. In terms of differential in BREEAM and LEED certification on sustainable sites titles in LEED is the - heat island reduction issue includes non-roof and roof (non-roof measures, high-reflectance roof and vegetated roof) and parking under cover parts. Open space issue includes the criteria of site development-protect or restore habitat and contain elements of human interplay. Moreover, outdoor space must be physically accessible. Light pollution reduction issue includes up light BUG rating method, up light calculation method, light trespass BUG rating method, light trespass calculation method parts. Additionally included maximum vertical illuminance at lighting boundary, by lighting zone, internally illuminated exterior signage and exemptions from up light and light trespass requirements parts. Places of respite issue must be outdoors, or be located in interior atria, conditioned spaces, solaria, or greenhouses. Additionally, all areas and outdoor areas must meet the certain requirements. Direct exterior access issue includes requirements of credit places of respite strategies that are directly neighboring to clinical areas. Additionally, spaces meet the requirements for outdoor air contamination concentrations list in credit enhanced indoor air quality strategies. Rainwater management issue includes percentile of rainfall events and natural land cover conditions parts. Construction activity pollution prevention issue includes requirements of the 2012 U.S. construction general permit (CGP) environmental protection agency (EPA). Additionally, there is not any credit in this issue in BREEAM.

In terms of similarity in BREEAM and LEED certification on life cycle issue in BREEAM is the – life cycle impacts issue includes environmental product declarations (EPD). Also, in LEED certification building life-cycle ımpact reduction issue include points for reuse of building materials and whole-building life-cycle assessment options. In terms of differential in BREEAM and LEED certification on materials and resources titles in BREEAM that is responsible sourcing of construction products issue includes sustainable procurement plan and responsible sourcing of construction products options. Moreover, there is not any credit in this issue in LEED. About PBT source reduction titles in LEED is the–mercury issue that includes criteria for rated life of low-mercury lamps and maximum mercury content of lamps. Additionally about lead, cadmium, and copper issues include specify substitutes for materials manufactured with lead and cadmium, but there is not any credit in this issue in BREEAM.

Consequently, in these certifications, each country seems to have implemented applicable national codes and regulations according to their social and technical structures. Therefore, other countries need to revise in consideration of these systems and match of own country's circumstances.

#### **Author details**

Sevil Jahed1 \* and Cüneyt Kurtay2

1 Department of Architecture, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey

2 Department of Architecture, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

\*Address all correspondence to: arch.sevil.j@gmail.com

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*Comparison of Design Criteria of BREEAM and LEED Certification in the Context… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87836* 

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**855**

**Chapter 69**

**Abstract**

Bioethics

*Nesrin Çobanoğlu*

addition to these characteristics.

framework of environmental bioethical values.

sustainability

**1. Introduction**

Sustainable Buildings from the

Today, modern cities are one of the main reasons for current environmental problems. For the solution of these problems, it appears as a necessity to transform the buildings, which are the building blocks of cities, into sustainable structures and also to assign environmental bioethical responsibilities on both individual and society levels. In terms of sustainability, it is important to understand that only a human-centered perspective will not be sufficient; therefore, while constructing and using sustainable buildings, the designing should be based on an environmental bioethics value system. Thus, while constructing sustainable buildings, the environmental bioethics value system should be taken as basis, as well as conservation of energy and human needs. For a sustainable life, sustainable buildings are required within the scope of biopolitics created by adopting environmental bioethical values. Sustainability generally refers to the dynamic situations where systematic needs can be fulfilled in the long term. However, in the ecological context, sustainability can be used to define healthy, self-renewable, no waste-generating, durable, and flexible ecosystems. A sustainable socio-ecological system must include acceptable norms in terms of ethics in

**Keywords:** environmental bioethics, sustainable building, ethics, future generations,

In general, environmental bioethics is the systematic study of moral relations between people and their natural environment. The theory of environmental ethics has to explain what these rules are, to whom and to what people have responsibilities, and to demonstrate how these responsibilities are justified. These buildings have ecological responsibility and resource productivity throughout their life cycle from design to construction, operation to maintenance, and renewal to destruction. Those buildings which are designed on the principle of minimizing the solid, liquid, and gas wastes as well as the renewable consumption of resources such as energy, water, and building materials can be regarded as sustainable buildings. When constructing sustainable buildings, it is important to design them within the

Perspective Environmental

#### **Chapter 69**
