News & Insights

Our latest news and thinking

Built Environment Carbon Database calls for industry collaboration

Built Environment Carbon Database calls for industry collaboration

In response to the need to address the built environment’s impact on climate change, the Built Environment Carbon Database (BECD) has been developed and is now available. The initiative aims ...
solar panels with a sunset in the background

COP 28 to begin in Dubai, highlighting need for immediate climate action

The annual COP conferences are a key platform for world leaders, experts, and organisations to address the climate crisis. This year’s COP 28 takes place as ...
Jane Goddard stands at a podium laden with yellow and blue flowers, behind which a is BRE-branded background

BRE China Awards 2023 highlight pioneering sustainability initiatives

The 2023 BRE China Awards recently concluded in Shanghai, celebrating exceptional contributions to sustainability through BREEAM ...

Poor housing costs the NHS £1.4bn a year

Our findings reveal that 2.6 million homes in England, 11% of the country’s housing stock, are categorised as ‘poor quality’.

According to BRE’s analysis, more than half (£857 million) of this annual NHS treatment bill can be attributed to defects in homes which expose residents to excess cold, while the second biggest cost to the NHS comes from hazards which cause people to fall and injure themselves, often on staircases.

Download the report

The cost of poor housing report from BRE
Push bikes parked in front of trees

BREEAM Version 7 consultation: Shaping the future of BREEAM

Built environment stakeholders from around the world respond to the BREEAM Version 7 consultation and Net Zero Carbon survey to shape the future of green building standards.
BREEAM Infrastructure certified Ramsdaal bridge on E39 in Norway

BRE partners with Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia and Grønn Byggallianse to drive sustainability in Spain and Norway

BRE has partnered with Instituto Tecnológico de Galicia (ITG) and Grønn Byggallianse (NGBC) to deliver BREEAM Infrastructure Foundations training and promote BREEAM Infrastructure in Spain and Norway.
A man sitting at a desk looking at a PC screen showing various building schematics.

The power of specification: building a sustainable future with BREEAM

Specification plays a pivotal role in creating a more sustainable built environment. A strategic approach to specification can embed sustainability at the outset of a project. This involves considering the
Man looking at data on tablet

Launching the Built Environment Carbon Database

The built environment is responsible for around 38% of greenhouse gas emissions globally, which means the construction industry has a crucial role to play in addressing the climate emergency. Reducing

Sustainability
Houses being built with exposed roof trusses

BRE responds to reports of UK government’s u-turn on biodiversity net gains

BRE responds to reports that the UK Government is to delay new environmental building guidelines, which are designed to ensure developers leave the natural environment in a measurably improved state

biodiversity, net zero
Aerial view of green tree tops

BRE responds to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s update to UK green policies

BRE has long argued that we urgently require a clear, long-term plan to transition our homes and buildings away from fossil fuel boilers and on to clean heat, and the

net zero, Sustainability
BRE Global signs MoU with Dubai-based fire testing laboratory Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants

BRE Global signs MoU with Dubai-based fire testing laboratory Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants

BRE Global and Thomas Bell-Wright International Consultants are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations.
A man sitting at a desk looking at a PC screen showing various building schematics.

Environmental Product Declarations for construction products with BRE

The built environment contributes 40% of greenhouse gases globally. In an era defined by growing environmental consciousness, businesses are increasingly recognising the need to adopt sustainable practices to mitigate their

EPD
hands typing on a laptop keyboard

LPCB Certification and Kingspan

Following BRE’s decision last year to end its commercial relationship with Kingspan, BRE now confirms that all existing Kingspan products that were previously listed on RedBookLive have been recertified. BRE
Looking up at a glass skyscaper next to a tree

NABERS UK to seek new administrator as BRE moves to focus on BREEAM

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) and NABERS have today announced that BRE is ending its licence agreement for the energy performance rating tool, NABERS UK, in order to focus on
Indoor environment with houseplants in foreground

Navigating urbanisation: a focus on better standards for indoor air quality

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that outdoor and indoor air pollution contribute to millions of premature deaths annually. As we primarily live within indoor spaces, we become more susceptible

BRE Academy
A view looking upwards of the internal structure of a modern building made from, timber and glass

Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard public consultation

BRE, in collaboration with the construction and built environment sector, is working to create robust and practical solutions to the global climate crisis.

Frameworks to build a better Britain

Frameworks to build a better Britain is a BRE series of roundtables and interviews with planners, architects, policy-makers, and construction experts about the future of the built environment.

Read our latest roundtable discussion, hosted in Manchester on the question: How can Britain’s Built Environment Tackle Social Exclusion?

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The Biophilic Office