Voting opens for BREEAM Awards 2026 People’s Choice categories

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has opened voting for the People’s Choice categories at the BREEAM Awards 2026, giving the public the opportunity to recognise projects and organisations leading the way in sustainable building design, operation and management.

The People’s Choice vote covers two new categories for 2026: Small Project, Big Impact and Multi-Certification Leadership. The categories reflect BREEAM’s commitment to recognising sustainability leadership across the built environment, from smaller projects delivering significant community benefit to organisations using multiple certification schemes to support more holistic ESG performance.

The Small Project, Big Impact category celebrates projects under 5,000m² that demonstrate exceptional sustainability, innovation or community benefit, proving that scale is no barrier to impact. The category highlights how smaller-scale projects can still deliver meaningful outcomes for the built environment, from improving access to vital services and supporting disadvantaged communities to regenerating existing buildings and reducing environmental impact.

Finalists include the Barking Community Diagnostic Centre in London, a BREEAM Excellent healthcare facility improving access to diagnostics in an underserved urban area. Elsewhere, in Madrid, a BREEAM Outstanding mixed-use office has transformed a disused industrial site while delivering over 75% energy savings, a 70% CO2 reduction and 58% water savings.

The Multi-Certification Leadership category recognises organisations that showcase exceptional commitment to sustainability by achieving and integrating multiple certifications. Finalists include Vacse Skeppsbron 5 AB in Sweden, a public sector office building which achieved BREEAM Outstanding alongside others. Portfolio-level finalists include Aviva Investors, which has applied BREEAM and complementary certifications across a diverse European real estate portfolio spanning offices, retail and logistics.

See all the BREEAM Awards 2026 finalists here.

Tom Wilson, Director of Building Performance Services at BRE, said:

“The BREEAM Awards celebrate the projects and organisations pushing the boundaries of sustainability across the built environment.
“Our People’s Choice categories give the public the opportunity to recognise some of the best examples of sustainability leadership, from smaller projects delivering real community benefit to organisations using multiple certifications to drive greater resilience and long-term performance.
“These shortlisted entries show how BREEAM continues to support better outcomes across buildings and portfolios of all sizes, in markets around the world.”

The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday 30 September at the BREEAM-certified Peninsula London hotel, bringing together industry leaders and innovators from across the globe to celebrate the transformative power of buildings in shaping a sustainable future.

BREEAM has been the world-leading sustainability assessment method for planning projects, infrastructure and buildings for over 30 years, with over 2.9 million buildings now BREEAM-registered.

Voting for the BREEAM Awards 2026 People’s Choice categories is now open here: Voting | BREEAM Awards.

Voting closes on Monday 13 July.