Exploring Links between EIA, BREEAM and CEEQUAL

SPEAKERS:Charlotte Brewin AssociateRPS

Ivan Rodrigeuz Technical DirectorURS

Angela CraddySustainability Consultant Mott MacDonald

Helen DenhamEnvironmental CoordinatorMott MacDonald

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EIA, BREEAM and CEEQUAL How do they currently interact?

Delivered by Charlotte Brewin,Associate at RPS

29th May 2014

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Timing of Assessments

0. Strategic Direction

1. Preparation & Brief

2. Concept Design

3. Developed Design

4. Technical Design

5. Construction6. Handover & Close Out

7. In Use

RIBA Plan of Work

BREEAM

CEEQUAL

EIA

Planning Applications

typically submitted at end of Stage 3

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Key Stages of EIA

Screening ScopingAssessment

of EffectsEnvironmental

StatementPlanning Decision

**New EIA Directive**Introducing potential

new stage of Monitoring and Measurement

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4 Technical Design (Detailed)

6 Handover & Close Out

5 Construction

7 Operation (Maintenance) Plan

3 Developed Design (Outline)

1 Preparation and Brief

2 Concept Design (Preliminary)

0 Strategic

BREEAM Assessor submits final report to BRE for validation and final certification

Final Evidence Verification/Ratification Board AWARD

Construction team collates evidence and issues to BREEAM Assessor

Project close out evidence collated and uploaded by assessor

BRE validates assessment and issues interim certificate

Design Team Collates evidence; Assessor reviews and reports to BRE Provide CQ evidence to assessor

Predictive Assessment Provide CQ evidence to assessor

Register Scheme CQ evidence to assessor

Appoint BREEAM Assessor

Identify need for BREEAM ratingIdentify Project Strategy with appointed

CEEQUAL Assessor

CQ Pre-assessment scoping and scoring workshop

Register Scheme

CQ Contractors Workshop and collate evidence

Key Stages of BREEAM and CEEQUAL

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“An EIA is an assessment that feeds into the planning approvals process, but does not assess how well the subsequent project is actually delivered.

Clearly because CEEQUAL Verification is completed at the end of the project it assesses what has actually happened. This also allows CEEQUAL to provide a means of assessing whether the recommendations from an EIA actually get implemented.

CEEQUAL also provides a very good means for projects that do not require a formal EIA to comprehensively consider environmental issues.”

Philip Charles, CEEQUAL

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Scope of AssessmentEIA BREEAM CEEQUAL

Depends on project, agreed at scoping

Defined topic areas, detail dependant on building type

Defined during scoping exercise

Can Include Will Include Can Include

Air Quality (and Climate Change) Management Project Strategy

Cultural Heritage Health and Wellbeing Project Management

Ecology and Nature Conservation Energy People & Communities

Hydrology and Flood Risk Transport Land Use and Landscape

Landscape and Visual Resources Water Historic Environment

Noise and Vibration Materials Ecology & Biodiversity

Social and Economic Effects Waste Water Environment

Soils, Agriculture and Land Use Land Use and Ecology Physical Resource Use and Management

Traffic and Transport Pollution Transport

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Interaction in evidence base

EIA BREEAM

Air Quality (and Climate Change) Management

Cultural Heritage Health and Wellbeing (includes indoor air quality and acoustic performance)

Ecology and Nature Conservation Energy

Hydrology and Flood Risk Transport

Landscape and Visual Resources Water

Noise and Vibration Materials

Social and Economic Effects Waste

Soils, Agriculture and Land Use Land Use and Ecology

Traffic and Transport Pollution (includes Surface Water Runoff, Light Pollution and Noise Attenuation)

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BREEAM and Hinkley Point C

Information from EIA Authors:-Ecology

TransportLandscape

NoiseHydrology and Flood Risk

Sustainability Strategy

Design Codes and Design Strategies

Construction Strategy

BREEAM Predictive Assessments for 3

Main Buildings

Design and Post Construction Assessments

Angela Craddy Sustainability Consultant Water and Environment

Helen Denham Environmental Manager Transportation

And are they at risk of duplicating efforts?

The opportunity or overlap?

Reducing flexibility to minimise impact

Increasing knowledge of detail

Progress of the delivery processSustainability opportunity

ConstructionCommissioning

andhandover

Operationand

maintenance

Detailed design & procurement

Project start-up

Option selection

Decommissioning

Environmental Impact Assessment

BREEAM and CEEQUAL Assessments

- Legislative minimum

- Best practice option for market leaders

Outline design

Rating systems evolve and push “business as usual” to higher standards

Source: “USGBC White Paper – Greening the Codes”, US Green Building Council, 2010

Each of the major rating systems is re-developed every 2 or 3 years to stay ahead of progressive building codes.

12

How does each method addresses… ecology?EIA

• Screening

• Scoping

• Baseline surveys

• Assessment of Impacts

• Mitigation

Conditioned at discretion of planning authority

CEEQUAL

LE 02 Ecological value of site and protection of ecological features

LE 03 Mitigating ecological impact (Mandatory)

LE 04 Enhancing site ecology

LE 05 Long term impact on biodiversity

Manchester Civil Justice Centre – multi award winner BREEAM ‘Excellent’

6.1.1 Land of high ecological value

6.1.2 Consultation with Nature Conservation

Organisations

6.1.3 Ecological Works Plan (Mandatory)

6.2.1 Surveys for protected species

6.2.2 Injurious or invasive species

6.3.1 Existing ecological features –

Recommendations

6.3.2 Existing ecological features –

monitoring

6.3.3 Existing ecological features –

implementation success

6.4.1 New wildlife habitats

6.4.2 Special features for wildlife

6.4.3 Net increase in area / features of high value

6.5.1 Ongoing ecological management

6.5.2 Programme for monitoring

The opportunity?

Motivations are different….• legislation vs best practice

• mitigate vs enhance

• design vs whole-life-cycle

SMART – EIA, CEEQUAL and BREEAM

SMART – – Specific

– Measurable

– Achievable

– Repeatable

– Realistic

– Timeframe

NET2 Nottingham

Delivery and Performance

• EIA Statute driven

– Mitigation of impacts by design

• CQ and BREEAM seek

– Intention

– Commitment

– Whole-life approach

– Cradle to grave/gate

– Targets and Quantifiable assessments

– Mitigation measures

– Operational Plans and MonitoringNET2 Nottingham

Implementation Evidence

Post EIA assessment - – Contract documents

– Environmental Management Plans

– Training and induction

– Environmental Risk Register

– Consents and permits

– Generic and Specific Method Statements

– Communication

What EIA, BREEAM and CEEQUAL assessment methods can learn from each other?

Ivan Rodriguez

Technical Director

29 May 2014

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

What can these assessment methods learn from each other?

• Regulations & complexity

• Reporting, Scoping & Measurement

• Transparency

• Impact on different project stages

• Evidence gathering during design process

• Quality assurance

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Regulations & complexity

• EIAs can be complex, they follow a regulatory regime

• Both BREEAM and CEEQUAL try to ensure that best practice (beyond regulations) is incorporated in the planning, design, construction and operation of Buildings and Infrastructure projects. BREEAM is required by some Local Planning Authorities whist CEEQUAL is voluntary.

• BREEAM and CEEQUAL follow a Technical / Assessment manual based on specific criteria.

• The BREEAM standard is subject to consultation and review every 3 years. This is aligned with the publication of Part L of Building Regulations.

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Reporting, scoping & measurement • The procedure for carrying out an EIA requires the

developer to compile an Environmental Statement which describes the likely significant effects of the development on the environment and includes proposed mitigation measures. The approach for each EIA topic/issue can be quantitative or qualitative.

• The CEEQUAL scoping process parallels the EIA scoping stage and this is useful in many ways. The assessment is carried out online and submitted to the verifier.

• BREEAM is more rigid, allowances for scoping out credits are limited and higher flexibility is only allowed in Bespoke assessments. Both BREEAM and CEEQUAL ratings are evidence based and quantitative (%score , Ratings).

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Transparency

• EIA is a very transparent assessment method, as the whole ES submitted to the LPA is publicly available

• BREEAM and CEEQUAL are slightly less transparent to the general public (although this is changing with the publication of the case studies for both BREEAM Man 5 and CEEQUAL 2.5.2) these are not mandatory

• The production and publication of detailed case studies for both BREEAM and CEEQUAL to enable lessons learnt and best practice to be disseminated should be mandatory

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Impact on different project stages• EIA, BREEAM and CEEQUAL should start at earliest

project stage to maximise sustainability, added value and minimise risks.

• The EIA approach is driven by regulation and it is specific for each development type, location, etc.

• BREEAM can assess a Masterplan, the design and construction of a specific building ,and monitor its sustainability performance (yearly) through BREEAM In-use.

• CEEQUAL starts with the strategy section and assess the design and construction of Infrastructure projects. Can also manage the maintenance of Term Contracts.

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Impact on different project stages

RIBA Plan of Work Stage

0 Strategic definition

1 Preparation

and Brief

2 Concept Design

3 Developed

Design

4 Technical

Design

5 Construction

6 Handover and close

out

7 In Use

EIA

BREEAM Communities

BREEAM NC 2014

BREEAM Sh, Refb & FO

BREEAM In Use

CEEQUAL

Pre-application discussions

EIA / Planning

Step 1 Assessment and Interim Certification

Pre-assessment

Step 2 Assessment

Step 2 & 3 Ass & Certification

Design Stage Assessment

Interim Design

Certification

Construction Ass & Certification

Shell Certification

Refub & FO Certification

Assess & Certification

Pre-assessmentDesign Stage (WTA Interim) Ass & Cert

Construction Stage (WTA) Ass & Cert

Maintenance term

contract

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Evidence gathering during design process

• EIA, CEEQUAL and BREEAM assessments cover similar topics/issues such as transport, ecology, noise, waste, ground contamination, flood risks etc. but they are treated in a different way.

• EIA illustrates or predicts the effects of a development (or activity) that is likely to have a significant environmental effect, it then justifies how this effect can be mitigated against, through short, medium or long term measures.

• CEEQUAL and BREEAM usually set targets at the

beginning of the design process, in terms of a score that should be achieved.

EIA Webinar - Discuss the linkage between EIA and BREEAM and EIA and CEEQUAL

Quality assurance

• An EIA can be challenged as the ES is publicly available so thorough internal and legal review is key.

• CEEQUAL assessment have a two tier Quality Assurance process (verification and ratification). This QA level should be maintained.

• BREEAM assessments are quality assured by BRE Global Limited, which is an independent certification body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and certified to ISO 9001 for all its BREEAM related activities.

SUMMARY - Links between EIA, BREEAM and CEEQUAL

Any comments or questions?

Collaborative Approach

Market Driven Commercial

Competitive

Quality Markers

Self – Regulation Best practice

Statutory Compliance

Whole Lifecycle approach

Independent Certification and Ratification

Quality, sustainable and environmental developments