You are here: 4.0 Management > Man 01 Project brief and design

Man 01 Project brief and design

Number of credits available	Minimum standards
4	No

Aim

To recognise and encourage an integrated design process that optimises building performance.

Assessment criteria

This issue is split into two parts:

Stakeholder consultation (2 credits)
Sustainability Champion (2 credits).

The following is required to demonstrate compliance.

One credit – Stakeholder consultation (project delivery)

Prior to completion of the Concept Design (RIBA Stage 2 or equivalent), the project delivery stakeholders (see Relevant definitions) have met to identify and define their roles, responsibilities and contributions for each of the key phases of project delivery.
In defining the roles and responsibilities for each key phase of the project, the following must be considered:
1. End user requirements
2. Aims of the design and design strategy
3. Particular installation and construction requirements/limitations
4. Occupiers' budget and technical expertise in maintaining any proposed systems
5. Maintainability and adaptability of the proposals
6. Requirements for the production of project and end user documentation
7. Requirements for commissioning, training and aftercare support.
The project team demonstrate how the project delivery stakeholder contributions and the outcomes of the consultation process have influenced or changed the Initial Project Brief, including if appropriate, the Project Execution Plan, Communication Strategy, and the Concept Design.

One credit - Stakeholder consultation (third party)

Prior to completion of the Concept Design stage, all relevant third party stakeholders have been consulted by the design team and this covers the minimum consultation content (see compliance note CN3).
The project must demonstrate how the stakeholder contributions and outcomes of the consultation exercise have influenced or changed the Initial Project Brief and Concept Design.
Prior to completion of the detailed design (RIBA Stage 4, Technical Design or equivalent), consultation feedback has been given to, and received by, all relevant parties.

Additionally for Education, Healthcare, Law courts and Major transport node building types only:

The consultation exercise used a method carried out by an independent party. See Relevant definitions.

One credit - Sustainability Champion (design)

A Sustainability Champion has been appointed to facilitate the setting and achievement of BREEAM performance targets for the project. The design stage Sustainability Champion is appointed to perform this role during the feasibility stage (Stage 1, Preparation and Brief stage, as defined by the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 or equivalent).
The defined BREEAM performance target(s) has been formally agreed (see Relevant definitions) between the client and design/project team no later than the Concept Design stage (RIBA Stage 2 or equivalent).
To achieve this credit at the interim design stage assessment, the agreed BREEAM performance target(s) must be demonstrably achieved by the project design. This must be demonstrated via the BREEAM assessor’s design stage assessment report.

One credit - Sustainability Champion (monitoring progress)

The Sustainability Champion criteria 8, 9 and 10 have been achieved.
A Sustainability Champion is appointed to monitor progress against the agreed BREEAM performance target(s) throughout the design process and formally report progress to the client and design team.

To do this the Sustainability Champion must attend key project/design team meetings during the Concept Design, Developed Design and Technical Design stages, as defined by the RIBA Plan of Work 2013, reporting during, and prior to, completion of each stage, as a minimum.

Checklists and tables

None.

Compliance notes

Ref	Terms	Description
Shell and core
CN1	Applicable assessment criteria	Both options: All assessment criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Refer to Appendix D – BREEAM UK New Construction and Shell and Core Project Assessments for a more detailed description of the above shell and core assessment options.
Simple buildings
CN2	Applicable assessment criteria	Stakeholder consultation (project delivery) (1 credit) Criteria 1 to 3. Stakeholder consultation (third party) (1 credit) Criteria 4 to 6; criterion 7 is not applicable . Exemplary level criteria The following outlines the exemplary level criteria to achieve an innovation credit for this BREEAM issue. Sustainability Champion (design) (1 credit) Criteria 8 to 10. Sustainability Champion (monitoring progress) (1 credit) Criteria 11 and 12 .
General
CN3	Minimum consultation content See criterion 4.	The minimum consultation content of the consultation plan will be dependent on the building but would typically include the following: Functionality, build quality and impact (including aesthetics). Provision of appropriate internal and external facilities (for future building occupants and visitors/users). Management and operational implications. Maintenance resources implications. Impacts on the local community, e.g. local traffic/transport impact. Opportunities for shared use of facilities and infrastructure with the community/appropriate stakeholders, if relevant/appropriate to building type. Compliance with statutory (national/local) consultation requirements. Inclusive and accessible design. In the case of educational building types, minimum content also includes: How the building/grounds could best be designed to facilitate learning and provide a range of social spaces appropriate to the needs of pupils, students and other users. In the case of building types containing technical areas or functions, e.g. laboratories, workshops etc., minimum content also includes: The end users broad requirements for such facilities, including appropriate sizing, optimisation and integration of equipment and systems.
CN3.1	Assessing and awarding the available credits for a Sustainability Champion	There is an additional credit for appointing a Sustainability Champion during the construction and handover phase (see BREEAM issue Man 03 Responsible construction practices). The aim of the credit in Man 03 is to encourage and reward contractors and project teams that appoint a Sustainability Champion and therefore ensure continuation of the sustainability objectives during the construction phase and that the constructed building meets the client's target BREEAM rating.
CN3.2	BREEAM-related performance targets See criteria 9 to 12.	If the BREEAM-related performance targets set at the end of the Concept design stage have not been achieved at the post construction stage assessment, the credits awarded at the interim design stage assessment for appointing the Sustainability champion must be withheld in the final assessment. See Man 01 Project brief and design.

Methodology

None.

Evidence

Criteria	Interim design stage	Final post construction stage
All	One or more of the appropriate evidence types listed in The BREEAM evidential requirements section can be used to demonstrate compliance with these criteria.
4-6	Consultation plan setting out the process and scope of the consultation.	As per interim design stage.

Additional information

Relevant definitions

BREEAM-related performance targets

BREEAM performance targets refer specifically to the BREEAM rating and minimum standards required. This does not necessarily include individual targeted BREEAM issues/credits, which may be traded over the course of the project as it evolves. In agreeing a BREEAM target it is recommended that individual BREEAM issues, credits and criteria are targeted or prioritised to ensure that the agreed target is achievable, and achieved without potentially costly alterations to the design at a later stage.

Communication strategy

The RIBA Plan of Works 2013 defines the Communication Strategy as a strategy that sets out when the project team will meet, how they will communicate effectively and the protocols for issuing information between the various parties, both informally and at Information Exchanges.

Consultation feedback

This is feedback which focuses on the stakeholder suggestions, comments, recommendations and the consultation outcomes. This includes how the suggestions and outcomes influenced, or resulted in modifications to, the proposed design and building operation/use.

Formally agreed

The term 'formally agreed' relates to BREEAM performance targets. Examples of formal agreements include a contract or letters of appointment with the architect and with other relevant project team members.

Independent party

To comply with the criterion relating to the use of an independent party, the client/design team needs to demonstrate either of the following options:

They have used a party independent of the design process to conduct the necessary consultation exercise, using a compliant method. Examples of independent compliant methods include, but are not limited to, the Design Quality Indicator1The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) is a method to assess the design quality of buildings www.dqi.org.uk. (DQI), healthcare building also have the option to use the Achieving Excellence Design Evaluation Toolkit (AEDET);
OR
If the consultation is to be carried out by an organisation involved with the design of the building, e.g. the project architect, then they must present the assessor with evidence that robustly demonstrates the independence of the consultation process. BREEAM has not attempted to define what form this evidence must take; the onus is on the design team or relevant individual to clearly demonstrate to the BREEAM assessor a credible level of independence.

Key design team meetings

Key design team meetings can be defined as those where fundamental decisions that influence or affect the building’s proposed design and its construction in accordance with the design (and therefore the building’s sustainability impacts and BREEAM performance), are discussed and made. These meetings would typically include representatives from at least three of the parties listed below.

Representatives of the client/developer
The principal contractor
The architect
Structural engineers
Building services engineers
Cost consultants
Environmental consultants
Project management consultants.

Key phases

The definition of key phases of project delivery includes the following:

Concept Design
Developed Design
Construction
Commissioning and Handover
In-Use occupation.

Project delivery stakeholders

The purpose of criterion 1 is to reflect the need to consider the input of all the major project stakeholders from the earliest practical stage, to ensure smooth and successful delivery of the project's sustainability objectives.
Project delivery stakeholders therefore include the client, the building occupier (where known), the design team and the principal contractor. With regards to contractors' involvement, it ensures their input in terms of formulating sustainable design solutions, commenting/inputting on the practicality and build ability of (one or more) design solutions and their impact on programming, cost etc.
BREEAM recognises that traditionally for some projects, the contractor for the works might not be appointed at the early stages of the project and therefore compliance with criterion 1 would not be possible. In these instances, to ensure the aim of the criteria is upheld, criterion 1 will be met provided that a suitably experienced person with substantial construction/contracting experience in projects similar to the proposed works is involved prior to appointment of the contractor. A suitably experienced person could be a contractor appointed as a consultant for this stage or a construction project manager.

Project Execution Plan

The RIBA Plan of Works 2013 defines a Project Execution Plan as a plan produced in collaboration between the project lead and lead designer, with contributions from other designers and members of the project team. The Project Execution Plan sets out the processes and protocols to be used to develop the design. It is sometimes referred to as a 'project quality plan'.

Relevant third parties (see criterion 4)

This includes but is not limited to the following:

Actual/intended building users (if known) including facilities management (FM) staff or those responsible for the day-to-day operation of the building and grounds.
Representative consultation group from the existing community (if the building is a new development in an existing community) or for a community still under construction.
Existing partnerships and networks that have knowledge of, and experience working on, existing buildings of the same type.
Potential users of any shared facilities, e.g. operators of clubs and community groups.

AND the following where relevant:

In educational buildings, representatives of Local Education Authority, Board of Governors etc.
Local or national historic/heritage groups (over and above any requirements relating to statutory consultees).
Specialist service and maintenance contractors/representatives where the building function has particular technical requirements in complex environments, e.g. buildings containing laboratories.

Sustainability Champion (design and monitoring progress)

Members of formal schemes approved by BRE Global in connection with the provision of design advice. At present the following schemes are deemed to satisfy this requirement:

BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP) Membership Scheme.

Sustainability Champions are trained and qualified to provide BREEAM-related advice to the design team to facilitate timely and successful target setting, scheduling, prioritisation and monitoring of BREEAM compliance relating to the design of the building.
They will be subject to ongoing training and competency requirements to ensure that their knowledge is maintained. Providers of schemes/qualifications not listed, who feel their members meet this definition and who would like to be listed as approved membership schemes, should contact BRE Global.
Note: The aim of the Sustainability Champion credits is to encourage an integrated design and construction process that uses BREEAM as a framework for establishing, agreeing and achieving the desired level of sustainability performance for the project. The Sustainability Champion credits in this BREEAM issue focus on achieving this objective through the provision of appropriate expertise during the preparation and brief, and design stages of the project.

BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP)

An individual trained and qualified by BRE as a specialist inbuilt environment sustainability, environmental design and assessment. The role of the BREEAM AP is to facilitate the project team's efforts to successfully schedule activities, set priorities and negotiate the trade-offs required to achieve a target BREEAM rating when the design is formally assessed. Only qualified individuals who are members of BRE's associated membership scheme comply with the BREEAM Requirements. This membership ensures an adequate level of competence is maintained through regular Continuing Professional Development(CPD) in key relevant areas. For a list and contact details of BREEAM Accredited Professionals, visit http://www.greenbooklive.com/.

Other information

None.