How does BREEAM-NL work?
BREEAM-NL assesses a building across nine sustainability categories, from energy to materials. You earn credits per category. These are weighted, added up and converted into a final score as a percentage. That score determines your rating and stars. The method is managed by the Dutch Green Building Council and is fully set out in the BREEAM-NL guideline . The assessment is carried out by an independent Assessor, whom you will meet further down this page.
The idea is simple. You collect evidence that your building makes certain sustainable choices. An independent assessor checks that evidence and awards the credits. The more credits you earn, the higher your score. Which scheme you use depends on the type of project.
The nine categories of BREEAM-NL
Every building is assessed against the same nine categories. You can earn extra points on top of these with innovation credits. Below you can see what each category covers.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Management | How the construction and management process is organised |
| Health | Daylight, air quality, comfort and wellbeing of users |
| Energy | Energy use, insulation and renewable generation |
| Transport | Accessibility, bicycle parking and public transport |
| Water | Water use, leak detection and reuse |
| Materials | Origin and environmental impact of building materials |
| Waste | Separating construction waste and managing waste during use |
| Land use and ecology | Soil, greenery and biodiversity on the site |
| Pollution | Emissions, light nuisance and rainwater run-off |
On top of these nine categories, you can earn separate innovation credits. These reward solutions that go beyond the standard credits.
How is the score calculated?
The calculation takes three steps. First, for each category you count how many credits you have achieved, as a percentage of the maximum. Then you multiply that percentage by the weighting factor for that category. Finally, you add up all the weighted scores to get your final score.
Not every category carries the same weight. Energy usually carries the most weight, because it has the largest environmental impact. The exact weightings differ per scheme and building type. You can find the current weightings in the BREEAM-NL guideline .
A worked example makes this concrete. Suppose you achieve 60% of the credits in the energy category, and energy carries a weighting of 20%. Energy then contributes 12 percentage points to your final score (60% x 20%). Do this for all categories, add up the results, and you have your total score.
Minimum standards: you cannot skip everything
You do not reach a rating simply by collecting the easy credits. Each rating has minimum standards for specific credits. For Excellent or Outstanding, for example, you must score on certain energy credits, regardless of your total.
If you miss one of these mandatory credits, you drop to a lower rating. This happens even if your total percentage is well above the threshold. That is why the Expert maps out these requirements early. All requirements and how to demonstrate them are on the requirements page. You can read which guideline belongs to your scheme on the guidelines page.
BREEAM-NL Expert versus Assessor
Two roles together make for a fair assessment. Do not confuse them: one advises, the other judges.
| Role | What this person does |
|---|---|
| BREEAM-NL Expert | Advises the project team and collects evidence in the assessment tool |
| BREEAM-NL Assessor | Independently assesses your project based on that evidence |
The Expert is on your side of the table. They help you make the right choices and make sure the evidence is in order. You can read what an Expert does in each phase on the Expert page. The Assessor is independent and awards the credits. To safeguard that independence, the Assessor’s organisation needs a separate licence.
You cannot simply become an Assessor. The order is fixed: first an introduction training, then the Expert training, and only after that the Assessor training. You need a valid Expert certificate before you can become an Assessor. The courses are run by the DGBC Academy .
Which scheme do you use?
The nine categories apply to all schemes, but how they are applied differs. Choose the scheme that suits your project.
For new buildings and major renovations.
New construction and renovationFor existing buildings in use.
In-UseWhich score belongs to which rating?
Scores and levelsFrom registration to certificate.
Step-by-step planSources
- BREEAM-NL guideline (categories, credits and weightings)
- BREEAM-NL - experts and assessors (roles explained)
- DGBC Academy (courses)