BREEAM-NL for an office building: which scheme fits?
An office building can be certified with BREEAM-NL, either as a new build or major renovation, or as a building that is already in use. Which scheme fits depends on the phase the building is in. The New Construction and Renovation scheme applies to a project you are building or thoroughly renovating now. The In-Use scheme applies to an existing office that you manage. Offices are one of the use types in non-residential construction, alongside education, care and retail, among others. The exact requirements per scheme are in the BREEAM-NL guideline , which is managed by DGBC .
Which scheme suits your office?
Start with the question: does the building already exist, and is it in use or being managed? That question determines almost everything.
| Situation | Scheme | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New office in development | New Construction and Renovation | You can still steer design choices, such as installations and materials |
| Office is thoroughly renovated down to the structural frame | New Construction and Renovation | The building is essentially new |
| Existing office, in use and managed | In-Use Non-residential | The assessment looks at construction, management and use of the existing property |
| Portfolio of several offices | In-Use, per property or as a portfolio | Each property has its own score. For multiple properties there is also a portfolio approach (instruction 117) with sampling during visits |
The scheme also determines which information you need to provide. For new build, that means design documents and specifications. For In-Use, it means measurement data and management documents.
What makes an office score?
In New Construction and Renovation Non-residential v6.1.1 (for a complete building), energy carries 20% of the score. Health carries 19% and materials 13%. Management carries 11%, land use and ecology 8%, and transport and waste 6% each. This is set out in table 7 of the guideline . The categories themselves are explained in how BREEAM-NL works. For offices, lighting, climate installations and equipment account for a large part of energy use. The guideline also has office-specific requirements. Three examples from the new construction guideline:
| Topic | What the guideline requires for an office |
|---|---|
| Daylight (HEA 01) | Daylight according to NEN 17037 and NPR 4057 (Dutch daylight standard and practice guideline). For one credit, 80% of the office floor area must meet it, for two credits 90% |
| Lighting (HEA 02) | In offices, there should be at most 4 workstations per lighting zone. In an open-plan office, a zone may be at most 40 m² |
| Thermal comfort (HEA 05) | The credit for thermal modelling is a minimum standard from Very Good. For offices, ISSO 74:2024 (Dutch thermal comfort standard) class B applies, or ISO 7730 category B. A separate credit requires users to be able to adjust the temperature per zone: at most 4 workstations per zone |
A worked example: an open-plan office of 400 m² needs at least 10 lighting zones at a maximum zone size of 40 m².
Mobility and management also count. Think of bicycle parking, public transport nearby and a documented maintenance plan.
What information do you need?
An Assessor asks for evidence, not promises. Below is what you typically need to be able to show for an office. This list is a working aid, not an exhaustive list of requirements. The exact requirements per credit are in the guideline.
| Information | What it is used for | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Gross floor area (bvo, bruto vloeroppervlak) | Basis for costs and standards | Floor plans, area measurement |
| Energy use per year | Energy credits, comparison | Energy bills, smart meters |
| Occupancy and use | Management and, where relevant, the separate guideline for use | Access systems, room booking software |
| Maintenance plan and logbook | Management credits | Facility management, maintenance contracts |
| Installation specifications | Energy and comfort | Building file, supplier documentation |
For an existing office, the energy use of recent years is often the first thing an Expert asks for. Without that data, an estimate of the rating is difficult, so start there.
Which rating is common?
Tenants and investors often ask for a particular rating. Which rating is common differs per market, and we have no figures on this. As an indication, Very Good and Excellent occur most often in the market. Outstanding is rare. The thresholds per rating are on scores and levels. First determine which rating your market expects, then work back to what you need to invest.
The rating can also count towards a tax benefit. The Milieulijst of RVO lists an item for very sustainable non-residential buildings with BREEAM-NL. For a new or substantially renovated building (BREEAM-NL New Construction and Renovation v6.1), that item requires a score of at least 85%, plus at least 60% for energy. According to the 2026 Milieulijst, the tax benefit is a 36% MIA deduction. Read the current conditions on the Milieulijst and at subsidies and tax benefits.
Steps for an office project
Determine the phase
New build, renovation or existing building. That choice determines the scheme.
Determine the target rating
Ask your tenant or investor which rating they expect. This prevents aiming too low or too high.
Collect the basic information
Gross floor area, energy use, installation specifications and management documents. See the table above.
Bring in an Expert
Do this early in the process. See the role of the Expert.
What does an assessor want to see for an office?
The Assessor looks at evidence per credit. For an office, this usually comes down to three types of documents.
- Design and construction documents. Floor plans, installation diagrams and specifications, with version and date. For In-Use, this is the building file of the existing property.
- Measurement data. Energy use over a full year, and possibly usage data from access or occupancy systems. A continuous series is stronger than separate months.
- Management documents. A maintenance plan, a logbook of work carried out and the agreements with the manager or tenant.
Keep measurement data and the maintenance plan in one place, so you can find them when the Expert asks for them. More on the timeline is in costs and timeline.
Common mistakes
- Only focusing on construction. With In-Use, you can have Asset (the building) and Management assessed separately, and both appear on the certificate. A fine building with poor management will score low on Management.
- Not having usage data. Without measurement data, the score is hard to establish. Start measuring.
- Choosing the wrong scheme. Registering an existing office as new build, or the other way round, costs time and money.
- Forgetting tenants. In a leased office, the tenant has influence over use and consumption. Make agreements about this in advance.
Frequently asked question: is an office required to be certified?
No. BREEAM-NL is voluntary. However, tenants and financiers increasingly ask for it, so the market decides how necessary it is. See who BREEAM-NL is for and the frequently asked questions.
Sources
- DGBC - BREEAM-NL (administrator and schemes)
- BREEAM-NL guideline (requirements per scheme and use type)
- RVO - Milieulijst MIA/Vamil (tax benefit)
- RVO - Milieulijst 2026, BREEAM-NL non-residential building (conditions for the item)
- BREEAM-NL New Construction and Renovation Non-residential v6.1.1, English-language version (HEA 01, 02, 05)