BREEAM-NL requirements: what do you need to demonstrate?
The BREEAM-NL requirements are the criteria a building must meet to earn points and a rating. They are set out per scheme and per version in the assessment guideline at richtlijn.breeam.nl and on breeam.nl . The administrator is the Dutch Green Building Council (DGBC) . For each requirement you supply evidence, and an Assessor checks whether that evidence is correct. You can read who does what in how BREEAM-NL works. The thresholds for each rating are listed under scores and levels.
Three types of requirements: credits, prerequisites and minimum standards
The guideline for New Construction and Renovation Non-residential v6.1.1 describes how this works in chapter 3.2. Many people mix up these terms.
| Type | What it is | Does it earn points? |
|---|---|---|
| Credit | An assessable criterion within a topic (called an “issue” in the guideline), such as energy or water | Yes. The part you achieve counts towards your score |
| Prerequisite | A hard basic requirement, for example a fully developed energy concept | No. If you do not meet it, no rating is possible at all |
| Minimum standard | A number of credits you must achieve within a topic to reach a certain rating | Yes, they are ordinary credits. But the number is mandatory for that level |
BREEAM-NL works with a “balanced scorecard”. In principle, weak points in one topic can be offset by strong points in another. Prerequisites and minimum standards are the exception. You can reach a high overall percentage and still get a lower rating, because a minimum standard is missing. That is why the Expert maps out these requirements early.
Table 4 of the guideline lists all prerequisites and minimum standards per rating. One example from that table: for ENE 01 (reducing energy use and CO2 emissions), you must achieve at least 3 credits from criteria 2 to 5 for Very Good, 6 for Excellent and 8 for Outstanding. For ENE 01 criterion 1, a prerequisite applies at all levels: a fully developed energy concept. The table can differ per scheme and version, so always read the table in your guideline.
Where do you find the requirements per scheme?
You never work from memory. You look up the requirements in the guideline that belongs to your scheme.
Choose the scheme
New construction and renovation, In-Use (non-residential or housing) or Area. The scheme determines which guideline you need. Help with this is on the pages New construction and renovation and In-Use.
Open the guideline for the correct version
For non-residential construction and Area, the current version is v6.1.1. For new housing, it is New Construction and Renovation Housing 2023 v1.01 (Nieuwbouw en Renovatie Woningen 2023 v1.01). Check the version on the guideline page, because older PDFs are still online. See the guidelines explained.
Search per category
Each category (management, health, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use and ecology, pollution) has its own credits and requirements. There are also innovation credits for solutions that go beyond the standard. For each category, note which credits are mandatory for the rating you want to achieve.
Check the interpretation documents
If you are unsure how a requirement should be interpreted, DGBC publishes interpretation documents. These carry a month and year in the title, for example “July 2025”. Use the most recent edition for your version.
Note the evidence per requirement
For each requirement, make a line that states what you must demonstrate and which document will serve as that evidence. This is the start of your evidence file.
How an assessor checks requirements
The Assessor does not look at your intentions. They look at evidence that fits the requirement. This can be a drawing, a specification, a measurement report, a contract, a maintenance plan or a dated photo. The evidence must show that the requirement has been met, not that you plan to meet it.
Three questions an Assessor asks in practice (this is practical experience, not text from the guideline):
- Is the evidence in the correct version of the guideline?
- Does the evidence relate to the correct building, and to the correct phase (design or handover)?
- Can the evidence be traced, with a date, version and person responsible?
Example: a requirement worked out
The example below is fictional. It shows the method, not a literal requirement from the guideline. Always take the exact wording from the guideline for your scheme.
| Part | Content in the example |
|---|---|
| Category | Energy |
| Requirement (fictional) | Installations are tested after handover according to a set plan |
| Evidence the assessor wants to see | Test protocol, date of test, signed by the contractor and client |
| Common mistake | Submitting a quote or schedule as evidence instead of the completed protocol |
| Better approach | Putting the protocol in the evidence file as soon as the test is complete |
Worked calculation: why one minimum standard can decide everything
Suppose your project achieves 72% of the points. That is enough for Excellent (see scores and levels). However, for ENE 01 you only achieve 5 credits from criteria 2 to 5, and Excellent requires 6. You then do not get Excellent, even though your total is high enough. Your final rating becomes the highest level for which both the score and all minimum standards are met. With 5 credits, that is Very Good, because 3 are needed for it.
That is why you choose your target rating early. See also the step-by-step plan, step 1.
Common mistakes
- Using an old version. Evidence and requirements must belong to the same version. After a version change, transitional rules apply, and these differ per scheme. See the guidelines.
- Confusing a minimum standard with the total score. A minimum standard is a fixed number of credits within one topic. Extra credits in another topic do not make up for it.
- Collecting evidence only at the end. A lot of evidence (tests, contracts, measurement data) is created during the project. Looking for it afterwards is expensive and sometimes impossible.
- Taking requirements from another scheme. New construction and In-Use have different scales and different requirements.
Frequently asked question: do I have to achieve all requirements?
No. You do not achieve every credit. You decide which rating you want, and you must meet the requirements that belong to that rating. You can leave credits you do not need. The only thing you cannot do is miss a prerequisite or a minimum standard for your target rating. More answers are on the frequently asked questions page.
Next steps
Set your target rating
Read scores and levels and choose the rating you want to aim for.
Bring in an Expert
The Expert maps out the requirements and builds the evidence file. See the role of the Expert.
Plan the costs
Requirements cost money, especially when they call for new installations. Read costs and timeline for the DGBC fees and an indication of the total process.
Sources
- DGBC - BREEAM-NL (administrator, versions and guidelines)
- BREEAM-NL guideline (requirements and credits per scheme)
- BREEAM-NL New Construction and Renovation Non-residential v6.1.1, English-language version (chapter 3.2 and table 4)
- BREEAM-NL (official site and documents)