LEED and BREEAM certification: products from SCHELL for sustainable buildings

Building certifications like LEED and BREEAM are an important benchmark for green building and efficient building operations: they assess the building over its entire life cycle and define clear sets of requirements for planning, product selection and operations. Water consumption plays an important part here, because it directly affects sustainability and operating costs. As part of a strong overall strategy, suitable products make an important contribution to achieving certification targets.Long-lasting, water-efficient solutions produced with resource-friendly methods are essential here. SCHELL helps planners, tradespersons and building operators complete successful LEED and BREEAM projects with tested products and verified documentation.

LEED is an especially attractive option for projects that want to provide clear evidence of their energy and resource efficiency, and which exceed national minimum standards.

What is BREEAM certification?

BREEAM stands for ‘Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method’ and is the oldest assessment system for green building. Originally developed by the UK Building Research Establishment, the scheme now has international standing and can be adjusted to meet national requirements. Alongside ecological and economic factors, social aspects – such as the health and wellbeing of building occupants – are also central to the assessment process.

The aim here is to maintain sustainable operations over the building’s entire life cycle. Assessments of local biodiversity and the ecological impacts of a project on its overall environment are also an important part of the BREEAM process.

BREEAM also utilises a points-based system and a set of tiered certification levels.

Despite their separate origins, LEED and BREEAM essentially pursue the same goals. Both schemes aim to reduce energy and water consumption, cut carbon emissions and conserve resources. At the same time, there is a focus on economic efficiency, achieved by lower life cycle and operating costs, and social responsibility – by keeping interiors healthy and comfortable, for example.

The certification schemes also require high-quality construction methods, with durable materials andinnovative solutions for planning and operations. Intelligent building management, utilising water and energy monitoring, for example, also helps to optimise processes and maintain long-term appeal and value retention for properties.

The product assessments completed by Encon Associates for LEED certification create a reliable starting-point for planning decisions. SCHELL products are subjected to an independent and neutral assessment that covers aspects such as resource use and emissions. As accredited sustainability experts, Encon provide reliable documentation for the certification process. This creates transparency and a strong, manufacturer-neutral foundation for effective planning.

For large properties in particular, building operators, investors, planners and facility managers face the task of managing drinking water efficiently and safely. From existing buildings to new construction, SCHELL has the innovative answer here: the SWS Water Management System/SMART.SWS. SWS enables the intelligent networking, control and monitoring of all electronic fittings via a primary water management server. The system is operated using a proprietary software package. SMART.SWS offers intelligent, at-a-glance monitoring and automated report generation for buildings anywhere in the world.

Efficiency and hygiene in day-to-day operations

The water management system ensures optimal drinking water hygiene right up to the tapping point. Automated hygiene flushes and thermal disinfection controlled by the primary server provide support for hygienically safe operation of the drinking water installation. At the same time, the system also optimises energy use and other economic parameters by the targeted control of water volumes, plus analysis functions and continuous event logging.

Practical, versatile and easy to integrate

Designed for use in new developments and existing buildings alike, the system can be integrated as required with the current central building control system. The system offers convenient remote access and operation via a browser-based interface that can be used on PC, tablet or smartphone.

SCHELL’s integrated approach to sustainability is a fundamental principle of business at the company and is not limited to individual products. Water-efficient fittings form part of the coreproduct strategy, and are complemented by the water management system and digital solutions. Manufacturing focuses on long-lasting products produced according to the cradle-to-cradle principle, the use of recycled materials and resource-optimised methods. 

Efficient construction and operations start with the manufacturer

LEED and BREEAM certifications set a high bar for building planning, product selection and operations. Efficient water use, hygiene and high-quality documentation also play a key role here. SCHELL supports the certification process with resilient, water-efficient products and verified documentation, as well as digital solutions to support efficient and safe operations. This ensures the precise achievement of sustainability targets while ensuring the economic and responsible operation of buildings throughout their entire life cycle.

SCHELL’s LEED and BREEAM brochures

Please see our brochures for a comprehensive introduction to the assessment schemes and full details of SCHELL’s sustainable products. Why not take a look?

LEED
BREEAM