Green Building Certifications: How well does BREEAM guide climate change impact reductions in a low-carbon built environment of Iceland

• Main Author: William Anthony Chua Reynera 1981-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði; Umhverfisfræði; Auðlindafræði; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/41455

The world is changing, and it is also at threat. The economic activity of the human enterprise continues to grow at a rapid rate which is directly proportional to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, overstepping planetary boundary limits, and are now facing irreversible consequences that are detrimental to large parts of the world. The building sector and its related activities account for almost 40% of the annual emissions in the European Union. The rise of green certifications in various parts of the world help assess building performances for a more sustainable built environment. But since green certification is a universal cause, how much does it address humanity's looming climate crisis, especially in low-carbon grid conditions and remote places like Iceland. This paper aims to assess the BREEAM building rating system on its effectiveness in helping reduce the climate impacts of Icelandic buildings. A detailed evaluation of the BREEAM rating tool was paired with a streamlined LCA (SLCA) of a case building where the results were assessed across the building life cycle. The qualitative content analysis of the BREEAM New Construction criteria will help identify the sub-criteria with actual and potential impact reduction goals and targets, whereas the SLCA will assist in providing GHG emissions of the Veröld building. The main result shows a wide gap in the pre-use phase between BREEAM Iceland impact reduction points and actual emissions of the case building. Many of the climate impact reduction strategies of the BREEAM rating system are only potential reductions that are likely to be compromised due to user behavior factors. Moreover, credit weightings can influence the category scores but do not necessarily mean a lower climate burden, while the impact reduction points included in the minimum standard requirements do not reflect a lesser climate impact building due to its low credit points contribution per rating. Overall, the Icelandic BREEAM certification for buildings included more than half of its ...