BREEAM - Test

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating and certifying the sustainability of buildings. The international standard can be locally adapted. 

The building’s performance is assessed in several different areas such as energy use, indoor climate and choice of materials. Score point, called credit, are accumulated for each area and then aggregated into an overall score resulted in a rating. The BREEAM ratings are: Outstanding, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Pass and Unclassified. 

The information below applies to global products, and not local ones.  

 

 

MAN 04 Commissioning and handover (No. of credits available: 4).
To encourage a properly planned handover and commissioning process that reflects the needs of the building occupants. 

Lindab offer complete equipment for field measuring of leakage in duct systems, e.g. for handing over measuring according to EN 12599. Documentation such as product data sheets, performance declarations, EPDs, installation instructions and Building Product Declarations are available. 

Regarding Lindab’s ventilation fire protection system, Certificate of constancy of performance and Conformity assessment by installer are also available. 

 

HEA 02 Indoor air quality (No. of credits available depends on building type).
To recognise and encourage a healthy internal environment through the specification and installation of appropriate ventilation, equipment and finishes. 

Control of air flow requires dampers and measuring devices of high quality to ensure the desired air quality. Lindab’s dampers are certified according to Eurovent for achieving air tightness class C and can be used for both constant and variable flow. 

For optimal indoor air quality, demand-controlled ventilation is the best choice. Lindab’s sensors works in conjunction with ventilation systems to automatically adjust airflow rates, ensuring optimal ventilation levels. This dynamic control allows for efficient energy usage while maintaining a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. For instance, when CO2 levels rise, indicating poor air quality due to high occupancy, the CO2 sensors can trigger increased ventilation to refresh the air. CO2 or air quality sensors are a requirement by BREEAM in rooms subject to large and unpredictable or variable occupancy patterns. 

The purpose of the ventilation fire protection system is to prevent fire and smoke from spreading through the ventilation system and that air quality deteriorates in surrounding rooms. For instance, the fire rated duct system is based on the market leading Lindab safe system. It contains a range of products that have been tested in the harshest environment, in accordance with EN 1366-1 and is classified according to EN 13501-3. 

Lindab’s products are free from asbestos, which is a prerequisite for achieving points in this category. 

 

HEA 04 Thermal comfort (No. of credits available: 3).
To ensure that appropriate thermal comfort levels are achieved through design, and that controls are selected to maintain a thermally comfortable environment for occupants within the building. 

All system solutions have one thing in common: the more units used, and the better the distribution of units in the room the better the thermal and atmospheric comfort achieved. Lindab’s wide range of diffusers, grills, valves and nozzles enables an appropriate velocity of supplied air in all types of rooms, generating desired temperature with very low sound levels. 

Our thermal comfort products use water to effectively regulate room temperatures with a high level of precision, and create a good indoor climate with fresh air, low sound levels and optimal comfort. 

 

HEA 05 Acoustic performance (No. of credits available depends on building type).
To ensure the building's acoustic performance, including sound insulation meets the appropriate standards for its purpose. 

Ventilation systems generates sound and noise to various extents which affects our well-being. Noise from fans, dampers and other components must therefore be attenuated if the total indoor climate experience is to be comfortable. Lindab can offer a wide range of products that reduce the sound levels in ventilation systems, as we research sound and carry out tests in our own sound laboratory. All the tests we do for sound attenuators are in accordance with ISO EN-7235.  

 

ENE 01 Reduction of energy use and carbon emissions (No. of credits available: 13).
To recognise and encourage buildings designed to minimise operational Energy demand, Primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions. 

With the range of products that are the result of Lindab’s research and development, you can reduce your costs, energy consumption and environmental impact. Pressure loss is an important parameter for the total operating costs of a ventilation system. Therefore, Lindab’s solutions are generally designed to reduce the pressure loss as much as possible. This applies to ducts, fittings, fixtures and silencers.  

Lindab Safe is the first air duct system in the world to receive Eurovent certification. This means that you can feel safe with the products you buy as well as being sure that they maintain high quality and achieve air tightness class D. 

DCV includes intelligent measuring units that control the air flow based on how the room is used, which further improves energy efficiency of Lindab’s ventilation system in addition to high air tightness. 

Ultra BT is a room control system that can be used both in new buildings and to upgrade existing ventilation systems. In 2020-2021, Lindab conducted a case study for a combined storage hall and office building in Germany where the ventilation system was upgraded with the Ultra BT system. The building was covered by 76 employees on an area of 830 m2, and the results of using the Ultra BT system showed 73% cost reduction and 68% energy savings compared to the old system.  

Lindab’s thermal comfort products are energy efficient, thanks to the use of water to regulate temperature. Water has a much better specific heat capacity than air, which makes water a much more efficient energy carrier. This means that primary air flow is reduced to a minimum.   

 

MAT 01 Life-cycle impact (No. of credits available depends on building type).
To recognise and encourage the use of robust and appropriate life cycle assessment tools and consequently the specification of construction materials with a low environmental impact (including embodied carbon) over the full life cycle of the building. 

Lindab’s EPD are available here, and there is an ongoing work to publish more. EPDs are classified according to material categories in BREEAM, the closest matching category for Lindab’s products is metal. Lindab EPDs are compliant with ISO 14025, ISO 21930 and EN 15804 which is a requirement by BREEAM.  

 

MAT 03 Responsible sourcing of construction products (No. of credits available: 4).
To recognise and encourage the specification and procurement of responsibly sourced construction products. 

All of Lindab’s major production units are certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. 

Section 4 and 5 in the Building Product Declaration describe where the largest volume of materials is purchased, what volume of the materials are recycled, and the final country of production. 

Lindab puts a great emphasis on materials selection and wants to promote the purchase of materials that are sustainable and responsibly manufactured and extracted. Suppliers are rated and classified in two different areas: quality and sustainability. The purpose of supplier evaluation is to make sure that suppliers fulfils the Lindab Supplier Principles, or have a similar code of conduct accepted by Lindab. The Lindab Supplier Principles are based on EU regulation, UN global compact, generally accepted norms and international laws to address the aspects quality, environment, health and safety, human rights and business ethics. The supplier evaluation also consists of a self-assessment form that needs to be completed. The classification is divided into low, medium and high risk. Suppliers operating in a high-risk country will be audited on-site to ensure compliance with Lindab’s minimum requirements and expectations. Read more about sustainable sourcing. 

 

MAT 06 Material efficiency (No. of credits available: 1).
To recognise and encourage measures to optimise material efficiency in order to minimise the environmental impact of material use and waste without compromising on structural stability, durability or service life of the building. 

Lindab offers different products and services that assure the quality of the construction project right from the start of the design phase.  

We can support you in the planning and design phase by offering advice based on your conditions: 

• Environmental certificates along with other assessments and approvals. 

• Design assistance to ensure energy-efficient and optimized ventilation. 

• Product selection programs such as lindQST for searching, calculating, and simulating indoor climate products as well as BIM objects in MagiCloud, plug-ins for Revit, and AutoCAD for product quantification and other smart functions. 

When the project is up and running, deliveries are on their way, and the installation is carried out, we can support you with: 

• Customized products. 

• Deliveries to suit your requirements. 

• Smart tools that facilitate handling, to streamline installation, and commissioning. 

• Option of joint deliveries of all materials from our central distribution center. 

• Short delivery times and increased flexibility with local production/hub. 

Material efficiency according to BREEAM includes using fewer materials, reusing materials and, where appropriate, procuring materials with higher levels of recycled content. Recycled steel 75 is a duct system that Lindab offers in certain markets that consists of at least 75% recycled material, reducing the product’s environmental impact without degrading its quality. This steel produces currently approximately 60-70% lower CO₂ emissions than traditionally manufactured steel. Lindab also contributes to material efficiency by optimizing and reducing the amount of steel in the products within duct systems. 

 

WST 01 Construction waste management (No. of credits available: 3). To promote resource efficiency via the effective and appropriate management of construction waste. 

Lindab can deliver customised products with the right length of ducts, no cutting is needed at the construction site, meaning time is saved and waste is minimised. Many of our products consist of only a few materials and are often easy to disassemble, which means that each material can be recycled efficiently. The main material in many products is steel, which is 100% recyclable. Packaging materials are also recyclable and Lindab’s cardboard boxes are made of 100% recycled fibre. 

Clean insulation material from some silencers can in some markets be taken back by the supplier for material recycling, increasing the products total recycling rate to around 99%. 

Electronics in products for fire protection and demand-controlled ventilation are separated and recycled according to specified waste code in the Building Product Declaration.  

In section 10 of the Building Product Declaration, you can find more information about waste management.