New BREEAM functionality in Cobuilder Collaborate

To simplify the process of assessing products and documentation in BREEAM projects, Cobuilder teamed up with the users and developed a new functionality that is now implemented in the solution for clients and contractors Cobuilder Collaborate.

A new filter provides the users with an overview of the products covered by the certification requirements, which requirements are relevant for each product and what documents are available. It allows users to easily review the product documentation, approve or reject products, communicate with the supply chain and upload their own documents. And all information about the products and associated documents can be exported at the click of a button or sent directly to an external consultant or BREEAM auditor.

– We have been looking forward to this new functionality. It will drastically reduce our work when it comes to documentation management in our BREEAM projects, and at the same time it will optimise our internal processes. HENT would like to focus on building sustainable buildings, not on running around collecting documentation. This is why we also prefer to work with suppliers who have all the required BREEAM documentation available in the system, so that we don’t have to use time procuring it ourselves. – says Egil Ytrehus, Team Leader Environment at HENT.

Today, there is a growing demand from both consumers and authorities to use sustainable products and solutions, and so-called green projects make up an ever-increasing share of the contractors’ project portfolio. This creates a need for efficient internal processes in managing the BREEAM requirements and all the relevant product documentation.

HENT have set an objective to be at the forefront when it comes to sustainability in the construction industry, and we work continuously on various measures aimed at reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions. At the present moment we have more than 35 completed and ongoing projects that aim to achieve BREEAM certification, continues Egil Ytrehus.

– In the past, we used to spend a lot of time creating our own lists with products and documents in order to be able to perform quality assurance internally and then send all the information to the BREEAM auditor. We appreciate that Cobuilder allows us users to participate in the development of functionality that both we and other actors with “green ambitions” can benefit from.

digital twin

Øystein Iversen, Cobuilder (left) and Egil Ytrehus, HENT (right)

ProductXchange has for a long time had its own BREEAM filter which is currently used on many projects. Thanks to contributors such as HENT, in our new tool Cobuilder Collaborate we have been able to take it one step further. And we are confident that the new functionality will help actors to implement a clear and efficient process for management and assessment of products and documentation in their BREEAM projects.

Here is how it works

The same way as in ProductXchange, you can activate a dedicated BREEAM filter also in Cobuilder Collaborate that automatically checks and notifies you for deviations. Deviations in this respect are building materials that contain substances listed in the A20 Checklist or missing documentation for the absence of such substances, as well as products missing necessary documentation according to topic HEA 02 Indoor air quality.

In Cobuilder Collaborate, we have introduced a new logic for calculating deviations that is different than the one in ProductXchange.

This applies, for example, to chemical products in the project. In addition to all legal requirements associated with the use of chemicals, the BREEAM certification scheme (through checklist A20) puts further focus on the worst substances that can cause environmental damage. For this reason, we have decided to display all chemical products that are covered by the requirements of the A20 Checklist also in the new BREEAM interface – not just in the chemicals directory. Chemicals missing documentation for the absence of substances in accordance to Checklist A20, e.g. safety data sheet, are marked as deviations in the same way as the products that hit the A20 filter.

In addition, we have added several new document types that close deviations with regard to missing BREEAM documentation. This applies, for example, to green Ecoproduct and verified EPD (The EPD contains information on emissions to indoor air that meet the requirements of the Hea02 topic). These documents will now close deviations regarding missing documentation, but they should be checked to ensure that they contain the necessary information and/or that the stated values ​​meet the requirements in accordance with the BREEAM-NOR manual.

Assessment of products against BREEAM requirements

The BREEAM certification scheme sets very specific requirements towards the products used on the construction site. To be able to meet these requirements, it is essential to establish clear and traceable internal processes for quality assurance of the product documentation. Now you can perform this tasks directly in the new BREEAM interface in Cobuilder Collaborate.

There you will find a complete overview of the products that are covered by the certification requirements. You will be able to see which requirements apply to each product and which BREEAM product group it belongs to. Under Document status, you will receive a notification when a product hits the A20 filter or is missing required BREEAM documentation. By pressing the status button for any product, you will find detailed information about the deviations as well as the requirements that are met. You can easily access all the relevant documentation that is available in the system in order to validate it. Based on this, you will be able to make an assessment whether the product meets the relevant BREEAM requirements.

In the Assessment pane you can approve or reject products, upload your own documentation and post comments. This information is stored in the system and enables the users to trace all activity so that several people can perform assessment of products simultaneously. Take a look at our user guide for more detailed explanation of the new functionality.

If you wish to send the overview of the products that are covered by BREEAM requirements to an external consultant or BREEAM auditor, you can easily export it to Excel. And all associated product documentation can be downloaded and stored in a structured zip file at the touch of a button or sent directly by email. For more information check out our user guide.

If you have any questions or feedback regarding the new BREEAM functionality in Cobuilder Collaborate, please contact our Support Team. We appreciate any input that can help us make the system even better.

We will continue to develop new functionality to further simplify the collection of documentation and property data related to BREEAM. For ongoing updates, follow our newsletters!