BRE was established to serve the needs of the country and the buildings industry at a time of great challenges. While the Challenges have changed over the last 90 years, BRE's research, expertise and dissemination of knowledge has assisted in paving the way for better, safer and more efficient construction.
The BRE courses are designed to help engineers, and other professions, meet the challenges and fast-paced changes of the Built Environment with confidence and competence. Courses are offered on the following topics:
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is recognised nationally and internationally as the most robust and rigorous method for assessing the environmental performance of buildings. BRE offer courses which provide an introduction to BREEAM, through to designing and managing BREEAM buildings. Training is available for BREEAM Assessors and for BREEAM Accredited Professionals (BREEAM AP). A project can gain additional BREEAM credits by having the involvement of a BREEAM AP in the design team to optimise the BREEAM outcome for the project.
The Code for Sustainable Homes aims to protect the environment by providing guidance on the construction of high performance homes built with sustainability in mind, and to meet the requirement of new homes to be zero carbon. BRE offers courses which provide an introduction to the Code for Sustainable Homes, through to how to design for a code rating efficiently and economically.
All across Europe, interest in the Passivhaus design has risen sharply and the standard has become widely known amongst stakeholders in the construction sector. BRE offer courses which provide a guide to Passivhaus through to the Certified European Passivhaus Designer Qualification, which allows qualified Designers to issue Passivhaus Institut 'Quality Assurance' certificates for completed projects.
Sustainability is not just about saving the planet and being 'green' - Sustainability is fast becoming the key to reducing energy costs, achieving business goals, securing recovery, encouraging long-term growth and staying ahead of the game. BRE offers courses which provide a broad understanding of the principles of sustainability and their impacts, both positive and negative, to help professionals create a sustainable environment within their business.
Nearly half of the UK's housing is 'hard to treat' and complex decisions are needed to achieve the best outcome, especially with a limited budget. BRE offer courses to help plan and execute successful and sustainable housing refurbishment from Victorian properties through to recently built dwellings.
BRE provides sustainable design, construction and management advice for all types of building. This knowledge and expertise has been combined to provide training courses that give delegates the understanding and skills to construct and design buildings which can meet the challenges of climate change.
Site Waste Management Plans (SWMPs) have been a legal requirement for projects over £300,000 in England since April 2008. They are also mandatory within BREEAM. BRE has developed a bespoke range of courses for specific roles within construction projects which are required to prepare, implement and review Site Waste Management Plans and ensure resource efficiency considerations are embedded into projects.
Managing and reducing the consumption of energy saves money. Energy is an unavoidable overhead. It is a key business resource requiring effective, professional management. The Energy Management course provides the technical skills to identify where consumption of energy can be reduced in order to save energy costs and how legislation, including how the CEC Energy Efficiency System affects operational procedures. The recently launched BS ISO 50001 is designed to help organisations establish the systems and processes needed to improve energy efficiency. With clear and effective energy management systems in place, an organisation can quantify savings and reduce risk. The course will provide the systematic and practical approach to Energy Management Systems needed to comply with BS ISO 50001.
The challenge of the UK Renewable Energy Directive for the UK is to reach the target for 15% of our energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. BRE offers a number of courses which explain the different types of renewable energy and explore how to incorporate renewable technologies effectively and economically within a given building scenario.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and Display Energy Certificates (DEC) are legal requirements in the UK and are produced by energy assessors. BRE offers several courses which provide the knowledge and skills required to become an energy assessor. CPD and other relevant courses are provided for surveyors and energy assessors to keep their skills up to date in various areas including building pathology and non traditional construction.
BRE offer courses which explain the legislation and regulations that are required by law to ensure business are compliant.
The need for flexible and energy efficient controls within our buildings and homes is ever increasing. BRE offers a course which provides a practical overview and understanding of how to benefit from Intelligent Building Controls.
As an introduction to their range of online courses, the BRE are offering a sample of free online training, which can be accessed via the following weblink: www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp
The BRE Innovation Park, Garston, is designed to provide an educational resource for industry professionals who want to see and learn about new and innovative approaches to creating sustainable buildings and communities. The buildings on the Innovation Park share the common goal of having a low impact on the environment, but a high impact on the quality of life of building and community occupants and carbon emissions reduction.
It features nine of the world's most sustainable houses, a community health campus of the future, a refurbished Victorian Terrace and over 400 different construction innovations and emerging technologies as well as a state of the art community landscape design. Collectively these projects demonstrate diverse and innovative approaches to sustainable design and construction.
The buildings have been designed by some of the UK's leading manufacturers, architects and engineers and showcase the latest methods of construction and a wide range of innovative products and technologies.
The Park is a unique hub for construction professionals to engage with the most cutting-edge side of the industry, to test new ideas in a controlled environment and to involve many stakeholders in the process. The ultimate goal of the Innovation Park is to stimulate the industry to engage in more innovative and sustainable solutions, therefore encouraging sustainable development within the community.
The Park constitutes a unique opportunity for construction professionals to experience Code 4 to 6 houses, BREEAM Excellent buildings, state-of-the-art technologies and products, a variety of designs and building solutions, and to learn valuable lessons from this incredible testing platform all in one place.
The BRE Innovation Park is a world leading and ground breaking demonstration development designed to give a glimpse of how the future delivery of sustainable buildings and communities not only in the UK, but around the world, it is accessible by taking part in a tour