Breana Wheeler, director of operations at BREEAM USA, participated in a video interview in conjunction with Nareit’s REITworks: 2021 Conference.
Developed in 1990, BREEAM is the world’s first environmental assessment method for new building designs, Wheeler said.
“Our standards measure what science tells us matter for building performance,” she added, while BREEAM also encourages a holistic approach to sustainability, going beyond environmental performance.
Wheeler said she sees a solid commitment among the real estate community in the United States to accelerate efforts on improving building sustainability. “Sustainability is no longer a choice but an imperative to manage business risk and protect and solidify value,” she said.
Two Nareit members, WashREIT (NYSE: WRE) and Iron Mountain Inc. (NYSE: IRM), recently selected BREEAM as their certification of choice. Wheeler said she expects to see continued interest in BREEAM from the REIT industry, noting that the platform is recognized by investors as the “gold standard for building sustainability performance certification.”
Currently there are more than 594,000 BREEAM-certified assets across 88 countries, Wheeler said. Assets of all performance levels can join BREEAM and transparently communicate their performance, she added.