Founded in 1921, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has been raising the standards of the built environment for over a century. BRE started as a UK government-funded, research-based organisation, and has become an ambitious profit-for-purpose global business. We re-invest any profit we make back into our business so that we can deliver on our purpose to develop science-led solutions to built environment challenges.
Our Purpose and Vision
BRE contributes to a thriving and sustainable world by developing science-led solutions to built environment challenges. Our vision is to be the world-leading innovation, science, and data hub for the built environment. We’re ambitious in terms of quality and global scope. We want governments and commercial markets to recognise us and demand our services, products and solutions. We want to be world-class, innovative, science-led and provide solution.
Our Values
Our values help guide us in everything we do:
- We are ambitious for the planet, our clients, our business and our team
- We take responsibility for the integrity of our science and the development of collaborative solutions to global challenges
- We work as a whole team and with others. We know that diversity leads to better teamwork, better ideas, and better answers
- We have a positive influence in everything we do, through which we earn our reputation as the leading building science centre
- We deliver value to our customers through profitable and sustainable solutions
We are committed to facilitating positive change at all levels to ensure that the built environment reflects both the current and future needs of our communities. We aim to:
- Inspire and empower colleagues and our wider community to improve sustainability
- Provide education and capacity building globally, helping to address skills shortages
- Collaborate with others on policies and practices that drive sustainability throughout the construction value chain
- Conduct scientific research on creating sustainable buildings, infrastructure and communities
- Support meaningful monitoring and reporting that enables like-for-like built environment analysis
- Showcase and reward best practice
Our Expertise
Our expertise is used to tackle today’s toughest global challenges, like climate change, and the safety and security of buildings and infrastructure. Our market-leading standard BREEAM is helping projects to improve biodiversity and sustainability for local communities around the world. We are also an international provider of robust, independent, third-party certification for fire, security and environmental products and services.
Innovation and Research
We operate internationally with offices, representatives and partners around the globe and in the UK at the BRE Science Park, home to our world-class testing facilities and the Innovation Zone. It hosts full-scale demonstration buildings, designed and developed by innovative start-ups and leading developers. It also showcases a range of approaches to sustainable design, construction and refurbishment.
Science-led Solutions for a Better Future
Our long heritage of putting progressive thinking into practice means that our customers and partners, wherever they are in the world, trust our data and science. Our evidence shows that safe, sustainable buildings contribute to better economic, social, health and personal outcomes. The standards, safety and sustainability solutions we develop lead the way on the world stage.
Sustainability and Safety
Our teams specialise in virtually every element of the built environment including energy, net zero, sustainability, fire safety and security. We share our expert knowledge of the built environment through BRE Academy, our world-leading training provision for built environment professionals. From training in BREEAM to Indoor Environmental Quality, our courses are globally recognised.
A Science, Innovation and Data Hub for the Built Environment
At BRE, quality and excellence are non-negotiable. Our deep understanding of technical performance and materials is based on decades of testing, data gathering and analysis. This forms the basis of our unparalleled expertise; we use it to provide governments, private companies and people with the insight they need to make informed decisions to invest, develop, build and maintain their assets. Ona daily basis, we can be testing the safety of the smallest component and assuring the energy efficiency of an entire building.
Competitive Edge, Sustainable Advantage
We bring together talent and expertise to create globally recognised policies and schemes. Our world-leading BREEAM Certification is proven to raise the profile, credibility and value of built environment projects. BRE certified products and services are listed in BRE’s Red or Green Books to give specifiers confidence in their safety and sustainability. Around the world, market leaders continue to request BRE standards and achieve BRE accreditations in their projects.