Sustainability and Environmental Performance

Towards the Use of AI for Assessing Construction Sustainability: A State-of-the-Art Review on BREEAM Assessment

Tala Kasim, Maxwell Antwi-Afari

Published 2025

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📄 Paper
In response to the environmental concerns arising from construction activities, prioritising sustainability is crucial. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is one of the methods of assessing building sustainability. Obtaining BREEAM certification is paramount for ensuring high-performance buildings. This paper introduces a novel framework that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise and automate the BREEAM assessment process. The Scopus database was used to retrieve relevant articles by following a standardised systematic literature review process. The study synthesises previous research findings in two themes—Automating BREEAM Assessment Methods and the Application of AI in Construction—to formulate a streamlined AI-driven methodology for BREEAM certification. The proposed process suggests that AI technologies can enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and comprehensiveness of BREEAM assessments and eventually lead to improved building performance. This can be achieved by automating complex evaluation tasks and providing real-time data analysis. The outcomes underscore the potential of AI to transform traditional assessment frameworks, paving the way for more sustainable, efficient, and resilient building practices.

Abstract

In response to the environmental concerns arising from construction activities, prioritising sustainability is crucial. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is one of the methods of assessing building sustainability. Obtaining BREEAM certification is paramount for ensuring high-performance buildings. This paper introduces a novel framework that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise and automate the BREEAM assessment process. The Scopus database was used to retrieve relevant articles by following a standardised systematic literature review process. The study synthesises previous research findings in two themes—Automating BREEAM Assessment Methods and the Application of AI in Construction—to formulate a streamlined AI-driven methodology for BREEAM certification. The proposed process suggests that AI technologies can enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and comprehensiveness of BREEAM assessments and eventually lead to improved building performance. This can be achieved by automating complex evaluation tasks and providing real-time data analysis. The outcomes underscore the potential of AI to transform traditional assessment frameworks, paving the way for more sustainable, efficient, and resilient building practices.

Topics

AI for Energy Performance OptimizationCase StudyReview PaperSmart Building Systems and IoT IntegrationSustainable Buildingscircular economy

Cite this paper

@inbook{f433be92,
address={Cham},
title={Towards the Use of AI for Assessing Construction Sustainability: A State-of-the-Art Review on BREEAM Assessment},
ISBN={9783031958892}, url={https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-95890-8_2}, DOI={10.1007/978-3-031-95890-8_2}, booktitle={Women in AI and Sustainability}, publisher={Springer Nature Switzerland}, author={Kasim, Tala and Antwi-Afari, Maxwell}, editor={Patelli, Alina and Ekárt, Anikó}, year={2025}, pages={33–45}, language={en} }