Do Living Walls Help You Get BREEAM Certified? Where They Count (and Where They Don’t)
Updated: Sep 29
BREEAM is one of the world’s most widely used sustainability certification systems for buildings. In Spain, projects are assessed through BREEAM ES, the version adapted to Spanish regulations and construction practices.
So, do living walls help with BREEAM certification?
No. A living wall does not certify a building and it does not create BREEAM credits on its own. The assessor scores the whole project.
What a living wall actually gets you
On the BREEAM scorecard, the wall’s job is ecology. These are the benefits that are real:
Ecological enhancement. A named green wall system and plant mix, specified by an ecologist, with a written maintenance plan. That is the BREEAM benefit of the wall.
A file the assessor can use: the system, the species, the irrigation, access for aftercare, and the maintenance plan. A photograph is not that file.
Official BREEAM guidance treats that package as ecological enhancement. That text is from a BREEAM UK scheme. In Spain the BREEAM ES assessor has to accept the same evidence. Put the wall in front of the assessor, and the ecologist, at design stage.
What it does not get you
Health and Wellbeing credits. Indoor air quality, visual comfort and acoustics each have their own tests. A wall in the lobby does not pass those tests.
Credit for habitat you remove from the ground. BREEAM’s own green-wall guidance separates ecological enhancement from compensating for lost site ecology.
Adding plants does not raise a BREEAM score by itself. The wall on the drawing is not proof that a credit is met.
How BREEAM Works in Spain
BREEAM evaluates buildings across energy, water, materials, health and wellbeing, waste, pollution, land use and ecology, and innovation.
For projects in Spain, the methodology is BREEAM ES. BREEAM España adapts the system to Spanish law, climate and construction practice. The wall is scored against that scheme, with the evidence the assessor asks for.
When Should a Living Wall Be Considered in a BREEAM Project?
If BREEAM is in the brief, specify the wall at design stage. Do not hang it on at the end.
Early coordination lets the architect, BREEAM assessor, ecologist and living wall specialist settle:
the type of living wall system
the proposed plant species
biodiversity objectives
irrigation and water requirements
access for ongoing maintenance
the long-term maintenance strategy
any documentation required for the assessment
That matters on integrated living walls and larger Vertical Greenery Systems, where planting, irrigation, drainage, structure and maintenance access are part of the architectural specification.
At Flora Frame, we work with architects and design teams to select and specify living wall systems according to the requirements of the individual project.
So, Do Living Walls Help With BREEAM Certification?
They help when the ecology pack is in the brief from the start: plants, water and aftercare written down. They do not help if they are added at the end as decoration.
The useful move is to treat the living wall and the BREEAM strategy as one specification. That is how the assessor gets evidence instead of a photograph.
FAQ
What BREEAM benefit does a living wall actually give you?
Ecological enhancement. A named green wall system and plant mix, specified by an ecologist, with a written maintenance plan. That is the BREEAM benefit of the wall. In Spain the BREEAM ES assessor has to accept that evidence.
Can a living wall improve a BREEAM Health and Wellbeing score?
No. A living wall does not satisfy Health and Wellbeing requirements on its own. Indoor air quality, visual comfort and acoustics each have their own technical criteria and evidence.
Do I need an ecologist for a living wall to contribute to BREEAM?
For ecology credits, BREEAM asks for a suitably qualified ecologist. Confirm that with the BREEAM ES assessor at design stage.
Does BREEAM ES apply to projects on the Costa del Sol?
Yes. Buildings in Spain are assessed through BREEAM ES, which adapts the BREEAM methodology to Spanish regulations and construction practices.
Specifying a Living Wall for a BREEAM Project?
Tell us which credits you’re targeting and we’ll help you specify a wall that fits the brief.
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