Building Research Establishment
Coordinates: 51°42′00″N 0°22′25″W / 51.7001°N 0.3737°W The Building Research Establishment Ltd (BRE) is a former UK government establishment, but now a private organisation, that carries out research, consultancy, and testing for the construction and built environment sectors in the United Kingdom (UK). The BRE has its headquarters in Watford, with regional sites in Glasgow and Swansea.
Among the BRE's areas of interest are participation in the preparation of national and international standards and building codes, including the UK building regulations. The organisation is now funded by income from its commercial programmes, the BRE bookshop, contracted work, and by bidding for research funding from government and the industries it serves. It also has UKAS Accredited Testing Laboratories.
The BRE also owns and operates the BREEAM and EcoHomes environmental rating schemes, and promotes the German Passivhaus ultra-low energy building standard in the UK. It also runs a number of training courses.
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