“Green” buildings are not just more common than ever, but are also getting greener, bre.co.uk reports.

Eco-friendly certification board BREEAM has held its annual awards ceremony to honour those buildings and developers which have made the biggest impact on the world of green developments. At the ceremony, it was noted that these eco-friendly buildings are now getting greener, as well as more commonplace.

Buildings with green credentials

2011 saw a record number of buildings submitted for BREEAM assessment, as many developers sought to award their property’s green credentials after filling them with internal wall cladding, solar panelling and rainwater harvesting devices, among others.

Of those buildings, many were receiving higher awards than those given at the same time last year, including one London development which was given BREEAM’s highest rating to date.

Setting new standards in sustainability

Speaking to greenbuildingpress.co.uk of the results, Carol Atkinson, chief executive of BRE Global, which develops and manages BREEAM, explained:

“This is a testament to the outstanding skill and determination of the building owners, developers, project teams and assessors who are setting new standards in sustainability, despite the difficult economic conditions.”

“We believe that one of the reasons for their commitment is that more and more clients and project teams are now equating high BREEAM ratings with better building performance.”