An appreciation of BREEAM relative to the cosmonomic idea of reality

Sustainability assessment schemes risk the institutionalisation of a limited definition of sustainable construction. New, broader structures of knowledge and thinking relating to sustainability in the built environment are required. The 'Cosmonomic Idea of Reality' has been advanced as such a structure. The notional basis of the cosmonomic framework was explored and was shown to accord with six previously identified dimensions of sustainability. Using the mind-mapping technique and a set of mapping rules, the framework was compared with an established BREEAM scheme, to allow the shortcomings of this assessment method to be exposed. It was found that the BREEAM scheme neither sufficiently accommodated the sustainability dimensions nor each and every modality of the framework. In order to address the complexities of the sustainability challenge the BREEAM scheme must fully accord with a framework that more appropriately encapsulates the sustainability concept. Moreover, it should be better informed by project-specific concerns