CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
PLANNING BUILDING AND OPERATING BUILDINGS SUSTAINABLY The DGNB certification system for urban districts, buildings and interiors
The DGNB System: Global Benchmark for Sustainability QUALITY AND SAFETY FROM THE MARKET LEADER
Internationally acknowledged and trusted quality standard “Made in Germany”
European market leader in the certification of urban districts
Market leader in certified buildings in Germany: 84 % market share in new Buildings 64 % overall market share
Certification in more than 20 countries worldwide
The only system worldwide for certifying the sustainability of industrial sites
Europe’s biggest network of experts and know-how on sustainable building
Planning reliability: system based on EU standards and legislation
PLANNING TOOL FOR BETTER BUILDINGS
Not a reduced green-building approach with an ecological focus Everything revolves around health and the well-being of building users The circular economy: promoting conscious use of resources, thinking in terms of material cycles Established innovation areas for an individual culture of innovation
Certified building excellence – for people and the environment To assess and capture sustainable building effectively, it is important to use a systematic method that allows for measurability and holistic thinking. The DGNB system offers a certification process that goes far beyond the assessment and recognition of buildings on a purely functional level. As a result, it is often used as an optimisation tool for a variety of aspects related to the sustainability of planning, construction and building operation. Individual factors are never evaluated in isolation. Instead, the impact of each aspect is assessed within the broader context of a building’s life cycle, thus looking at the actual building performance over time. This lays a foundation for a sustainably built environment, reflecting the actual needs of people as well as the crucial needs of nature and the environment – all carefully documented and honoured with a DGNB certificate.
Kindertagesstätte Troplokids der Beiersdorf AG DGNB Certificate in Platinum
© Werner Huthmacher, Berlin
The DGNB certification system: sustainable building taken one step further The DGNB system is a second-generation certification system that contrasts to other evaluation systems by assessing factors holistically: • Sustainable rather than simply green: balanced, equally weighted focus on environmental aspects, economic viability and user factors – not just ecological factors • Outcome-centric: does not evaluate factors in isolation – what counts is the overall result • Comprehensive: the starting point is always the overall life cycle of the building • Adaptable: precise match with regional, country-specific factors based on an underlying international system, offering uniformity and strict quality standards
UNDERLYING STRUCTURE OF THE DGNB SYSTEM: CAPTURING SUSTAINABILITY HOLISTICALLY
Environmental quality 22,5%
Economic quality 22,5%
Technical quality 15%
Process quality 12,5%
Site quality 5%
Sociocultural and functional quality 22,5%
A highly valuable planning and optimisation tool EVALUATION CHART OF THE DGNB CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
ECO2.1
Economic quality • Life cycle impact • Value enhancement
EN
V2
.4
EC O2
.2
ECO
1.1
Environmental quality • Impact on the global and local environment • Resource requirements and waste generation
.1
C1
.3
V2
SO
Sociocultural and functional quality •H ealth, comfort and user-friendliness • Functionality
EN
.2
V2
EN
SO
C1
.3
V1
.2
EN
SOC1
.2
.3
ENV1
SOC1.4 SOC1.5
SOC1
.6
ENV1
.1
.7
SOC1
C2
.1 .4
E1
SIT
.2
C1
.3
TE
E1
1.3
.2
.5 C1 TE
.6 TEC1
TEC3.1
PRO1.1
PRO1.4
.6 PRO1
PRO1.5
2.1 PRO
PR O2
PR O2 .2
.3
.4 C1
C TE
SIT E1 .1 PR O2 .5 O2 .4
E1
SIT
TE
SIT
PR
Process quality • Standard of planning • Standard of construction
SO
Site quality se of/usefulness •U for immediate surroundings • Transport connections
Technical quality • S tandard of technical systems • Mobility
LEAN IMPLEMENTATION: 37 CRITERIA COVERING SIX AREAS OF ACTION
Whether a project is about new or existing buildings, individual buildings or entire districts, the DGNB system is based on a uniform evaluation method that takes all aspects of sustainable building into account, also allowing for adjustments to match individual types of buildings or different requirements.
All schemes benefit from the advantages of lean system processes. The scheme most frequently used is “New Construction Offices”, which c urrently encompasses 37 assessment criteria broken down into six areas of activity.
NS
PREP P LA AR A NN T I
NS
EW
SIO
BU
CONVER
ILDIN GS
RE
IO AT OV
DGNB certificate for interiors Evidence of sustainable interior • Pleasant to spend time in • Raised customer satisfaction, employee loyalty and productivity
DGNB pre-certificate for new buildings Tool for integrated sustainable planning • Uniform goal-setting for the sustainable construction of new buildings • Basis of communication before completion
Y OR G N
DGNB pre-certificate / certificate for renovations Planning tool / evidence of sustainable renovation • Boost and exploit the full potential of a building • Raise the value of a building before sale/renting
N
DGNB QUALITY OVER THE ENTIRE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUILDING
N
OPE
R AT I O N S
DGNB certificate for new buildings Evidence of sustainable construction • Raises value of building before sale/renting • Risk minimisation • Quality assurance • Cost assessment over the entire life cycle
DGNB certificate for buildings in use Tool for optimising operational performance • Efficient facility management • Raised user satisfaction • Documentation for corporate social responsibility (CSR)
In practice, the DGNB system is frequently used as a project management tool or for q uality assurance purposes. The criteria provide useful guidelines for planning and optimisation initiatives, especially for architects, planners and building owners who are planning or reno vating a building. They are also an important tool for the people who operate buildings because they help identify key building performance data – extremely useful for streamlining operations. The family of certificates offered by the DGNB spans the entire life cycle of a building, thanks to seamless evaluations that range from pre-certificates used in integrated planning processes to new building certificates and the assessment of buildings used for different purposes. For a comprehensive list of assessment criteria, go to www.dgnb-system.com
The DGNB awards ASSESSMENT OF PERFORMANCE LEVEL
The DGNB’s overall aim is to promote uniform high standards for buildings and urban districts. The awards reflect this by acknowledging all-round performance and setting a minimum performance level. • Total performance index: total result of evaluations for each individual quality. • Minimum performance index: basic requirements to be achieved in all result-relevant qualities, to receive a specific award. For detailed information on the evaluation procedure used for the DGNB system, go to www.dgnb-system.com
FROM PLATINUM TO BRONZE: DGNB AWARDS
Total performance Minimum performance
PLATINUM
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE*
from 80%
from 65%
from 50%
from 35%
65%
50%
35%
—%
* This DGNB award only applies to the certification of existing buildings and the ”buildings in use” certificate.
DGNB – a powerful brand: independent and neutral The services offered by the DGNB are based directly on the work of honorary committees organised and overseen by the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). An independent non-profit organisation, the DGNB has more than 1200 members at all stages of the construction and real estate value chain. The aim of all DGNB members is to promote sustainable building based on the principles of objectivity, modernity and continuous quality assurance – and thus instil this philosophy among a broader audience. DGNB certification for the planning, construction and operation of sustainable buildings, urban districts and interiors brings together the very latest industry knowledge spanning all key disciplines. This knowledge is updated continuously. As such, DGNB certificates are recognised and used worldwide as an objective instrument of quality. DGNB GmbH Tübinger Straße 43 70178 Stuttgart, Germany +49 711 722322-0 info@dgnb.de www.dgnb-system.com
DGNB GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of DGNB e.V.