12 BUILD Q2 2022 Jan22256 The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is a non-profit organisation based in Germany. It was founded in 2007 with the aim of making sustainable building the standard in the construction and real estate industry. n 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement was signed. Even today, the construction sector is one of the largest CO2 emitters and waste producers, and many buildings are constructed without taking people and the environment into account. Instead of renegotiating at every upcoming climate conference or waiting for technologies of the future, the DGNB’s motto is ‘Start now!’ The knowledge is there, the tools are there. Climate-positive buildings can be constructed today that are in harmony with people and the environment. The DGNB is an association with more than 1,500 members from all kinds of sectors, including architects, specialist planners, universities, building product manufacturers and industrial companies. In cooperation with this diverse expertise, it has developed the DGNB certification system, which makes sustainable building plannable, measurable and realisable. It reads as a catalogue of criteria that shows the necessary levers for sustainable building during the planning and construction process, but also during the operation of buildings. Today, around 9,000 awards have been granted with it worldwide. Certification is possible for new buildings as well as for existing buildings and their operational optimisation. It can be applied to all types of use, from offices and logistics halls to apartment buildings, and also to entire neighbourhoods. Moreover, it is possible for all phases of the lifecycle. Since its beginning, the DGNB certification system has been firmly anchored in the topics of climate protection, circular economy, human health, and much more, which are now slowly emerging in political discourse and gradually finding their way into regulations. Building owners opt for certification in order to have a demonstrably sustainable building that ensures quality throughout the entire construction process, through the operating phase to subsequent deconstruction, and at the same time takes all dimensions of sustainability into account. The DGNB system is considered the most comprehensive and ambitious certification system in the world. It takes equal account of all three pillars of sustainability (ecology, economy and sociocultural). In addition, process issues, technical aspects and site conditions are taken into account. It also differs in that it is performance-oriented. This means that it is not the individual measure that counts, but the goal that is to be achieved. So, if a measure is implemented that is supposed to save CO2 emissions, the CO2 balance is what counts in the end. Last but not least, the DGNB certification system considers the entire building lifecycle like no other. This approach presents problems from being shifted to a future lifecycle process. I Now, it’s time to tap into the knowledge base that the DGNB has been cultivating with experts for 15 years and tackle the required climate and environmental goals in the construction and real estate sectors. The German Sustainable Building Council is Europe’s largest network for sustainable building with system partnerships in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Spain and Croatia. Worldwide, more than 6,000 people have been trained as experts in sustainable construction in 45 countries through the training platform, the DGNB Academy. The DGNB is pleased with its team of more than 60 employees. They are all united by the common goal of making the construction industry more sustainable, and by the will to improve, which are the organisations’ greatest success factors. This spirit characterises the work at the DGNB, with its people living an open culture with flat hierarchies and diverse work models depending on life situations. Beyond the office, the DGNB has a large number of volunteers who pass on their knowledge in expert committees. Ultimately, last year made it clearly noticeable that the demand for sustainability is increasing. Never before has the increase in new members and the request for certification been so high. The driving force here has been society for years, but also the European Commission, which is exerting pressure for more sustainable economy. Company: German Sustainable Building Council Contact: Pia Hettinger Email: [email protected] Website: www.dgnb.de/en/ Best Sustainable Building Network NPO Dr Christine Lemaitre, CEO of the DGNB
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