DGNB – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen

Non-profit and non-governmental organization. Established in 2007, today it brings together over a thousand members. The aim is to exchange experience, expertise and training, to raise public awareness of the need for sustainable development and green building.

Presentation

In early 2008, the Sustainable Construction Council of Germany introduced its standard for the certification of green sites. The DGNB standard includes the most comprehensive set of sustainability criteria that sets it apart from other known green site certification standards. The standard treats equally every phase of the life cycle of a building, from design to finished site, according to identical criteria and in accordance with the different profiles of occupants of those buildings. Companies or individual investors who have received a certificate of ownership otherwise position their entry into the market.

Characteristic feature of the protocol

is an integrated approach as well as a focus on the economy. Whether it is a new building, an existing site or a project for renovation and upgrading, the certification system covers all the basic aspects of sustainable buildings.

It is distributed as follows:

living environment, economy, socio-cultural and functional aspect, technology, production process and location of the construction site of the site. The assessments of the first four areas are equally weighted within the DGNB standard. The principles of sustainability of an object have the same value as its economic return, ie. cost estimation over the entire life cycle of the site.

DGNB brings together, educates and informs green building participants.

There are DGNB Academy, DGNB Navigator as an innovative platform on the Internet for construction products, as well as annual conferences and trade shows organized by the Council. The Academy was created to educate all participants in the construction process, starting with the owners of the site and reaching the architects, engineers, contractors, contractors, traders and brokers, as well as students.

Modular training system

It is divided into three levels:

  • The first level is the DGNB consultant.
    The training consists of three modules in which participants acquire basic knowledge and familiarize themselves with the criteria of the standard.
  • The second level of DGNB is the auditor.
    They can be specialists or engineers in the field of technical or natural sciences, or economists with years of experience in the field, after researching and working on green projects. The auditor represents the relationship between the Board and the design team, and can advise the team throughout the design and construction phase.
  • The third level is the DGNB Registered Specialist.

According to the DGNB standard

There are several steps that need to be completed in the process of site certification. The project development phase allows the collection of preliminary documentation and obtaining a preliminary certificate for new sites.
During the planning and construction phase, a certificate for new sites / facilities may be issued.
The phase of operation of the site implies respectively a certificate for existing sites, and the phase of modernization, ie. reconstruction requires a certificate of modernization.

At all stages

Four categories with the participation of 22.5% are treated in the same way: ecological qualities, economic qualities, socio-cultural and functional qualities as well as those of a technical aspect.
The other two categories are process quality, which has a 10% participation rate and a sustainable construction site as a separate category.

Quality criteria

Ecological quality

Concerns issues related to global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the sustainable use of resources, the microclimate, the requirement for non-renewable energy sources, common primary energy needs and the ratio of renewable energy sources, forms of use of non-renewable resources, waste, drinking water needs and wastewater volume.

Economic qualities

Aare the costs associated with the life cycle of the site and the resilience to third parties.

Socio-cultural and functional qualities

Include topics related to thermal comfort in summer and winter,

  • hygiene of the interior;
  • acoustic comfort and visual comfort;
  • the quality of the outdoor spaces;
  • accessibility for people with physical disabilities;
  • spatial efficiency;
  • the possibility of functional transformation of the site;
  • the types of public access to the site and the possibility of cycling;

Technical features

are related to fire prevention:

  • the sound insulation and the quality of the outer shell of the site in terms of heat and humidity;
  • the quality of the equipment of the site;
  • durability and maintenance;
  • resilience to storms, hail and floods;
  • easy disassembly and recycling.

The quality of the processes

Includes the quality of project preparation,

  • integrated planning and design;
  • methods of optimization and complexity of planning;
  • creating conditions for optimal use and management;
  • construction site and construction processes;
  • quality of contractors and retraining;
  • the security level of the contractor;
  • commissioning, management / management, maintenance and repair;
  • classifications for technical staff.

The criterion for the construction site and location

Are the risks to the microenvironment,

  • the public image and the condition of the conditions on the construction site and in its neighborhood;
  • transport access;
  • public service relations, especially utilities;
  • Extension options or reserves.

Rating

In order for the DGNB certificate to be informative and precise, the values ​​of each of the criteria are clearly defined. Each criterion can earn a maximum of 10 points based on documented and calculated qualities. The points given by the auditor or designer for each individual criterion, as well as the weight of that criterion, produce a total score of all six categories.

The result

Shows the extent to which they meet the requirements.

  • 50% – bronze certificate;
  • 65% – silver certificate;
  • 80% or more – Gold certificate.
    Objects that do not meet the minimum requirements and have an overall score of less than 35% may not be eligible for certification.

One of the most important decisions

for the certification process is the time when the process begins. When the design of a new building is at an early stage of development and when the initial steps are taken to create a program, functions and construction of the site, the standard’s recommendations are easily implemented.

Differences from other standards

DGNB has several new features compared to other known standards. First of all, it is a set of criteria, then more concern for the user of the space (specific user design, such as accessibility for people with disabilities and efficient use of space), applications and online portals for certification. A single program has been created – DGNB software, which is an easy way to plan sustainability.

DGNB Navigator is the most interesting segment

It is an innovative platform for construction products, a database of product information that meets the criteria and standards for construction, furnishing and maintenance. The navigator is a link between the different parties involved in the planning, execution of sites and manufacturers of materials and products.