A key component of our understanding of sustainability is the certification of many our fund properties. This involves assessing the sustainability of our properties throughout their entire life cycle and optimising it using environmentally friendly technologies, always with a view to economic efficiency.
Sustainability certificates offer the opportunity to measure and compare compliance with sustainability criteria. This is done using nationally established and internationally recognised certification systems. At a time when the sustainable use of resources, the avoidance of CO2 emissions and health and well-being are more important than ever, certification systems offer a way of improving and verifying the sustainability quality of buildings through certification.
Based on the three important pillars of sustainability - ecology, economy and social aspects - various certification systems with a range of assessment criteria for sustainable buildings have been developed to optimise projects specifically during the planning and construction stages as well as during ongoing operation
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The topics covered by all common certifications include materials and resources, energy and water, indoor environmental quality and sustainable site design, and resilience, to name just the most important ones. While there are many similarities in terms of topics, local conditions and market differences are also considered.
The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) is Europe’s largest network for sustainable building practices. To enable sustainable building practices to be applied, measured and compared in practice, the DGNB has developed its own certification system, the German Sustainable Building Certification, which was first used in the market in 2009. The system has been steadily improved since then and is now considered an advanced and internationally recognised green building certification system.
The DGNB system is based on the three pillars of sustainability – the environment, the economy and society – which are equally weighted in the rating. To achieve an all-round assessment, the DGNB system also rates the location, technical quality and process quality. Performance in these areas can be assessed through various minimum requirements and criteria in the assessment categories. The latter are individually adjusted for different use types and can be applied to new constructions, renovations, existing buildings and districts. Sustainable deconstruction can also be certified.
The following weightings apply to new buildings following the update of the system in 2023:
The DGNB system rates buildings based on degrees of fulfilment. The total performance index is calculated from the values achieved in six areas. The DGNB awards platinum, gold, silver and bronze ratings, with the lowest level only being granted to existing buildings. A total performance index of 50% or higher earns buildings DGNB Silver certification. DGNB Gold certification is awarded for a total performance index of 65% or higher, and a project must achieve a total performance index of 80% or higher to gain Platinum certification. Existing buildings can obtain a bronze rating with a score of 35%.
The DGNB aims to promote uniformly high standards for buildings. As a result, the total performance index alone is not sufficient for certification. The degree of achievement must also reach a minimum level in the areas relevant to the rating before certification is awarded.
The six ecological quality criteria allow an assessment of the building’s effects on the global and local environment, resource consumption and waste generation. One of the main focuses is on preparing an environmental analysis of the building indicating resource consumption and primary energy use over the entire life cycle of the building, including construction, use and demolition.
The criteria for economic quality are used to assess long-term economic efficiency (life cycle costs) and performance.
The eight sociocultural and functional quality criteria help to assess buildings in terms of health, comfort and user satisfaction, as well as important aspects of functionality.
The seven technical quality criteria allow technical quality to be assessed with regard to relevant sustainability aspects.
The nine process quality criteria are aimed at optimising the quality of planning and construction until the building is commissioned.
The four criteria for location quality are used to assess sustainability aspects related to the quality of the building’s surroundings and infrastructure, as well as the interaction between the project and building environment.
A lean assessment system based on the sustainable management approach plan-do-check-act is applied to buildings in use. With regard to environmental quality, the focus is on a property’s energy consumption, carbon footprint, water usage and management of recyclable materials. A climate action road map setting out the path to carbon neutrality is prepared for each building. Those that have already achieved this status are additionally certified “climate-positive”. Economic quality considers operating costs, risk management and value preservation, as well as procurement and management, while socio-cultural and functional quality addresses indoor comfort, user satisfaction and mobility.
