DGNB System

DGNB System
Name	DGNB System
Developer	German Sustainable Building Council
Type	Sustainability certification
Status	Active
Region	Global
Website	https://www.dgnb-system.de/en/

DGNB System. The DGNB System is a globally recognized framework for assessing the sustainability of buildings, urban districts, and infrastructure. Developed by the German Sustainable Building Council, it represents a holistic, performance-based approach that goes beyond environmental metrics to encompass economic viability, sociocultural quality, and technical functionality. Its methodology is applied worldwide, promoting a comprehensive understanding of sustainable construction and planning.

Overview

The framework is structured around a core philosophy of evaluating the entire life cycle of a project, from raw material extraction through to deconstruction. This life cycle assessment is central to its methodology, ensuring considerations of embodied carbon and long-term operational impacts. The system’s holistic nature integrates criteria across environmental protection, economic value, and social well-being, distinguishing it from narrower green building tools. It is administered by the German Sustainable Building Council, an organization founded with support from the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development. The system’s rigorous, point-based scoring leads to awards of Platinum, Gold, or Silver certification, signaling outstanding sustainable quality.

Certification Process

The process begins with early project registration and the appointment of an accredited DGNB Auditor who guides the team through the requirements. Project teams must compile extensive evidence across all relevant criteria, often utilizing specialized software for life-cycle assessment calculations and performance simulations. The auditor then reviews the documentation before a final evaluation by the independent DGNB Certification Council. This council, comprising experts from academia and industry, ensures impartiality and rigor. Successful projects receive their formal rating, which is valid for a defined period and may require recertification to demonstrate ongoing performance, particularly for building operations.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment is organized into six primary quality sections, each containing specific criteria with measurable benchmarks. The Environmental Quality section addresses issues like global warming potential, resource consumption, and biodiversity. Economic Quality evaluates life-cycle costs, value stability, and flexibility of use. Sociocultural and Functional Quality covers aspects such as thermal comfort, indoor air quality, accessibility, and aesthetic design. The Technical Quality section assesses the robustness of building systems, ease of cleaning, and noise protection. Process Quality examines the quality of planning, construction management, and commissioning. Finally, Site Quality evaluates location-specific factors such as connectivity to public transport and risk from local environmental hazards.

Types of Certifications

The system offers a versatile family of certification schemes tailored to different project typologies and phases. Core schemes include New Construction for buildings, Existing Buildings for operational performance, and Interiors for fit-out projects. For larger-scale planning, it provides District certification, evaluating urban development projects. Furthermore, specialized schemes exist for unique building types like Hospitals, Industrial Facilities, and Logistics Centers. The system also includes a pre-certification for projects in the design phase and a dedicated Deconstruction certification to manage end-of-life material flows responsibly.

Comparison with Other Systems

While other major systems like LEED from the U.S. Green Building Council and BREEAM from the Building Research Establishment are market leaders, the DGNB System is distinguished by its rigorous quantitative life-cycle approach and strong emphasis on economic factors. Compared to LEED, which often awards points for specific prescribed measures, the DGNB System is more strongly performance-outcome oriented. Its structure shares similarities with the French HQE standard but is generally considered more comprehensive in its technical and process evaluation. The system’s alignment with European norms like the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and its use of standardized EN 15978 calculation methods enhance its credibility within the European Union.

Development and History

The system was launched in 2009 following several years of development by the German Sustainable Building Council, which was itself founded in 2007 by key industry associations. Its creation was influenced by earlier German guidelines like the Sustainable Building Assessment System and was designed to respond to the broader policy goals of the European Union for sustainable development. Major revisions, such as the introduction of the 2.0 version, have continuously integrated advancements in building science and feedback from international projects. The system’s global expansion has been facilitated through partnerships with organizations like the Austrian Sustainable Building Council and the Danish Green Building Council, adapting its framework to various regional contexts while maintaining its core methodological principles.

Category:Sustainable building