With the training to become an International DGNB Consultant, you will qualify as an accredited expert for DGNB Certification in an international context. The training prepares you to apply and optimally implement the requirements of certification in the design, planning and construction process according to the international version of the DGNB System for buildings and districts in practice. The focus is on adapting the DGNB System to the specific local requirements in new markets.
The training will be held in English.
To qualify as an expert for the DGNB System Buildings in Use, you will need to attend the DGNB ESG Manager training.
Learning objectives and skills taught
- You will gain extensive knowledge of the basics of DGNB Certification and proof of a recognised degree.
- You will learn to implement the DGNB requirements for sustainable buildings and districts in the design, planning and construction process and to adapt them to local conditions.
- You will be able to carry out DGNB Certification for buildings, and districts in all countries where there is not yet a locally adapted DGNB System.
International DGNB Consultants audit projects in countries outside Germany where there is no adapted version of the DGNB System to local requirements available yet. This excludes countries in which our DGNB System partners operate. If you plan to consult and certify projects especially in the markets where we have collaborating system partners, please directly contact our partners. They have localized the DGNB System to their market regulations and conditions and conduct DGNB trainings in their local language.
As an International DGNB Consultant, once you have successfully certified your first project with the DGNB, you automatically qualify as an International DGNB Auditor.
The most important facts at a glance
- Architects
- Specialist planners
- Civil engineers
- Urban planners
- Project developers
- Project managers
- Building product manufacturers
- Energy consultants
- Building owners and developers
- Persons who are actively involved in DGNB Certification or who would like to carry out certification themselves in countries where there is no local version of the DGNB System to date.
You would like to qualify as a DGNB Consultant in Germany? Here you can find the training course for DGNB Consultant in German.
International DGNB Consultant training
- Module 1: Basics of the DGNB System
Duration: 1 digital seminar day (2 x 90 min.)
- Module 2: The DGNB System for Districts
Duration: 1 digital seminar day (2 x 90 min.)
- Module 3: Ecology and economy in building certification
Duration: 1 digital seminar day (2 x 90 min.)
- Module 4: User comfort, technology and processes in building certification
Duration: 1 digital seminar day (2 x 90 min.)
- Workshops: DGNB tools
Duration: 1 digital seminar day with workshops (2 x 90 min.)
- Exam to become an International DGNB Consultant
To qualify as DGNB Consultants, participants need to take and pass the DGNB Consultant exam.
Duration: 60 min. on one exam day
Note on the exam: The online exam for the International DGNB Consultant qualification takes place approximately one month after your participation in the training in order to allow you to prepare in home study. The dates of the exams will be provided during the training. The home study in preparation for the exam takes about 40 hours on average. We use multiple choice questions to test the contents of the training in a 60-minute examination.
Note: Alternatively, there are also three-day intensive courses in presence, in which you gain the required knowledge as an International DGNB Consultant. These take place at various locations around the world.
Module 1: Basics of the DGNB System
In this module, the term sustainability is defined with its relevance for the built environment and the potential for action in the building industry is shown. In addition, the DGNB System is used to explain the measurable criteria into which the term for buildings and districts can be translated and which systematics the comprehensive DGNB evaluation methodology is based on. The focus is on adapting the DGNB system to specific local requirements in new markets.
Other module content includes getting to know the essential aspects of certification – from the available tools, the documentation for the conformity check to the award of a project – as well as the history of the DGNB from its foundation to the present day.
Module 2: The DGNB System for Disctricts
Sustainable districts require other aspects to be considered than buildings, but at the same time you have a significant influence on them. The DGNB has developed its own system for planning and implementing sustainability at district level. In this module, selected DGNB criteria for district certification are taught. The different requirements of a possible use – whether residential, industrial or event – are taken into account accordingly. Starting from the district level, various influencing factors and processes are considered and evaluated – always with a focus on the sustainability goals in the DGNB System.
Module 3: Ecology and economy in building certification
One goal of sustainable construction is to keep the emissions and resource consumption caused by buildings and districts as low as possible over their entire life cycle. The life cycle is to be understood as the time from construction, through use – usually for at least 50 years – to dismantling.
This module shows which criteria of the DGNB System can be used to achieve these goals and how they are applied. An important part of this is the life cycle assessment. Another aspect of the life cycle perspective is the economic consideration. This is discussed using the relevant DGNB criteria for buildings and districts and their application in the certification process, also their interaction is presented in a comprehensible manner.
Module 4: User comfort, technology and processes in building certification
Buildings have a significant impact on our well-being, after all we spend up to 90 percent of our time in them. A pillar of sustainability at the DGNB is therefore the socio-cultural dimension, which focuses on the wellbeing of users. When planning sustainable buildings, it is therefore of fundamental importance to know the factors of user perception and how they can be positively influenced. Module 4 deals primarily with those DGNB criteria that address the relevant aspects.
In addition, this module also deals with the DGNB requirements in relation to the technical implementation and equipment of buildings and districts. At the same time, this discussion promotes a high level of acceptance and thus the long-term maintenance of the built environment.
Workshops: DGNB Tools
In addition, we teach you how to apply selected DGNB criteria in practice with the DGNB Tools in two complementary digital workshops.
- Certificate of attendance for your participation in the International DGNB Consultant training in digital form
After passing the exam:
- Acquisition of the recognised degree of International DGNB Consultant
- International DGNB Consultant certificate in digital form
- Listing as DGNB Certification expert on the DGNB website
- International DGNB Consultant logo in digital form for communicating your qualification (e.g. for your e-mail signature, website or communication materials)
- Access to the exclusive area for International DGNB Consultants and International DGNB Auditors on the network platform myDGNB
- Possibility to become a DGNB Trainer
To be able to register for the exam, you must prove that you have attended the International DGNB Consultant training. The exam must be taken no later than 24 months after your attendance.
Furthermore, we require
- a degree in urban planning, urban design, spatial planning, architecture, civil engineering, natural sciences, economics, building physics or related disciplines
with one year of relevant professional experience (Master / Diploma)
or with several years of relevant professional experience (Bachelor)
or with five years of relevant professional experience after training in the construction and real estate industry.
We also recognise qualifications acquired elsewhere in individual cases.
DGNB member / | DGNB non-member | |
---|---|---|
International DGNB Consultant training incl. exam | ||
for participants with the degree DGNB Registered Professional (total) | 872 € | 1112 € |
for participants without the degree DGNB Registered Professional (total) | 1090 € | 1390 € |
All prices exclude VAT.
The reduced fees apply according to the DGNB fee schedule for all ordinary members and group members of the DGNB and their employees.
*Please enclose a valid proof of membership of the DGNB System Partner or cooperating training institution with your booking.
Groups (from 10 persons)
For group bookings of 10 people or more, please contact us by email at ausbildung@dgnb.de.
Note: The prices listed apply to the International DGNB Consultant training events organised by the DGNB Academy. Prices may vary slightly for events offered by DGNB system partners or DGNB academy partners.
Dates and registration
Become an International DGNB Consultant
Click on "Book now" to find out about upcoming events and select your preferred date.
Frequently asked questions about the International DGNB Consultant
After failing the International DGNB Consultant exam for the first time, you will receive a second attempt free of charge. A third attempt is possible. For this, we charge 50 percent of the examination costs.
If you do not pass at the latest on the third attempt, you have the option of taking an oral exam as a last resort. This will only take place on request and in person at the DGNB office (an online appointment is possible in individual cases). We charge the full examination fee for this.
Your licence as an International DGNB Consultant is limited to the submission of projects in countries where there is no local version of the DGNB System so far.
If you would like to be active in the German market or in countries of DGNB System Partners in the future, participation in the following events is required (please note: these seminars are held in German):
- DGNB Practical Module: Assessing and realising the recycling potential of building materials and structures (subject to a fee)
- DGNB Practical Module: Identifying and selecting low-pollutant building materials (fee required)
- Differences of the DGNB System International vs. DGNB System (free of charge)
Please contact us by e-mail at ausbildung@dgnb.de if you would like to extend your international licence.
Your licence as an International DGNB Consultant is limited to the submission of projects in countries where there is no local version of the DGNB System so far.
If you wish to operate in the future in a specific country where there is a Green Building Council that is a DGNB System Partner, please contact the respective Sustainable or Green Building Council.
To be allowed to carry out Building in Use certification with the DGNB, you must attend the DGNB ESG Manager training and obtain the title of DGNB ESG Manager. You do not have to take the exam. We offer a reduced fee for the DGNB ESG Manager training to all International DGNB Consultants and Auditors.
Your contact
Sreeparna Mitra
International Certification and Trainings
- Phone: +49-711-722322-88
- Email: S.MITRA@DGNB.DE