"Expo Real has traditionally been an outstanding setting for awarding DGNB certificates," states DGNB President Prof Alexander Rudolphi. "The fact that we're able to report record figures this year is a strong signal and shows that sustainable building, as the DGNB sees it, is becoming more and more established in the market."
The DGNB awards to be presented at Expo Real will include two new certificates. There will be the first bestowal of the DGNB Certificate for Sustainable Interiors, which will be awarded to the Weber Original Store in the Dutch city of Amersfoort and the offices of Interface in the German town of Krefeld. Two projects will also be the first to receive a DGNB Pre-Certificate that were assessed under the new Version 2017 of the DGNB certification system: the office buildings PULSE in Stresemannstraße in Berlin and the ICON building on Rheinlanddamm in Dortmund, both of them being developments of Delta Projektentwicklung & Management GmbH.
21 projects will receive a DGNB Certificate for Buildings in Use, which was unveiled by the DGNB at the trade fair last year. Most of these certificates stem from an initial certificate awarded by ECE Projektmanagement GmbH. "We used the initial certificate of the DGNB to look more closely at our long-term processes for operating shopping centres and improve them. The DGNB Certificate for Buildings in Use has evolved into a highly practical instrument for us," states Maria Hill, Director of Sustainability and Internal Services at ECE. "It helps us to continually optimise our projects, in Germany and abroad, and ultimately that's of benefit to the owners of the shopping centres we operate." Other companies that will be receiving awards, all based on a volume certification for a variety of projects, include Goodman, with 11 logistics properties, and the REWE Group, which will receive 30 certificates for 23 REWE Green Buildings, five toom DIY stores and two Penny supermarket outlets.
Overall, no less than 90 projects can look forward to receiving a DGNB certificate or a pre-certificate at Expo Real 2017. These include the Urbane Mitte Berlin development, the Kö district in Dusseldorf, two office and business districts and one project that was assessed by the ÖGNI, which acts as the official DGNB system partner in Austria. The majority of projects will receive their awards at the main certification ceremony on 5 October at 4.30 pm on the DGNB stand (A2.334). A schedule of all awards is available online at www.dgnb.en/exporeal.
Market leader in Germany – certification in over 20 countries
The DGNB certificate for sustainable buildings and districts was introduced in 2009 and covers the categories of platinum, gold, silver and bronze. During this time, the non-profit organisation based in Stuttgart has succeeded in establishing the system as a 'global benchmark for sustainability' and has emerged as the clear market leader among the certification schemes now offered in Germany. According to a BNP Paribas Real Estate study, the DGNB had a market share of more than 80 per cent of new commercial properties in 2016 and held over 60 per cent of the overall market. In the urban district sector, the DGNB is the European market leader and it is the number two worldwide.
"We sense the demand for the DGNB's certification products, especially abroad, as well as continual growth in the key considerations these entail, such as an holistic approach, assessment of life cycle impacts and the focus on performance," states Johannes Kreißig, Managing Director of DGNB GmbH. "Sustainable building with the 'Made in Germany' tag enjoys an excellent reputation and there is increasing acceptance for the central aim of building properties that really are better."
As of the end of September 2017, the DGNB has awarded more than 2200 certificates and precertificates. Developments have received certificates in 21 countries. The floor area this corresponds to is 61.7 million square metres. In the first three quarters of 2017, the DGNB saw its certification volume rise by over 30 per cent compared to the same period in 2016. At almost 90 per cent, the overall share of registered developments that went on to gain certification is unusually high. The proportion of certificates that were issued based on a volume certification stands at 42 per cent.
The DGNB offers a variety of certification schemes for over 20 specific types of use for buildings. Recently, three new categories were added: vertical cities, resorts and sports halls. Apart from offering certification for new buildings, the DGNB also certifies building interiors, buildings in use, renovated building structures and other existing buildings. To provide a complement to certificates, the DGNB has also developed a system for evaluating the design quality or 'architectural culture' of a building, allowing projects to gain a DGNB Diamond award for its Baukultur.
