The average German spends about 85 percent of his life in a property. It is therefore no wonder that buildings dominate our everyday lives. Nevertheless, in times of climate change and resource scarcity, the real estate sector is increasingly in the negative headlines.
Why, you ask?
The real estate sector accounts for more than 40 percent of energy consumption at the national level, generating more than 170 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This makes the building sector a major contributor to the climate crisis.
However, these statistics are not new and the awareness is growing. That is why numerous building certification systems were established worldwide several years ago, aiming to make the building sector more sustainable or future-proof. Buildings should not only be planned, constructed or renovated sustainably, but also operated sustainably. The focus lies on the entire life cycle of a property.
What exactly does that mean?
The primary goal of a certification is basically simple: The buildings should be optimised in a holistic approach to the handling and consumption of energy. In addition, depending on the certification standard, other conditions must be met that lead to a sustainable building, e.g. use of sustainable / ecological materials, user comfort, water efficiency and waste management. In this way, a holistic assessment takes place and optimisation potentials become clear. The systems usually also include social aspects, such as health and well-being as well as quality of stay for the users. Another advantage of uniform standards is comparability.
What standards exist?
Green Star (Australia), CASBEE (Japan), LEED® (North America & Europe), HQE (France), BREEAM (parts of Europe), Verde (Spain), Lider A (Portugal) or the DGNB (Germany) are only some of the more than 58 existing building certification systems worldwide that are used to evaluate buildings according to ecological, social and economic criteria. These largely set different requirements for a sustainable building.
In Germany, three of the many building rating systems have become established: LEED from the USA, BREEAM from Great Britain and DGNB from Germany. Each standard has individual requirements and weights those differently.
The following is a brief overview of the three building certification systems:
LEED
- Founded in 1998 by the US Green Building Council
- Used in more than 160 countries
- Approx. 79,000 projects certified
- Implemented to almost all types of real estate
- Assessment refers to all phases of the building life cycle: building design + construction (BD+C), interior design + construction (ID+C) and operation + maintenance (O+M).
- In Germany, the BD+C variant is most frequently used (75%), followed by O+M (20%).
- Structure of criteria catalogue (among others): location, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor quality and innovation.
- LEED certificate is awarded in Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified depending on the points achieved
- Recertification every 3 years (only for existing buildings)
BREEAM
- BREEAM is the oldest certification system
- Introduced in Great Britain in 1990
- Present in 89 countries
- Approx. 594,000 buildings certified
- BREEAM International for projects outside the UK
- Country-specific assessment catalogues, e.g. in Germany BREEAM DE since 2012
- Certification also possible in Germany for new and existing buildings
- BREEAM Existing buildings most frequently used in Germany (90%); however, only non-residential buildings are certified; assessment is carried out separately according to: Building, operation and user
- Structure of criteria catalogue including: management, health & well-being, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use & ecology and pollution.
- Subdivision of certification levels into 5 or 6 stars
- Recertification every 3 years (only for existing buildings)
DGNB
- Quality seal of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) since 2009
- Present in 29 countries
- Approx. 5,000 buildings certified
- Certification is applicable at all levels such as planning, new construction, existing buildings and refurbishment, operation and deconstruction
- Market leader for new buildings in Germany
- Key paradigms: life cycle consideration, holistic approach, performance orientation
- Structure of criteria catalogue, among others: economic, ecological and urban development qualities
- DGNB certificate is awarded in platinum, gold and silver (and bronze) depending on the degree of fulfilment
- Recertification every 3 years (only for existing buildings)
The decision as to which system is ultimately used depends on the individual project. It is important to bear in mind that every project, every client and every investor is different and has individual priorities. For example, international players tend to use international standards in order to construct and compare their buildings worldwide according to the same standard. Companies acting nationally prefer to work with a German standard. These are mostly strategic decisions.
We can support you in the qualified selection of the Green Building certificate most suitable for you. Feel free to contact us at any time. We will advise you on the respective certifications and will be happy to support you in their implementation.
Are you still unsure whether a Green Building certificate makes sense for you? Here you will find an overview of the advantages.
