Brief Profile of DGNB Germany - IGEP.in

DGNB
STRUCTURE
The DGNB system for urban districts is currently, measured
by the number of (pre-)certified projects, among the world
market leaders, although there is a market only version
since 2012. Further the DGNB is currently the only system
provider, which will also certify commercial districts and
industrial sites. All other system provider currently only
certify mixed-use neighborhoods with a high proportion
of residential use. The DGNB system is already available
for commercial districts as a pilot version. The Airport City
in Stuttgart is the first commercial district that has been
certified with the system.
By cooperating with global companies from Germany, the
certification system for industrial sites will be developed
till mid of 2014. The system for industrial sites should be
used worldwide. Also it should ensure that existing and
new sites can be certified.
The cooperation with GIZ in India would create a unique
opportunity to actively influence the system and to adapt
this to Indian conditions.
The DGNB systems for urban districts, commercial
districts and industrial sites
Half of the world’s population already lives in cities. By
2050 that figure is expected to rise to 70 percent. Given
that resource and energy consumption, emissions and
soil sealing are concentrated in cities, there is a particular
need for forward-looking concepts. In this respect, the
DGNB has engaged extensively with urban sustainability
issues and developed its own catalog of criteria for new
city districts. Needless to say, this scheme also adheres
to the DGNB’s core principles and focuses on the usual
evaluation areas: ecological quality, economic quality,
sociocultural and functional quality, technical quality and
process quality. In keeping with the DGNB’s philosophy,
particular importance is given to the quality of life offered
to residents, whereby important indicators include
educational, childcare, shopping and cultural facilities.
The assessment focuses on the publicly accessible areas
between buildings in the district such as footpaths, bicycle
lanes, roads and green spaces. Overarching concepts – e.g.
for managing energy, water and waste – are also taken
into consideration. The basic conditions for developing
buildings in the district play a major role. The buildings
themselves do not need to meet DGNB criteria in order for
the district to be certified – only their basic data is included.
Practical adaptation: Certification in three stages
As with the DGNB System for buildings, pre-certificates and
certificates are awarded for urban districts. These develop
in several phases over a long period and the construction
phase is considerably longer than is the case for individual
buildings. Accordingly, there are three certification stages
– as well as the pre-certificate, there are two other types of
certificates. The first of these, with a term of five years, can
be awarded when 25 percent of access and services have
been completed. The second has an unlimited duration
and is awarded when 75 percent of the buildings have
been completed.
Structure of the DGNB System
The DGNB System for urban districts considers five areas
of evaluation as follows:
• Environmental Quality
• Economic Quality
• Socio-Cultural and Functional Quality
• Technical Quality
• Process Quality
Special requirements - Customized solutions
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The scheme covers all of the issues relevant to sustainable
urban districts. These include a district’s structure, the
proportion of open spaces, flexibility of use, the efficiency
of its IT and communication infrastructure as well as
maintenance, management and cleaning. As is the case
when evaluating buildings, a life cycle assessment is
conducted for urban districts.