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Video: Sustainable Design

The design quality also contributes to the sustainability of buildings - the DGNB accordingly complements its certification with the Diamond award. The color also plays a role.
Author: Armin Scharf | Photo: 50 Hertz
Sustainability has many aspects - at first you always think of hard criteria such as primary energy consumption, the use of raw materials or renewable energies, but the design also has a huge impact on the overall quality of a building. This is not a new finding, but has so far not really been considered in the lead or DGNB certifications. At least the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) has recognized this discrepancy and has already started a project in 2015 with which the design and architectural quality are incorporated into the building assessment.
But how do you evaluate design that cannot be measured objectively, such as consumption values or other aspects that can be quantified? And how can the two strands of evaluation - here the sober numbers and there the aesthetics - be brought together?
Two-step process
Together with the Federal Chamber of Architects and the Association of German Architects, the DGNB has developed a two-stage process that should take sufficient account of cultural issues. The qualitative assessment takes into account above all the adequacy and timelessness of the building design. In addition to the urban integration, the materials used, the scale and the layout, the color also plays a role in the "shape" category. "When evaluating a coordinated color and material concept, it is a matter of the interplay in the interior and exterior, based on the environment," explains Felix Jansen from the DGNB. The project evaluation is carried out by a three-member committee, which is fed by a group of 15 architects.
Recommendations for action
The DGNB commission supports builders and architects with so-called "recommendations for action" so that the design aspects are included in the early phase of construction planning. After their implementation, the project can then be subjected to an additional evaluation. If the project has already been awarded the “hard” DGNB Gold or DGNB Platin certificates, the way to DGNB Diamant is open.
Further information:
www.dgnb.de
PraxisPlus
German Sustainable Building Council - DGNB eV
Felix Jansen
Tübinger Strasse 43
70178 Stuttgart